Penny for Your Thoughts
            “What’s up, Seanie? Did you have a good day?”
            I dream that someday my severely autistic younger son will answer me. A quickly snapped, “Yes!” is a practiced response intended to satisfy his questioner without necessarily conveying meaning. Even on his most difficult days, his automatic answer to, “How do you feel?” is “Happy!”
            Our son is very intelligent in many ways, but struggles with language make it difficult for him to verbalize details about feeling sick, angry or sad. This has to be frustrating for him. For us parents, seeing signs that he’s ill or in pain without further clues can be heart-wrenching.
            Disheartening as communication challenges are, just being together without talking can be a great pleasure.
            When on a beach, forest trail, or park path walking with Sean, he doesn’t have to say anything. He holds my hand as I point to big waves crashing on the shore, or dramatic light on the horizon. Walking in a beautiful place together makes the day’s troubles fade.
            May we all find a simple pleasure that temporarily melts away life’s stresses. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Rockaway Beach via Calera Creek Path, a Pacifica walk that our family loves for its combination of grassy fields and stunning ocean views.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 44): Rockaway Beach via Calera Creek Path
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

In the Distance
            The solid, blocky shapes and brownish gray texture lines of trees looming in the foreground capture our eyes before we notice the reddish orange bridge enveloped in fog in the background. Once visually recognized, the hazy image of the bridge in the distance becomes a dominant element.
            When I’m overwhelmed with work deadlines or caregiving issues, I sometimes forget to look at the sky and trees. The close-up stresses and strains of daily life keep me from stepping back to look at the bigger picture.
            Focusing on “Just getting through the day” might prevent us from looking at long term goals, or acknowledging progress we’ve made so far. We may be overlooking an opportunity to reimagine steps to a brighter future.
            Remember to stop, breathe, and take another look. Absorbing the broader view may reveal a source of comfort and motivation. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Tunnel Tops-The Presidio, introduces a long-awaited park area that was in the planning for many years and now offers a variety of visiting facilities along with grand views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco city skyline.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            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! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 166: Tunnel Tops-The Presidio

Messages In the Sky
            Across a river, dark shapes reflect at the water’s edge. In the far distance, centered on a tall tower, a city skyline stands out from a misty orange-yellow orb, glowing like the heart of the city. Rising above the luminous center, gray and white clouds intermix until they clear at the top to a lovely blue. It is the moment of enchantment when day becomes evening, when dark shadows intermingle with bright blue sky.
            My son was sharing a video shot from a skyscraper looking across the Thames before he heard that the Queen had passed away.
            “It’s like the London sky is paying tribute,” I said. One needn’t be a fan of the monarchy to be moved by Elizabeth’s passing.
            Perhaps we interpret nature’s imagery in cloud patterns and shades of light to reflect our own state of mind, but I felt magically uplifted as I looked at that horizon.
            Nature offers abundant sensory experiences, including an ever-changing sky. Thick fog, clear vibrant blue, foreboding dark clouds, or puffs of white rising high above, each has a unique appeal and creates its own mood.
            As noted in last week’s Insights post, the World Walks section of HikingAutism is a way to vicariously experience walks shared from beyond the Northern California hikes I write about. On my recent visit to England, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself experiencing another of the World Walks my brother shared in the past. This time we walked in the lovely forest at Bacton Wood, with a break in the trees opening to a grand blue sky with white puffy clouds rising above a row of trees in the distance.
            I often feel that nature is communicating in some way, whether it’s a raven talking from a nearby tree, leaves scuffling across a path in the wind, or fog blowing past in thick waves. May we all take the time to stop and absorb what the elements around us are saying, even if it is not translatable to words.
            This week’s HikingAutism hike from the archives is a World Walks share from England, Bacton Wood, a lovely forest area in Norfolk with many trails to choose from.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original World Walks): Bacton Wood (from England)
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Other Continents, Other Times
            Once a world traveler, 25 years had passed since my last trip abroad. Despite my intentions to share international adventures with my children, a trip with my infant and toddler sons to visit my husband’s family in Japan in the late 1990s was my last venture outside the US—until a week and a half ago.
            Caregivers often have difficulty finding even an hour to themselves. Traveling anywhere—whether to visit family or for the elusive concept of a vacation—can feel like an impossible dream.
            It was also 15 years since my beloved oldest brother—living a busy life in England—and I met in person. Then last year our older son was given the opportunity to live and work in London.
            With our severely autistic son requiring full time care, the thought that either of us parents would ever travel abroad again seemed impossible. And when might age and health issues truly restrict our movements close to home?
            The wisdom of our older son—insisting that we needed to take turns with one parent traveling while the other holds down the fort at home for a few days—blossomed into the reality of me traveling to England to see my brother on the Norfolk coast and to see the sights of London with my son.
            The World Walks section of HikingAutism is a way for myself and readers to vicariously experience distant places in the world. Miraculously, I found myself looking for fossils on the beach while catching up on old times on one of the World Walks my brother had shared.
            To fellow caregivers who feel there is no way to do something beyond your daily norm: Be creative and persistent in finding a way to allow yourself a break. You deserve it, and it may be more possible than you believe.
            This week’s HikingAutism hike from the archives is a World Walks share from England, Happisburgh Beach, a beach walk that not only offers lovely views but also holds a treasure trove of fossils, from mammoth tusks to the oldest human footprints found outside of Africa.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original World Walks): Happisburgh Beach (from England)
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

