Beauty Amidst the Ruins

Beauty Amidst the Ruins
            Good things appear in unexpected places.
            On a recent Sunday, too tired to drive the hour to the waterfall site I was hoping to take the family, I spotted on a map a patch of trails that had escaped my notice until now.
            We’ve covered many trails in the Marin Headlands, but a little clump of historic military batteries, complete with parking lot and upscale “outhouse,” had been sitting right there under our noses. We’d driven past the parking lot entrance a hundred times, never realizing there was a parking area camouflaged around a turn.
            Old military batteries around the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are not aesthetically pleasing as structures in and of themselves. Crumbling concrete, rusty metal, and years’ worth of graffiti are hallmarks of the many historic battery sites dotted around the San Francisco Bay Area.
            Yet they appear in breathtaking nature settings. As we walked, we saw small remnants of military infrastructure dotting the trails on the way to the main buildings. I stopped for a shot of neon pink ice plant flowers with the rolling hills of the Marin Headlands in the background. These lovely flowers had woven their way into a concrete block and chain structure, which themselves had melded into the natural surroundings.
            Even an old rusty chain—installed as part of a military industrial past—has a particular beauty.
            Our lives have moments that transcend rusty, jagged edges, too. The realization that a child’s development is way off track may be countered by joy seeing the innocent spirit of a person living with profound challenges. The devastating loss of a loved one might remind us of our powerful capacity to love others.
            May we all take a moment to notice the hidden flowers in the ruins as we plod our way along. The flowering weed struggling its way through a crack in a city sidewalk can be as uplifting as any other blossom. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Batteries Loop Trail-Marin Headlands, lead readers on a short, easy walk around three of the historic batteries of the Marin Headlands, with gorgeous views in all directions, including distant views of the Farallon Islands and Point Reyes, and close up views of colorful wildflowers.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. 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 out World Walks for walks shared by readers.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 130: Batteries Loop Trail-Marin Headlands