Forest for the Trees
            Can’t see the forest for the trees. Looking obsessively at the tree in front of us, we’re blind to the broader perspective.
            We get so caught up in our individual tasks for surviving a day that we forget to step back and look at the bigger dynamics.
            On the flip side, sometimes we can’t see the trees for the forest.
            I see this in posts from special needs parents dealing with a new diagnosis. Facing the unexpected and daunting prospect of lifelong care of a child who may never become an independent adult can knock one’s breath out. The heavy reality of that “forest” can be so paralyzing that we forget to enjoy happy moments each day.
            In our family, the “tree” to stop and appreciate might be unexpected learning progress for our autistic son. It might be a hug we didn’t see coming. It might be the kindness of a stranger while we manage a behavior problem in public.
            We need to remind ourselves to stop in front of that one special tree and spend a happy moment there. The beauty of that individual tree, seen from one special moment to the next as we walk along, can make the looming forest feel less overwhelming.
            Today’s Hike Notes are about the visually varied Rhubarb Trail to Haypress Camp. Starting under tree cover with a wooden footbridge, the atmospheric Rhubarb Trail haunts walkers with gnarled oaks dripping with moss on the one hand, and draws them forward through tree tunnels on the other. Then suddenly, you are under the wide open sky of Tennessee Valley on the path to Haypress Camp. This walk is a nice changeup from the standard Tennessee Valley hike.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 26: Rhubarb Trail to Haypress Camp

Hug of Thanks
            This is a brief midweek Insights/Hike Update News post to say a belated thank you.
            Hikingautism.com was recently contacted by a wonderful group of special needs moms in the know at wondermoms.org with a valuable list of resources for families facing special needs transition to adulthood.
            Please check out the link info list contributed by wondermoms.org in its entirety on the Links page.
            Another belated thanks goes to the contribution of valuable special needs/disabilities information links from Forever Curious at http://forevercurious.org. Their link list is also noted in its entirety on the Links page.
            Thank you to both organizations for reaching out to hikingautism.com to share these information links, and for the wonderful work you do!
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this post:
Updates to the Links page

Passing Through Fences
            I can’t count how many barbed wire fences my brothers and I slipped through as kids.
            This was a required skill for traipsing through our playground of endless farmland.
            In generous moments, one sibling would step the middle wire down and pull the upper wire up for another to pass through.
            After winter jacket holes earned struggling against the barbs alone, even the most stubbornly independent of us accepted the offer, an act of silent camaraderie.
            My older son, born and raised in a city, teases me when I wax nostalgic about my creek and forest-filled childhood.
            Raising two boys in an urban environment makes it hard to share a treasure from my development: racking up miles of earth underfoot, sky overhead.
            One day, while I mused over where to take our autistic son for a short walk, my older son said, “I know a place.”
            We parked on a city street, bordering an open space area. He led us down the sidewalk, along a typical wood and metal barrier fence.
            “This way,” he said, climbing under the barrier fence onto a dirt path. One at a time, we dropped below the fence and followed.
            The trail descended to a creek valley, haunted with tunnels of ivy-covered trees. A narrow passage opened out onto the beach. A surprise from our city boy, compliments of his memory of a science field trip.
            Today’s Hike Notes are about the short but visually stimulating walk from Lobos Creek to Baker Beach. This trail along the final stretch of Lobos Creek, the last free running stream in San Francisco, opens onto the popular Baker Beach. This is a new favorite when we’re low on energy but want a little sense of adventure.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 25: Lobos Creek to Baker Beach

On Another Planet
            Visiting a different place can be discombobulating. The food tastes different. The scenery is unfamiliar. We're not sure how to interact with people.
            A friendly gesture at home may mean the opposite somewhere else.
            Don’t know the language? Try meeting even the simplest needs: food, toilet, sleep.
           Moving outside our comfort zone can be exciting. It can also be exhausting and even maddeningly frustrating.
            Autism parents hear the “traveler in a foreign land” analogy for our kids from early on. For those with extreme language difficulties, every day can feel like a fresh arrival at a place both exotic and sometimes threatening. Perhaps that is why our son and others on the spectrum cling with fierce desperation to familiar objects and patterns.
            For people on the autism spectrum, it’s not just language processing that’s different. It can be any and every sensory input. Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. The invisible sense of communication between people. Things that feel wonderful to many people may feel like torture.
            The person dealing with sensory overload might not be able to verbalize it. A parent or teacher may have trouble interpreting a frantic meltdown of frustration.
            If your sensory system is gauged so differently from what most of us consider “the norm,” every day might feel like visiting a different planet.
            So far no one has figured out a quick, easy way to deal with these challenges. A few non-technical instinctive basics can help to start with:
            Patience
            Imagining what it feels like to be in the other person’s shoes
            Unconditional love
            I wish I had more concrete help to offer others. hikingautism.com is a result of our finding that time moving in nature is a huge positive for our son and the whole family. Hopefully everyone can find at least one thing that calms the panicky sense that we’re struggling on an unfamiliar planet.
            Once in a while our hikes take us to an exotic looking place. This week’s Hike Notes are about Ring Mountain-Tiburon, an open space preserve with a lunar landscape vibe that offers wide open views and spots to try outdoor rock climbing.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 24: Ring Mountain-Tiburon

In Dark Woods Wandering
            Walking through deep dark woods. Simultaneously comforting and scary.
            On a trail we know well by sight, sound and feel, we find our way regardless of foggy darkness or vague trail markings.
            On an unfamiliar path, each new turn leads to the unknown.
            Maybe our map doesn’t match the trail markers. Maybe there’s a wooden post at a path intersection but the sign is missing. Maybe our sense of distance and direction goes off track.
      Being a parent sometimes feels like being on an unmarked trail. Especially when the path takes an unanticipated turn. Health or developmental challenges can make us feel like we have no map at all.
              The family member dealing with the challenge probably feels even more disoriented than the caregiver.
          When on a dark trail without a good map, it’s important to stop and breathe. Gather your bearings. Remember you are there for each other. For family challenge trail trouble, ask for support outside your family unit.
            We fall over obstacles that catch us off balance. But we have each other. Offer a hand when one of you stumbles. Try again. Keep marching forward.
            A sense of mystery draws us into deep shadowy forests. This week’s Hike Notes are about El Corte de Madera Creek, an open space preserve offering a series of dark, twisty trails after a dark and twisty drive through redwood forest roads.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 23: El Corte de Madera Creek