NEVADA CITY, Calif. March 18, 2026 – Recently my dog Olive and I went hiking on a trail near my home on Banner Mountain. These days, at its best, the trail is little more than a deer path. Years ago, it was much clearer, created and maintained by my former neighbors, Robert and Hélène, who were avid hikers.
Hélène passed away in August of 2021 after battling illness for many years. Hélène was the epitome of a “good neighbor.” She was a kind and generous soul. Not long after her death, Robert moved away to live with their son.
Over the years I have continued to use the trail they made, often setting out from my home with my dogs. One of Hélène’s thoughtful habits was to leave small trinkets at confusing forks or turns along the path. They were not large or obvious, but if you knew to look for them, they gently pointed the way. In a quiet way, Hélène made sure people could always find the trail. Over the years I came to rely on these trinkets when the trail became hard to follow.
Unfortunately, many of those little markers have disappeared with time. Some have blown away in winter storms, others have simply vanished as the forest slowly reclaims the trail.
In recent years, the trail has become even harder to follow. Heavy winter storms have brought down trees and scattered debris. The storm we had last month caused considerable damage throughout the neighborhood, and the trail seems to have taken the brunt of it.
As Olive and I made our way along, I found myself climbing over fallen trees and branches and weaving through tangled brush, stopping often, and wondering if I was still on the trail at all. Eventually I reached a point where I was ready to give up and turn around. Aloud, I said, “Oh goodness, Hélène … where is the trail?”
A moment later, while scanning the debris for any sign of the path, I looked up and spotted this small trinket hanging above me— It was one of Hélène’s markers — a small wind chime with a tiny angel spreading her wings.
In that moment, I knew exactly where I was.
And I knew Hélène was still showing me the way.
Kate Quimby-Newman lives on Banner Mountain in Nevada City and enjoys hiking local trails with her dog Olive.