Holiday Blues
             On our day-after-Christmas walk at Fort Mason in San Francisco, we saw this forlorn pelican sitting alone next to a building. He reminded me of a person feeling lonely and out of sorts.
            Holiday advertisements feature smiling faces, families celebrating happily together. We see the perfect image of warmth, love and comfort.
            Despite—or perhaps because of—such high expectations, many people feel sadness, disappointment or loneliness during holiday season. Even for those of us who consistently find joy in the holidays, they may also be marked by memories of loved ones who are no longer with us. 
            The holidays can also bring feelings of pressure to spend money, to socialize more than usual, and to keep up with busy schedules that disrupt our routines. This in turn leads to stress. Pacing ourselves is not a sign of weakness, it is the wise choice.
            Being patient with ourselves, especially if we are experiencing heart-tugging memories, is important. Being kind and understanding to others who do not find joy in the holidays might be the most important gift we give.
           This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Fort Mason Stairs to Hyde Street Pier, leads readers on a hike that features a stop at Black Point Battery with views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge looking out from a historic cannon site.
            Do you experience mixed feelings during the holidays? Be kind to yourself and keep an open heart for others who may find holidays challenging. Simple kindness can make a world of difference. 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, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 58: Fort Mason Stairs to Hyde Street Pier

Tiny Treasures
            When we think of famous cities, we think of iconic locations—the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, Tower Bridge in London—but countless wonderful locations may not be so easily found by visitors.
            San Francisco has many famous sites where tourists flock, but it also features numerous hidden treasures. Some of San Francisco’s magical spots, including charming stairways, pedestrian paths, and tiny parks with grand views, are interwoven within residential areas.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Ina Coolbrith Park-San Francisco, introduces readers to one such hidden jewel, a tiny park at the top of San Francisco’s Russian Hill with glorious views of the bay, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, and the Bay Bridge.
            Keep your eyes open for hidden treasures where you live, and 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, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
New this week:
Hike Notes 227: Ina Coolbrith Park-San Francisco
 

The Dream in the Distance
            Dirt trail underfoot, I stop for a moment to shade the sun from my eyes and look off into the distance. The late afternoon December haze softens the edges of the rolling hills to my left. Beyond the hills rise glimmering buildings of varying heights, a shining city beckoning from afar.
            There are trails in the Marin Headlands which offer views of the San Francisco skyline that remind me of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz, a movie I watched every year as a kid in pre-streaming, pre-DVD, pre-VHS days when it showed up only as an annual special feature on one of the major broadcasting channels.
            The Emerald City image gave the illusion of being just out of reach. If you just walked a little bit further, you’d reach the goal. And you’d walk further, and it would still be far away.
            That’s how publishing feels. I have many friends who write and like me, have repeatedly banged their heads against the same multi-faceted brick wall which makes finding a traditional publishing deal increasingly difficult in recent years.
            The advice I heard over and over was to keep trying. Nothing will happen if you give up.
            Getting our severely autistic son out on hiking trails improved his and our lives immeasurably. Driven by a desire to share helpful aspects of my family’s experience, I never stopped trying to find an agent or publisher who might be interested in helping me get a book on that theme out.
            I finally found a great agent who guided me in the right direction, and am happy to say that Autism Outdoors: A Guide to Spending Time in Nature will be published by Globe Pequot/Falcon Guides, probably in early 2027. I’ll share more details as the book comes closer to being available, but in the meantime, thanks to the countless readers who have shared their thoughts in response to HikingAutism Insights, and to wonderful people along my publishing path, too many to name here, who have helped me along the way.
            Do you have a dream that looks like an impossible magical place you’ll never get to? Don’t stop trying. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Tennessee Valley Fox Trail, a lesser traveled extension above the popular Tennessee Valley trail that offers some ethereal views.
            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, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 42: Tennessee Valley Fox Trail

Phantom Shopping List
            Many of my December thoughts are about what gifts to get for friends and family. I was standing in the shower this week, head filled with holiday gift thoughts, when I suddenly burst out crying. The realization that I no longer needed to buy some of those gifts was like a stab in the heart.
            This has been a tough year of losing beloved friends, one of whom was our next-door neighbor for over thirty years.
            Our frequent chats were often about how cold our houses felt. Every year, I bought a warm fleece jacket or down vest to warm her elderly frame, often with one for myself to match. We’d smile at each other when I stopped to say hi and we saw we were wearing the same jacket. 
            My shower cry hit when I thought how this year, she and I would not be chatting at her front door, she giving us a holiday food basket, and me giving her something warm and colorful to wear. The reality that she is gone almost hit more deeply than when we first lost her. Similar thoughts rose about other lost loved ones.
            I let myself have a good cry over the shopping list I no longer have a reason to shop for, then reminded myself how lucky I am to have connected with people in a meaningful way that makes losing them so painful. 
            Grief is a wily companion that hides in the shadows and then springs up when you least expect it. Fortunately, time has a way of rounding the sharp edges of grief.
            Do holidays stir memories of lost loved ones for you? May the sadness eventually evolve into gratitude for memories that keep the essence of your loved ones alive. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Julian Trail – Marin Headlands,  leads readers along a path edged by geological formations on one side, views of rolling shadowy hills facing Rodeo Valley on the other, and on lucky days, a glimpse of the Farallon Islands on the horizon.
            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, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 51: Julian Trail – Marin Headlands