City Walk Adventures
            Remote wilderness or heart of a city, there’s always a way to find a small dose of nature. We can have our “daily constitutional” walk in almost any setting.
            HikingAutism will be enjoying city walks and a lighter schedule for some special family visiting time, so this week’s post is short, but please enjoy a great example of an urban nature escape in this week’s throwback Hike Notes.
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Salesforce Park-San Francisco City Walk, a walk in a very urban setting that offers the calming force of a wide variety of plants and trees in creative landscaping four stories above city streets.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 146): Salesforce Park-San Francisco City Walk
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Finding Our Feet
            The counterpart to this story is featured in previous Insights post, “The Trail Less Traveled,” in which autistic son Sean and I found ourselves climbing Mt. Tam on an unmarked trail rather than the section of the Bootjack Trail we were aiming for.
            Despite bushwhacking much of the first half of our hike, we enjoyed the adventure and were pleased to know that our directional instincts got us to the Mountain Theater which was our turnaround destination.
            After huffing and puffing straight up a steep path through grassy fields (which gave a tick an opportunity to hitchhike home with me), we had fun zigzagging our way back down the mountain along the trail we’d originally wanted to try.
            The Bootjack Trail is a well-worn path. Its wooden fences have fallen in some places, which somehow adds to the trail’s aesthetic charm. Sean loves going downhill, and found his footing sufficiently to run across wooden benches we found on the way. Despite challenges with verbal communication, Sean senses the mood of those around him, and could detect my confidence in being on a sure trail back to our starting point.
            Finding our footing for the day meant that compared to our steep climb up an unnamed trail, the zigzag trail going down was easy and fun.
            May all our adventures in life have some easy stretches along the way. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Bootjack Trail-Mountain Theater to Bootjack Campground, leads readers on the zigzag switchback section of the Bootjack Trail from the Mountain theater to the Bootjack Campground parking area. (Counterpart Hike Notes to this: Mountain Theater from Bootjack Campground.)
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 165: Bootjack Trail-Mountain Theater to Bootjack Campground

The Trail Less Traveled
            Many of my favorite hikes with my autistic son have been on Mt. Tam. Paths through shady redwood groves rise to broad bay and ocean views. Live oak and madrone-lined trails twist and turn until they broaden into rolling hills with grass bleached by the sun. A trail from a watershed lake might lead to a forest waterfall.
            The pandemic meant Sean and my weekday hikes with our old autism support buddy were fewer and farther between. One summer break weekday, I was determined to get Sean to explore a new trail with me, come hell or high water, despite it being just the two of us in a more rugged area. Destination: Mt. Tam.
            We pulled into the Bootjack Trailhead parking area ready to go. We had a map and good sense of our destination as the crow flies. We headed out on the right trail, but missed one short turn and ended up taking a faded trail straight up the mountain. 
            What started as a fairly visible path faded into pretty much a bushwhacking climb. We made our way up through an open space of grass and rocks between patches of forest on either side. Instead of taking the switchback Bootjack Trail I’d planned to photograph, we were chugging directly up the mountain.
            It was unexpectedly hot, we’d forgotten our hats, and we were both huffing and puffing as we stomped our way to the top of the ridge that would lead us to our destination, the Mountain Theater.
            It can be a little spooky in the more remote areas with just two of us. We know there can be mountain lions and rattlesnakes around, but our bigger risk was heat exhaustion.
            We scrambled up a rocky rise to a large patch of what looked like green serpentine rock. We’d reached a bigger trail that expanded into a stunning view of golden grass broken into visual geometric shapes against a bright blue sky.
            After a water and snack break, we walked to the nearest trail sign.
            “0.2 miles to the theater, Seanie! Almost there!” We got to the Mountain Theater, and then zigzagged our way back down the Bootjack Trail.
            As a young man profoundly affected by autism, my younger son has spent his life walking a different path from that of typically developing kids. The rest of us in the family have walked that path with him.
            Sometimes falling off the well-trodden trail brings more beautiful views and a greater sense of accomplishment. May some of your trails bring surprises and a chance to learn something new about yourself. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Mountain Theater from Bootjack Campground, leads readers on an accidental adventure straight uphill on an unmarked path between two popular trails.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 164: Mountain Theater from Bootjack Campground

Far from the Madding Crowd
            City dwellers sometimes need an escape from urban stresses. An obvious solution would be to get out of town to spend time in a nature-filled setting, but traveling miles for peace and quiet is not always an option. Finding calm, uplifting places within our urban setting becomes a necessity.
            San Francisco benefits from being the site of large cultural events, like music festivals that draw tens of thousands of fans per day to Golden Gate Park. It’s nice to be popular, but for those of us who live in the surrounding neighborhoods, three-day concert festivals bring traffic jams, crowded sidewalks, and blocked roads.
            Luckily, San Francisco has countless stunning nature sites right within the city. Within walking or short driving distance, we can escape to peaceful places to tap into the calming forces of nature.
            Wherever you live, may you find tranquil spots that mentally transport you away from the cacophony of urban life. A neighborhood park, a nearby flower garden, or even a quiet bus stop under a tree can take us to a more serene place.
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Corona Heights-Randall Museum, a rocky hill walk that takes visitors high above a beloved children’s museum to offer 360-degree views of the busy city below.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 74): Corona Heights-Randall Museum
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism