Close Comforts

Close Comforts
            My younger son, who is on the autism spectrum, needs to get out in the world and burn up some energy every day. Now a young adult, he still needs support in all facets of life. 
            Heat wave or atmospheric river, we get out for a walk every day that he’s not at his support program. 
            Weather aside, what if mom and dad are under the weather? We’ve seen a surprising upsurge in various viruses this summer, and our house was hit, too. 
            Whichever parent feels the least sick at the moment is in charge of outings. Lower energy levels mean a shorter walk closer to home. 
            As a kid, I had favorite walks around my home in the Adirondack Foothills that brought comfort when I was bouncing back from a cold or flu. A stroll down the big hill to the apple trees—maybe to the barbed wire fence that marked the border with our neighbor’s farmland—gave me an uplifting dose of fresh air and bright sky.
            Now I live at the western edge of San Francisco, and one of our easy comfort walks is at the old ruins of Sutro Baths, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On normal days, we walk down and back up the steep hills to the baths, but on low energy days, we stick to a short easy walk above the baths that features amazing views of Seal Rock, the Cliff House, and ships heading in and out of San Francisco Bay.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives is Sutro Baths, a historic site that once included various seawater bathing pools combined with museum-like exhibits of treasures from around the world, and now is an open space that looks out to the Pacific.
            Where are your nearby comfort walks? Find an easy, special place to restore yourself with a breath of fresh air and a view, even if only stepping out the door to look at the sky and listen for birds! Keep putting one foot forward!
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 70): Sutro Baths
 
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