A Watched Pot
            Growing up in landlocked Upstate New York, I spent outdoor time walking in cornfields, forests and creeks. I never imagined being able to drive fifteen minutes to a beach where I might see whales right offshore.
            Recent local news reports people seeing humpback whales right here in San Francisco Bay as well as up and down the coast. 
            I get excited about going to a likely spot to see whales. Then I remember that every time I look for them—even when they’re reported to be swimming in large numbers nearby—I rarely see them.
            My best whale viewing experience was walking along a beach in Pacifica, CA with no thought of seeing marine mammals. I wasn’t even looking at the water. Eyes on the trail in front of me, my peripheral vision caught the movement of a large dark shape a very short distance offshore. I looked over to see a whale’s tail lift out of the water and then sink back into the waves. 
            Seeing wildlife takes patience and being in the right place at the right time. It helps to not get frustrated when we don’t see what we’re watching for.
            The featured hike from the archives is Pacifica Pier from Mori Point, an oceanside walk that is stunning whether whales are in view or not, but is known as a spot to see gray whales, humpback whales, sea lions, harbor seals, and other marine mammals.
            Whether you regularly carry binoculars or just trust your eyes to spot wildlife, it’s often the moment when we stop trying too hard that we receive the gift of a surprise appearance by a deer, a rabbit, a special bird, or a pod of dolphins. Keep your eyes open and your feet moving forward!
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. 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. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
Hike Notes 62: Pacifica Pier from Mori Point

His Own Two Feet
            For many years, my younger son’s overwhelmed sensory system kept him trapped away from the world. He was frozen in place. Learning to navigate a world that his system isn’t wired for has been an ongoing journey for him, and for us, his family members.
            We worked with helpers over the years to help us get Sean out in nature. We’ve watched Sean transform from a boy buried under blankets not wanting to leave the house to a young man at ease on a hiking trail.
            When we first started hiking, Sean clung to us, head buried on our shoulders. It took half an hour to get him out of the car, and another to start walking. Then it would be start, stop, hug, stop, start, hug. When he did walk, he was hunched forward, hat and hands covering his face.
            Sean continues adjusting to the world, and walking in nature is now one of his favorite activities.
            I watch him walk independently at a distance, standing up tall, though his face often still faces down at the trail. His path has been challenging, but we look back and see how remarkably far he has come.
            Has your life journey taken you through difficult challenges that moved you forward? Remember to look back and give credit for how far you’ve come. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Alta Trail-Bobcat to Rodeo Valley Trail, takes readers on a scenic trail above the Gerbode Valley in the Marin Headlands.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. 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. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
New this week:
Hike Notes 207: Alta Trail-Bobcat to Rodeo Valley Trail

That “Summer Vacation” Feeling
            As a kid in starkly contrasting four-seasons Upstate New York, by the time we hit August, it felt like summer was already ending. We’d plan the last camping trip in the Adirondacks, the last swim at a local lake, the last day hanging out at the secret swimming hole. There was morning frost on the ground before school started in September.
            Temperate weather on the coast where I live now makes it possible to feel that “summer vacation” feeling in other seasons. Watching surfers at Stinson Beach, people watching at Golden Gate Park, paddling a boat around Blue Heron Lake (previously Stow Lake)—these all exude a spirit of carefree freedom. 
            A different kind of favorite is Aquatic Park and Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco. There’s something about visiting any National Park site—which includes Hyde Street Pier—that makes me feel like I’m on a summer road trip. 
            Walk along Aquatic Park and you can see not only the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, but also swimmers from the Dolphin Club swimming in the bay (sometimes with sea lions pestering them), with beautiful historic ships looming behind them.
            When looking for a small dose of that vacation feeling, we take the scenic walk from Fort Mason Stairs to Hyde Street Pier, the featured hike from the archives this week.
            We don’t have to fly or drive far to have a vacation moment. Playing tourist in our own backyard is underrated. What’s your nearby favorite spot? Keep putting one foot forward!
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. 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. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
Hike Notes 58: Fort Mason Stairs to Hyde Street Pier

Marking Time
            As a schoolkid, I loved learning about iconic places and times in history. Nerd alert: I was enthralled by the fact that there is a thing called the prime meridian which is the zero point for measuring longitude and marks the time zone for Greenwich Mean Time.
            The thought that I would ever visit this historic spot in Greenwich, England never occurred to me. It was sure to remain a phantom entity in my mind.
            But then my older son started living in London, and it turned out he lives a short train ride from Greenwich.
            Each of us has a unique range of things that make our hearts flutter with excitement. For me, taking the long scenic walk from the train station, past the historic clipper ship Cutty Sark, through the greenery of university grounds and then gradually climbing the hill to the Royal Observatory where the prime meridian is located was a thrill.
            From our high perch at this old historic site, we looked back across the park and saw the modern London skyline across the Thames.
            We can never be sure where life’s path will take us. Make the most of the bright stretches!
            This week’s highlighted hike is a World Walks contribution, Greenwich Observatory Walk, London. 
            HikingAutism shares mostly Northern California hikes, but readers enjoy seeing the variety of walking sites in other countries and parts of the U.S.
            Have a favorite walk? Share with readers in World Walks! Two or three sentences and a few photos allow other readers to share your enjoyment. See the World Walks link for how to submit your walk to share.
 
This week’s Hike Notes is a new World Walks entry:
Greenwich Observatory Walk, London
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. 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. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777