Catch Your Wave
            Twelve surfers sit facing the horizon.
            A promising wave starts to form just beyond the line of surfboards.
            Half the surfers let the wave pass by.
            Another four turn their boards and start to paddle, then shift gears and let the wave roll past.
            The last two catch the crest and steer their boards along the edge, twisting to adjust position. One rides to the frothy end in the shallows. The other cuts back midway and faces away from shore, waiting for a better wave.
            With what appears to be the same spot, same wave, and same goal, the surfers chose different options.
            Countless nuances affect our choices. For a surfer it might be the way a wave breaks, or how near the next surfer is. And there’s the indefinable, personal sense at a crucial instant of whether to go for it.
            Making choices based on experience and instinct is our right, whether we can explain our reasoning or not. We may not totally understand the triggers that make us say yes or no. Gut instinct is a force to be respected and honed.
            Catch the waves you feel right about. Let the others roll past. Tap into your senses to make a choice again next time.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Rockaway Beach to Pacifica State Beach, reflect this instinctive choice phenomenon. My family loves the northern end of Pacifica State Beach, but we don’t like the crowds and tight parking lot at the southern end. We still choose to go to Pacifica State Beach, but we start from neighboring Rockaway Beach and hike over the hill to get there. Sometimes life lets us enjoy two good choices in one!
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            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 77: Rockaway Beach to Pacifica State Beach

The Unsteady But Persistent Path
            “Have a goal. Stick to the path. If you’re determined, you will reach your goal.”
            Ha! Sounds great, but life just isn’t that simple.
            Though those points are true to a degree, it’s unfortunate when people feel like failures because their path to a goal is rough and twisted.
            All of us fall down and have to pick ourselves up again. Failure leads to hard-earned progress.
            For families like ours with one member severely challenged on multiple fronts, it may look like we’re aiming low to others. When things are tough, our goal may be to just survive the day, or the hour.
            Our younger son is autistic, epileptic, and has limited language ability. Unpredictable behavior and multiple allergies can throw things off track in an instant. He also suffered such extreme sensory overload for a stretch that he could barely leave the house. (See the Home page.)
            The thought that we’d ever go on an overnight trip seemed like a joke. Being away from home is hard for our son, and thus for the rest of us. Spending time in public can also be exhausting when your family member doesn’t match social expectations.
            Despite that, with strong encouragement and logistical support, we managed to go on a one night trip, and then another. Then we did a two night trip away.
            Gaining the ability to go on short family trips wasn’t easy, but we persisted through ups and downs, and learned to laugh at the trouble spots.
            Fall on your face, pick yourself up, and try again. You might discover that you’ve been enjoying things along the way, despite the challenges.
            This week’s Hike Notes take readers to Asilomar State Beach. This one mile stretch of beach on the western side of Pacific Grove, CA offers stunning views along wooden paths and sandy walkways.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            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 76: Asilomar State Beach

Take the Plunge
            Summers as a kid in the forest-covered, lake-filled Mohawk Valley where I grew up meant swimming. We knew the best swimming holes in the creeks and countless lakes dotting the wider Adirondack region.
            Though no longer an option due to safety and environmental issues, summer also used to mean hiking to the geologically fascinating, aesthetically stunning Trenton Falls Gorge. A hopefully well-tied climbing rope awaited those who dared to climb up the multi-tiered rock face.
            Once atop the cliff ledge, the only way down was to jump out from the rocks into the bracing cold water below. Freezing in fear on the cliff was only a temporary option, because the rope logistics didn’t work going down. Climb. Jump. Swim.
            The San Francisco Bay Area is rich in natural wonders, including ocean, lakes and rivers. Yet swimming spots are not easy to come by. Too cold, too big, too dangerous. I missed having easy swim spots to take my kids.
            When my son’s hiking/autism helper said there was a lake with a rope swing in Marin County, I was determined to get there. A year after hearing about it, with almost three miles of hiking trail behind us, the rope swing loomed before us.
            Big tree, high on a hill over the lake. Hard for a short person like me to even reach the dangling bit of rope.
            “Ready, set, go!” my son said as I stood holding the rope, trying to rev myself up to swing out over the lake. “Say it again, Sean,” I said, procrastinating for another few seconds.
            “Ready, set, go!” And there I went. Flying free for a brief moment, I then felt the icy shock of cold lake water. It was so great I did it two more times.
            Maybe there’s a difficult challenge we have to face. Or something fun and exciting that takes courage to try. Sometimes it takes an extra push for that last big leap forward.
            Listen to voices cheering you on, even if it’s just your own. Brace yourself. Picture yourself moving toward your goal. Leap forward.
            Plunging ahead is not always easy, and the results are almost never exactly as we imagined. Sometimes that first step is the hardest.
            If you stumble—and most of us do—get back up and try again.
            This week’s Hike Notes introduce Bass Lake, a woodsy lake near Bolinas, California worth the Coastal Trail hike to get there.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            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 75: Bass Lake

Nature In the City
            Crossing rocky, ice cold creeks in bare feet. Traipsing through hilly, rocky farm fields and deep pine forests—on 90°F summer days and –15°F winter days alike. Staying vigilant at the sound of a black bear’s breathing outside a tent during Adirondack summers. My love of the outdoors from childhood is a guiding force in my life.
            And yet I raised two sons in a city.
            Living in a city does not mean being deprived of nature. Our urban region is home to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, one of the largest National Park areas. Countless state parks, county parks, open space preserves, and various other sites add up to a natural treasure trove.
            For those with family members dealing with tough challenges—physical, mental, developmental—getting out to a beautiful nature spot may feel impossible, as it felt to our family for years (see the Home page background story).
            With help and effort, we gained the ability to get to many amazing sites, some of them challenging to get to both logistically and physically.
            Maybe you lack the mobility, support, or logistical means to get to nature sites in your area. Don’t give up. Absorb the beauty of nature at hand. Front porch flowers. Neighborhood trees. A potted plant on your windowsill. Vines growing through a fence. Watch the sunrise or sunset, even through a window. Listen to the rustle of leaves on trees. Feel a breeze blowing on your face.
            Reach out for help, as we did (In Memory and Thanks), and one day you may get further afield.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Corona Heights-Randall Museum, shows one example of the abundant nature—from geological history, to rare wildflowers, to even rarer butterflies—that even a city setting like San Francisco has to offer.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            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 74: Corona Heights-Randall Museum