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

Other Places
            If you are a person with physical, neurological, developmental or other extraordinary challenges, traveling may feel close to impossible. If you are a caregiver of someone who needs daily or hourly supervision and care, you may also feel travel is out of reach.
            When my sons were little we managed to fly to visit relatives around the U.S., in Japan and England, but as travel difficulties increased for my severely autistic son, our range of movement narrowed. Nowadays, a day trip to a location fifty miles away is a big event for our family, and those outings become our “travel memories.”
            We don’t stop trying to expand our horizons, but we also make the most of the stunning views and opportunities to explore nature and beautiful urban landscapes right here where we live.
            I joyfully offer Northern California hikes on HikingAutism because they are places I love and want to share, but also because I’m largely restricted to this geographical area.
            Looking at photos of distant places is a wonderful treat. I hope others can imagine being on the trails they see in my photo galleries even if they can’t visit directly.
            I can’t physically get to where readers live easily, but I would love to know some of your favorite walks from around the country and the globe. What if readers could share easy walk descriptions for others to enjoy? Now you can!
            World Walks is a new section of Hiking Autism where HikingAutism readers can share favorite family-friendly walks. For “armchair travelers,” this is a wonderful opportunity to see places others love to walk.
            Go to the World Walks section to see shared walks and also how to submit a walk of your own.
            To kick things off, I asked a couple of HikingAutism friends to contribute favorite walks. Many thanks to Marjorie Turner Hollman for sharing a couple of her favorite overseas walks, one in Ireland and the other in Canada. Check out Marjorie’s walking site Easy Walks in Massachusetts, and her Easy Walks book series. Thanks also for two favorite Washington State walks shared by autism advocate Betsy Greiner Hicks, founder of Autism Odyssey and a generous spirit who helps others understand autism better through her experiences with son Joey, an active walker and biker. Thank you for the kickoff support, Marjorie and Betsy!
            I look forward to seeing favorite walks from readers over coming weeks!
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Japanese Tea Garden Stroll, a local site that makes us feel like we’re visiting a distant land. Cherry blossoms were peaking when we walked by this week.
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 56): Japanese Tea Garden Stroll

Brothers
            Sometimes when there’s an autistic child in the family, siblings get lost in the frenzied turmoil of trying to help the child with more immediate, dire challenges.
            “We’ll come back to the museum again soon, honey, but we have to leave now because your brother is having a meltdown.”
            “I know you want to try that ride but I can’t get your brother to move, and you can’t go alone.”
            You want to let the “typically developing” child find their independence, but with all the fires to put out for safety issues, opportunities allowing them to stretch their wings are frustratingly limited.
            Tough on the neurotypical kid, yes. Makes parents feel guilty, yes. Avoidable? Maybe in someone else’s miracle-world, but not in most autism households we know.
            Siblings of severely challenged family members live a different childhood, and become sensitive and mature beyond their years largely due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
            Frustrated as our older son may have been at times growing up, he chooses to be companion to his autistic brother on family hikes. It’s his chance to offer us parents a brief moment to walk freely and not directly supervise his brother.
            The hand our autistic son reaches for first on family walks? His brother’s.
            Heartfelt thanks to all the siblings out there with family members requiring extraordinary care. We see you!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Queen Wilhelmina Garden, take readers to a highlight spot in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which can make for an easy stroll visit on its own, or be part of a bigger walk around the park.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 129: Queen Wilhelmina Garden

Emerging
            As we roll into the first week of spring, the world feels like it’s emerging from a year-long winter of the pandemic. Twists and turns still lie ahead, but optimism toward a gradual return to some sense of normalcy is palpable.
            As the bright hues of daffodils and tulips and the glowing pastels of plum and cherry blossoms bring a perennial feeling of renewal and happiness, signs of illness waning and society opening up bring hope and relief.
            With each year we get older, the cycle of the seasons seems to spin by faster and faster. In this historic health crisis, though, it feels like we’ve been living in an endless gray season. Many of us have lost our normal sense of time passing, feeling as if an entire year disappeared like a blip on a screen.
            As flowers blossom and we open into a hopeful period, may time slow down again so we can savor the things we’ve been missing: time with friends and loved ones, activities in spaces we haven’t been able to visit, and a greater sense of serenity. 
            As we continue putting one foot forward, we might remind ourselves to tread wisely to keep the spring momentum moving forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Lake Lagunitas Loop, a less than two mile walk featuring lovely wildflowers around one of the stunning Marin Watershed lakes.
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 15): Lake Lagunitas Loop

Folk Tale Meanderings
            Work projects, house projects, special needs son projects—these swirl in my head morning, noon and night. There’s little space to let my mind wander. Most people are dealing with a constant whirlwind of in-your-face issues, leaving little room for free roaming thoughts.
            When literally roaming along a trail, though, where a computer screen cannot claim my attention, brain space loosens up. My autistic son—busy at home rearranging every object in the house, typing a thousand miles a second to do YouTube and Google Map searches—also acts more focused and relaxed when we’re out walking in nature.
            Every outing destination has its own ambience, stirring memories and feelings from different times and places, even from old childhood stories.
            Having lived several years and married in Japan, I had time to absorb some classic Japanese folk tales. Every time I see rain fall while the sun is shining, the words “Kitsune no Yomeiri!” pop out of my mouth. “The Foxes’ Wedding” is a story with a highlight scene of rain falling during sunshine, and I cannot separate the actual phenomenon from the story.
            Countless times I’ve said to a trail companion, “This makes me think of Hansel and Gretel,” when an ominous yet enticing trail starts to darken and wind more narrowly. On a recent hike, vines and branches smothering an old shed, dashes of colored flowers highlighting the tangled plants, reminded me of the old woman in the Gingerbread House, luring unsuspecting children. We had a laugh and moved on to brighter stretches of trail.
            I don’t know where my autistic son’s mind wanders when we’re out walking. Maybe he just lets his mind go blank and tunes out the static and noise that seem to trigger him at home. I wish he could tell me, but for now he’s not able. The fact that he is more focused and calm is clear, though.
            May everyone enjoy allowing their minds to relax and wander by spending time meandering outdoors. It’s a wonderful gift from nature, and all it costs is a bit of time and energy to walk!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Burleigh Murray Ranch Trail, features historic old ranch structures, including not only a unique barn, but its own vine-covered outbuilding, adding spooky charm to a lovely walk in Half Moon Bay.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 128: Burleigh Murray Ranch Trail

Shine On
            In our autism world, it sometimes feels like we will never move forward. That we’ll never get beyond difficulties that are no fault of our own. That we’ll never break out of a loop of sensory, language and cognitive processing challenges.
            But we do move forward. Though progress often feels like watching grass grow, there are times when something snaps like a rubber band and years of struggle pop like a bubble.
            During pandemic restrictions, people mention how every day feels the same, that there’s no sense of moving forward or changing for the better. Welcome to our world.
            Yet we will make progress. We will advance to better things. Acknowledging even a hidden glimmer of hope is how we keep moving.
            The sun puts on a dramatic show at the end of every day, even if it’s hidden by clouds. Somewhere over the horizon, the sun is fighting its way through to shine uniquely, stunningly.
            A fierce streak of sun sparkling on water both stirs and calms our hearts, inspiring us to keep putting one foot forward, and to shine on in our own unique way.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Rodeo Lagoon Loop – Marin Headlands, one of several HikingAutism hikes that include time at Rodeo Beach, a shining treasure in its own right, on a sunny day, a foggy day, or under a stunning sunset. (Also check out Hike notes for Battery Townsley, Hill 88 from Rodeo Beach, and Marin Headlands Visitor Center to Rodeo Beach.)
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 110): Rodeo Lagoon Loop – Marin Headlands

Lines and Shadows
            There are many theories about individuals with autism, often about how their brains process things. For someone like my severely autistic son, who I consider to be very intelligent in his unconventional way, extreme difficulty with language keeps him from explaining how his thinking works. General theories are interesting, but unless a specific individual can confirm his or her thought pattern, we’re only guessing.
            Autism research papers often comment that autistic individuals have difficulty with abstract thinking, which is associated with problem solving abilities. That may be true, but when I hear “abstract” I instinctively think about the visual arts. In that sense of the word, a fascination with abstract lines and patterns with less regard for tangible objects was a key element in the way my son interacted with the world from when he was little.
            Though my son seems more connected to tangible objects and people and somewhat less focused on patterns as he has gotten older, I know they are still part of how he processes the world around him. Relating to the world through lines and patterns feels familiar as I also tapped into the world that way from childhood. Visual memories of my early days are etched with distinctive markings on a worn linoleum floor, uniquely shifting ripples on a running creek, the characteristic curves of snow banks carved by the wind.
            Some of my favorite trail images these days are pale brown paths marked by dark shadow stripes that move organically as leaves and branches blow in the breeze. A recent hike featured line patterns created by tree branches and shadow patterns on a mountain.
            Part of nature’s calming magic is its power to focus our minds away from life’s worries. Next time you need to pull out from stressful thoughts, soften your gaze and look around until your eyes catch an interesting pattern to settle on, whether indoors or out. Seeing a pattern and letting troubles fade from the front of our minds is a magic trick most of us had as children. If we had it then, we can find it again.
            This week’s Hike Notes, San Pedro Valley Montara Mountain-Brooks Creek Loop, takes hikers through eucalyptus, manzanita, and coyote brush on sometimes steep trails that offer ocean views as well as mountain views with turkey buzzards dancing in the sky above, presenting its own unique varieties of line and shadow patterns at every turn.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 127: San Pedro Valley Montara Mountain-Brooks Creek Loop

Still Steep, Still Climbing
            Birthdays are supposed to be celebrated, but they often come with mixed emotional baggage. People are sometimes jolted by reaching a new decade, reminded that time is passing quickly.
            Children’s birthdays are typically happy affairs, as family members remember the joy of being blessed with a precious family member.
            For special needs parents, though, birthdays can be a harsh reminder of how far our children haven’t developed, how many milestones they haven’t reached, how far off track they are from typically developing kids.
            Each year around his birthday, we’re called by support entities regarding our nonverbal autistic son’s current status to confirm his continued eligibility for services. Each time I have to say, “He is severely disabled and not able to speak on the phone,” I feel tears start to well up. It is the repeated reminder of how far I fell from the basic goal of helping my child become functionally independent. When he turned 18, receiving a call from the Selective Service and having to explain that it made no sense for my son to register for the draft felt like being on another planet. The officer’s military tone softened as he listened to my cracking voice.
            Individuals with disabilities, of whatever type, face a steep climb through life in many ways. Getting older doesn’t necessarily mean things get easier. As one difficulty eases, another challenge is revealed.
            And yet individuals soldier on, climbing up each steep path. And they do reach new heights, and we do celebrate those milestones. Feeling disheartened part of the time is counterbalanced by the joy of seeing how high we’ve climbed together despite the obstacles.
            We stop and take a breath, enjoy the realization of our progress, then pick up our feet and continue climbing the next stretch.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Huckleberry Trail, an unexpectedly steep, rough trail on Mt. Tam, but a satisfying effort connecting between two bigger scenic trails.
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 34): Huckleberry Trail

So Close and Yet So Far
            Have you ever had something right in front of you—a place you want to go, something you want to say, an activity you want to try—that you can’t get past some barrier to get to?
            We see a new phase in our future—a change in our occupation, relationships, doing something for our own care instead of just others—but can’t get through the few steps to get there.
            In a more literal sense, a person in a wheelchair or someone with balance and mobility issues may see a small rise at a doorway like a moat they can’t cross.
            For people on the autism spectrum, even incremental moves forward can be blocked by invisible obstacles. Sensory overload and anxiety can make simple things feel impossible.
            When our severely autistic son was little, things that seemed so easy for other children were out of reach. Trying a new food. Crossing the threshold to any new space. Even getting out of the car to set foot in an unfamiliar location. On a really bad day, even familiar places held some secret barrier to participation.
            Any of us can feel this way at some level. I have a hundred locations in my head that I’d like to add to my Hikes list, but getting past the little voice in my head saying “maybe not today” to explore a new place is a challenge.
            Standing at the north edge of San Francisco, I see a charming set of red roofs behind a cove right across the Golden Gate Bridge. A late night map app check tells me that with no traffic, it’s a mere 16 minutes to reach Fort Baker, part of our beloved Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It would take less time to scoot across the bridge and visit that little cove than it takes to drive downtown and find parking for a dentist visit.
            And yet the standard nagging questions—Are there bathrooms? What about parking? Isn’t it too crowded to get to on weekends?—shift us from an attempt to visit a new place to a more familiar family outing.
            In those “so near and yet so far” situations, at some point we have to push ourselves past that last hurdle and decide to move forward, come what may. Though it pales compared to other life issues, it felt good to decide firmly to face potential problems and head across the bridge on a sunny weekend day.
            The traffic, bathrooms and parking questions were resolved, and all those mental blocks seemed silly once we arrived and enjoyed walking around the little cove at Fort Baker, looking back toward the San Francisco skyline.
            The dreamy looking place across the waters of the Golden Gate that felt like a million miles away now feels like an easy destination where we can take guests for a pleasant walk. Sometimes we just have to pick up our feet, step forward, and be ready to roll with the punches.
            Though it is harder with bigger life challenges that make nearby goals feel unreachable, we tap into the same problem solving skills and determination to get where we want to go. Keep putting one foot forward, even if it’s a small step.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Fort Baker, takes visitors to the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge to historic Fort Baker which offers iconic views back to the San Francisco skyline from a cozy cove by a fishing pier, marina, and historic military sites.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 126: Fort Baker

Transcendence
            Head filled with the worrying distractions of the hour, the day, the week, the year, I park at a trailhead. Autistic son have his backpack, jacket and hat? Check. Other members of the entourage ready to go? Check. Car locked? Check.
            And then we set foot on the trail. And we walk. One foot strikes the earth, the other rises and moves ahead.
            These are automatic movements. There is a blind comfort to the regular rhythm, the familiar sense of pressure underfoot, and the sensory awareness of our surroundings. The air and sun on our face, the sixth sense of trees or rocks at our periphery, our hiking companions in motion nearby.
            The volume button of our busy brain state gradually shifts to quieter mode. Breathing, walking, stopping to look at a bird, a coyote in the distance, the horizon. Countless elements in our surroundings dampen the anxious edgy noise in our heads.
            And then there are the moments when our brains are silenced—in a good way— by a view or a sound or a feeling so overwhelmingly simple but moving that we can do nothing but stand still and absorb. 
            Nature—whether standing on the edge of a cliff with a grand view or crouching to view a dew-covered blossom—offers many of life’s transcendent moments.
            Truth. Beauty. Love. Maybe these come to mind as elements of transcendence in life, trite as the list may sound, because they all seem to well up at the moments when I am stopped still on a trail by something stunningly simple and beautiful.
            And how grateful I am to have those opportunities, on my own or with my severely challenged son who would not be able to walk these paths on his own.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Devil’s Slide, one of the most dramatic, dangerous and storied stretches of California’s famed Highway 1 converted to a walking trail when a tunnel replaced the cliff side road.
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 5): Devil’s Slide