9 Comments

Your letters are my favorite. I guffawed at " I am privileged and unhoused. I want to quit." Couldn't stop laughing! Don't we all deal with that thin red line? Even with a family and home, we've tried to dodge many of the constraints of a 'traditional life' and at 57 I'm finding that some of it might have back fired. (Will we ever be able to retire?) Do I get real or double down? I think we'll double down. Thanks for the smiles and the meandering view of a life well-lived.

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Hey there, Blake! You may have mentioned this, but why no tent? My very best, Grace, a Boomer who grew up in Fremont and wanted nothing more than summiting Mission Peak. And I did, in my 50s.

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Good question! No tent because I'm quite comfortable with "cowboy camping" and there was zero rain on the forecast. (June weather in the Bay Area tends to be very predictable.)

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This was so beautiful, human, a well written read!

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Epic and totally relatable. Love it !!

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Congrats on finishing the trail your way :). I love the idea of the ridge trail, or something like it, becoming an American Camino de Santiago. It seems likely for the ridge trail to become something like the Tahoe Rim Trail, despite the large population of the bay area. Fascinating. Anyway, I'm still chewing on our conversation about maximizing on Black Mountain - if I get around to writing about it, I'll be sure to share.

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The “I accept..” section… clap

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Hey Blake, I’m the runner you met on trail in the Oakland hills! I love this writeup, I’m gonna check out more of your trip reports too. Do you have an Instagram I can follow you on? -Eric

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Good to see you here, Eric! I don't do Instagram ;)

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