A Softer Light
            Sometimes the world turns so quickly and haphazardly that it’s hard to find solid ground to stand on. Visually I think of bold, vividly contrasting colors that jar our sense of stability.
            Pendulums eventually swing, and storms eventually lull, even the longest, harshest ones.
            After extended chaos, it’s hard to feel there will ever be calm. And yet the skies soften to pale pastels, and a sense of peace sneaks back.
            I can usually find a few moments of tranquility with time spent outdoors, even in a literal storm, but placid soft-hued light falling over rolling hills offers an easier portal to serenity.
            May all of us find ways to tap into the soothing, hazy light of a pastoral sunset, even in tumultuous times.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Tennessee Valley Fox Trail, a hike with mild inclines and the Pacific horizon in view, perfect for tapping into nature’s calming forces.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 42): Tennessee Valley Fox Trail

View from on High
            The nitty-gritty details of life can feel overwhelming during this closely restricted time of the pandemic. It’s easier to feel dragged under by minor issues of the daily grind without enough ways to clear our heads. There are fewer activities outside our own homes, less interaction with people, little chance to travel and get a sense of distance.
            We may not be easily able to travel far as the crow flies under current circumstances, but what if we rise upward?
            It’s amazing how powerfully we can change our sense of perspective when we stand on a high hill or mountain, or at the window of a tall building, and gaze out at the distance.
            Even in a densely packed city like San Francisco, there are ways to rise out of the claustrophobic city street level and gain a refreshing wide view. Famous for its steep hills, San Francisco features many charming and quirky stair walks that offer grand views for short (though steep) walks.
            Climbing up step after step, some huffing and puffing more than others, we find ourselves far from the madding crowd, and can take a moment to reset our outlook, remembering that we are just small dots in a big world. I don’t know why realizing our insignificance in the world is a relief, but it does help alleviate pressure of expectations and clear the mind.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Jack Early Park – San Francisco Stair Walk, leads readers to one of San Francisco’s many alluring stair walks, this one with glorious views of San Francisco Bay, including Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, and Mt. Tamalpais.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
New this week:
Hike Notes 120: Jack Early Park – San Francisco Stair Walk 

Peaceful Horizons
            Peace feels like a ghost ship on the horizon in recent times. Everyone has experienced some sort of turmoil in terms of politics, the pandemic, and economic and social instability.
            This especially crazy year on top of several turbulent years truly makes calmer times feel like an unreachable phantom in the distance.
            Yet there will be calmer times again. The pendulum swinging back at some point seems to be a rule of nature.
            Standing from the opposite perspective, in times of tranquility, it’s hard to imagine there would be this much chaos again. And yet, quiet times inevitably hit new storms going forward.
            Through it all, time spent in nature gives a lift. In crazy times, it calms us. In times of quiet and inner strength, it lifts us higher, perhaps bringing new insights and clarity.
            Gazing at the edge of the Pacific offers a powerful dose of nature’s calming force, and I’m grateful to see it so easily from where I live.
            Wherever you are, take a moment to breathe in fresh air, watch the sunset, or just notice a flower in a crack of a city sidewalk. It only takes a brief moment to tap our inner peaceful horizons.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Muir Beach Overlook, a location that can be a quick stop vista view of the Pacific, or a starting spot for a great hike such as along the Owl Trail.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 83): Muir Beach Overlook

Teamwork
            Families. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. Pandemic safety restrictions mean that people living in the same household spend a lot of time together.
            Sometimes we drive each other crazy. On the flip side, having a fuller household alleviates some of the loneliness experienced by those living alone.
            Our family members roll our eyes in irritation at times, but we also have a built in set of companions for outdoor outings. Having a full crew for household projects is also handy.
            Having a severely autistic family member in the mix during long months of pandemic restrictions presents extra difficulties, some of them harrowing, some of them funny. Our autistic son has taken to rearranging large objects of furniture on a daily basis, sometimes at 1 AM. I’m sure other families that include members with exceptional needs face similar challenges. Our son is not able to navigate the world on his own, so we’re lucky to share caregiver duties between three of us.
            We are grateful to have each other for support through trying times as well as easy ones, and try to remember to give thanks to family and friends, despite the distractions of unsettled times.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Tennessee Point Labyrinth, takes readers on a stunning coastal view hike featuring a stone labyrinth on a high cliff above the Pacific with fascinating geological structures and white cliffs in view. Looking along the coast in either direction from the labyrinth cliff is enough to make anyone forget anything but the power of nature.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
New this week:
Hike Notes 119: Tennessee Point Labyrinth

Through a Dark Window
            Pandemic fears. Political turmoil. Economic instability. This thematic combination has been playing on loop for well over seven months now. People who experience depression sometimes describe it as like looking at the world through a different colored set of glasses. Everything, even things that used to feel bright and cheerful, seem tinged with a darker color and mood.
            Countless news stories report on the prevalence of depression and anxiety amidst the current pervasive upheaval in our world. I don’t know anyone who isn’t suffering from some level of emotional trauma from the relentless psychological pummeling we’ve been collectively suffering through.
            It helps to remember that there is light on the other side of even the dirtiest, darkest window. There will be days when the sun rises higher, shines brighter, and helps us see past the shady obstacles that make us feel unnerved about the state of our world.
            On a recent weekend outing we decided to park at Fort Point, a favorite scenic spot at the foot of the Gold Gate Bridge. With the fort interior closed for months due to pandemic health and safety regulations, we figured we’d enjoy the outside view and walk along shore. To our surprise, the Fort had reopened, and we happily walked around inside this favorite old stomping ground.
            Despite dozens of visits over the years, I hadn’t truly noticed the thick, rough window edges framing the Golden Gate Bridge before. Images revealing the bright orange-red of the bridge and the Marin Headlands glowing in the distance beyond the dark, rough window edge became a favorite set of recent photos.
            May we all see past the dark, smudgy edges to the shining light ahead of us, no matter how gloomy things seem at the moment.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Fort Point, an archive repeat favorite as we never tire of the view from there and visit often.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 37): Fort Point