Bright Spots Ahead
            After what feels like an endless stretch of the world facing chaos on the health, political and economic fronts, we can all at least hope for better things in the coming months as a new year unfolds.
            May we all feel free to dip our toes into the shimmering waters of optimism as we face ongoing personal and collective challenges.
            Look to the horizon, gaze out a window, take a little walk in your neighborhood—look for a small bright spot somewhere. Even the smallest shining light can warm world-weary hearts.
            As we do in our frequently careworn household, please keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Lake Merced-Harding Park Stroll, which describes a short, easy walk with lake and golf course views at the southern end of San Francisco.
            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 35): Lake Merced-Harding Park Stroll

The Glow of Companionship
            Navigating slippery rocks along a fast running creek, following subtle paths through back fields past frog ponds and fallen barns, hiking up sandy, pine tree-lined paths for an Adirondack view. Through steamy summers and icy winters, my childhood was filled with simple but wondrous walks in rural Upstate New York.
            Barbed wire fence to step through? We learned to do that on our own from an early age, but it was nice to have dad or a brother there to step on the lower wire and lift the middle wire to make it less likely to tear a hole in your jacket.
            I walked countless miles in the company of my brothers, dad, and friends. Hard to believe that many of those miles were walked in silence (for those who know me to never stop talking). But we did often walk in silence, broken only by a quiet comment when a rabbit or pheasant was spotted in the distance.
            There is an indescribable sense of camaraderie that comes with walking together, even without sharing words.
            Now I walk miles of ocean view paths and steep rocky trails with my severely autistic son in the San Francisco Bay Area. For him, not talking incessantly (as I often do) is not a choice. Difficulty with language means that long conversations are not possible for him.
            And yet he has companionship as he walks his many miles. Mom, dad, big brother, family friends.
            He has also had the good fortune of walking side by side with treasured special needs helpers, whether on nature trails or city streets. Their gift is the warm glow of care and friendship as he navigates his way through a world that is extra challenging for those whose neurosensory systems process things differently. His life is better for it though he may not easily say thank you.
            May we all enjoy walks alone when we want them, but have the joy of a trail buddy on parts of our paths through life.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Dipsea Trail from Pantoll, introduces a scenic portion of a favorite Mt. Tam loop hike, leading through dark and twisty tree-lined paths as well as broad open spaces with grand ocean views.
            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 122: Dipsea Trail from Pantoll

Embracing the Fog
            Fog is a paradoxical thing. At the western edge of San Francisco, we have a love-hate relationship with it.
            Buried under the grayest misty skies, we drive twenty blocks east and burst past the gray wall into sunshine. People wearing short sleeves wonder why I’m wearing a down jacket and scarf.
            But sometimes the whole city, if not the whole region, is immersed in fog.
            On the densest days, you can’t see ten feet in front of you. Like blinding snowstorms, the heaviest fog makes for hazardous driving.
            Thick white mist enveloping everything in a sense of mystery has a quirky appeal. What’s around the next corner? We can guess by the hazy shape ahead, but we can’t be sure until we either come face to face with the object, or the fog clears.
            Not clearly seeing what’s in front of us can be unnerving, but there’s also something comforting about the embrace of a soft, buffering fluffiness. That unfocused haze, not having a clear view ahead, can be liberating.
            We can’t control everything about our futures, personally or as a general society, so in uncertain times, let yourself float in innocent blindness temporarily. Stop to sense the elements of calm and quiet for a moment.
            A more well-defined reality, and your ability to navigate it, will emerge of its own accord when the fog lifts.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Dragonfly Creek to Fort Scott - Presidio, a relatively short but interesting walk in San Francisco’s Presidio, with the photo above showing Fort Scott in a sudden blast of fog.
            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 107): Dragonfly Creek to Fort Scott - Presidio

Our Own Special Icons
            Dramatic red towers rising above deep blue water from rocky cliffs on either side, the Golden Gate Bridge is a visual icon.
            Worn out tourist stereotype? Not for me.
            I’ve been looking at the bridge as part of my neighborhood scenery for decades now, and it always takes my breath away.
            Tips of the towers peeking through thick fog, or clean red edges looming brightly against a vibrant blue sky, it always knocks my socks off.
            It certainly has a “looks like a postcard” quality, but I let the entrancing image transport me from day to day worries into a mental vacation mode. I cannot count the times that I’ve been looking at the bridge on a particularly stunning day and said out loud, “We live right here, for gosh sakes. How crazy is that?”
            May everyone have something nearby that makes them feel like they live in a special, beautiful place, and that allows them to forget the world’s troubles for a few moments.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Eagle’s Point, leads readers to one of many great locations for gazing out at the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and the Marin Headlands.
            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 121: Eagle’s Point