City Walk Adventures
            Remote wilderness or heart of a city, there’s always a way to find a small dose of nature. We can have our “daily constitutional” walk in almost any setting.
            HikingAutism will be enjoying city walks and a lighter schedule for some special family visiting time, so this week’s post is short, but please enjoy a great example of an urban nature escape in this week’s throwback Hike Notes.
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Salesforce Park-San Francisco City Walk, a walk in a very urban setting that offers the calming force of a wide variety of plants and trees in creative landscaping four stories above city streets.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 146): Salesforce Park-San Francisco City Walk
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Finding Our Feet
            The counterpart to this story is featured in previous Insights post, “The Trail Less Traveled,” in which autistic son Sean and I found ourselves climbing Mt. Tam on an unmarked trail rather than the section of the Bootjack Trail we were aiming for.
            Despite bushwhacking much of the first half of our hike, we enjoyed the adventure and were pleased to know that our directional instincts got us to the Mountain Theater which was our turnaround destination.
            After huffing and puffing straight up a steep path through grassy fields (which gave a tick an opportunity to hitchhike home with me), we had fun zigzagging our way back down the mountain along the trail we’d originally wanted to try.
            The Bootjack Trail is a well-worn path. Its wooden fences have fallen in some places, which somehow adds to the trail’s aesthetic charm. Sean loves going downhill, and found his footing sufficiently to run across wooden benches we found on the way. Despite challenges with verbal communication, Sean senses the mood of those around him, and could detect my confidence in being on a sure trail back to our starting point.
            Finding our footing for the day meant that compared to our steep climb up an unnamed trail, the zigzag trail going down was easy and fun.
            May all our adventures in life have some easy stretches along the way. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Bootjack Trail-Mountain Theater to Bootjack Campground, leads readers on the zigzag switchback section of the Bootjack Trail from the Mountain theater to the Bootjack Campground parking area. (Counterpart Hike Notes to this: Mountain Theater from Bootjack Campground.)
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            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! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 165: Bootjack Trail-Mountain Theater to Bootjack Campground

The Trail Less Traveled
            Many of my favorite hikes with my autistic son have been on Mt. Tam. Paths through shady redwood groves rise to broad bay and ocean views. Live oak and madrone-lined trails twist and turn until they broaden into rolling hills with grass bleached by the sun. A trail from a watershed lake might lead to a forest waterfall.
            The pandemic meant Sean and my weekday hikes with our old autism support buddy were fewer and farther between. One summer break weekday, I was determined to get Sean to explore a new trail with me, come hell or high water, despite it being just the two of us in a more rugged area. Destination: Mt. Tam.
            We pulled into the Bootjack Trailhead parking area ready to go. We had a map and good sense of our destination as the crow flies. We headed out on the right trail, but missed one short turn and ended up taking a faded trail straight up the mountain. 
            What started as a fairly visible path faded into pretty much a bushwhacking climb. We made our way up through an open space of grass and rocks between patches of forest on either side. Instead of taking the switchback Bootjack Trail I’d planned to photograph, we were chugging directly up the mountain.
            It was unexpectedly hot, we’d forgotten our hats, and we were both huffing and puffing as we stomped our way to the top of the ridge that would lead us to our destination, the Mountain Theater.
            It can be a little spooky in the more remote areas with just two of us. We know there can be mountain lions and rattlesnakes around, but our bigger risk was heat exhaustion.
            We scrambled up a rocky rise to a large patch of what looked like green serpentine rock. We’d reached a bigger trail that expanded into a stunning view of golden grass broken into visual geometric shapes against a bright blue sky.
            After a water and snack break, we walked to the nearest trail sign.
            “0.2 miles to the theater, Seanie! Almost there!” We got to the Mountain Theater, and then zigzagged our way back down the Bootjack Trail.
            As a young man profoundly affected by autism, my younger son has spent his life walking a different path from that of typically developing kids. The rest of us in the family have walked that path with him.
            Sometimes falling off the well-trodden trail brings more beautiful views and a greater sense of accomplishment. May some of your trails bring surprises and a chance to learn something new about yourself. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Mountain Theater from Bootjack Campground, leads readers on an accidental adventure straight uphill on an unmarked path between two popular trails.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            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! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 164: Mountain Theater from Bootjack Campground

Far from the Madding Crowd
            City dwellers sometimes need an escape from urban stresses. An obvious solution would be to get out of town to spend time in a nature-filled setting, but traveling miles for peace and quiet is not always an option. Finding calm, uplifting places within our urban setting becomes a necessity.
            San Francisco benefits from being the site of large cultural events, like music festivals that draw tens of thousands of fans per day to Golden Gate Park. It’s nice to be popular, but for those of us who live in the surrounding neighborhoods, three-day concert festivals bring traffic jams, crowded sidewalks, and blocked roads.
            Luckily, San Francisco has countless stunning nature sites right within the city. Within walking or short driving distance, we can escape to peaceful places to tap into the calming forces of nature.
            Wherever you live, may you find tranquil spots that mentally transport you away from the cacophony of urban life. A neighborhood park, a nearby flower garden, or even a quiet bus stop under a tree can take us to a more serene place.
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Corona Heights-Randall Museum, a rocky hill walk that takes visitors high above a beloved children’s museum to offer 360-degree views of the busy city below.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 74): Corona Heights-Randall Museum
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Over the Ridge
            “Detour sign ahead. We’ll have to turn here,” I’d say as our family was on one of our regular routes to a familiar destination. “Uh oh,” I’d be thinking as I turned the steering wheel.
            When our boys were younger, deviating from our traditional route usually meant tears and panic in my younger son, who is profoundly affected by autism. Until his early teens, any departure from his known, established activities triggered a fight or flight meltdown.
            For most of us, knowing what to expect helps us avoid anxiety. This feeling can be extreme for some individuals on the autism spectrum.
            The hyper vigilance about knowing what is coming up ahead can be debilitating, because it brings a constant level of stress and anxiety about the next week, the next day, the next minute.
            By spending time on new trails where none of us had been before, our son became more flexible about facing the unknown. Not only could he hike a new trail and enjoy it, but over the years, he could more calmly face stressful situations like doctor or dentist visits, or going to a new school setting.
            The rest of the family learned to go with the flow more easily as well. We can all enjoy trying a new adventure, and more level-headedly face upcoming challenges.
            None of us knows for sure what awaits us over the next ridge. Being able to face new situations with a sense of equanimity is a skill we continuously learn over our lifetimes.
            May we all face the world chin up as we walk our various paths, and find our way step by step.
            For those who missed it, HikingAutism was recently interviewed by Wilderness Times. Here’s my interview in their I Love the Outdoors series.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Rodeo Valley Trail-Marin Headlands, leads readers through a low valley section of the Marin Headlands that rises up to great views of the rolling hills of the headlands with the Golden Gate Bridge peeking up from behind.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            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! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 163: Rodeo Valley Trail-Marin Headlands

Remembering Ourselves
            “I’ll be able to read books again one day when I don’t have so much work.”
            “Going for a fitness class would be so helpful, but I don’t have time.”
            “I can take a trip some day in the future. I need to stay here to take care of everyone.”
            Putting our own needs by the wayside is a common issue for caregivers. Like the often-cited line about parents putting their oxygen mask on first so they can take care of their children in an airplane emergency, caregivers often need reminding to take care of ourselves. That’s what will allow us to stay mentally and physically healthy enough to continue taking care of others.
            The role of caregiver comes in countless forms and variations, including parents of young children, adult children taking care of aging parents, and situations requiring exceptional levels of care for loved ones facing physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive challenges of all varieties. It also includes pet owners.
            Caregivers finding backup support so we can take even a short break is important, but it sometimes feels impossible.
            When we can’t get a real break, looking at images of places that bring joy and hope can lift us up. Looking up trails I’d like to explore is one of my helpful escapes.
            May we all remember to take a moment each day to do something comforting and uplifting for ourselves. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Kent Lake from Shafter Bridge, a site in the Marin Watershed that reminds me of the beautiful Adirondacks where I grew up.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 112): Kent Lake from Shafter Bridge
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism