Read Me First

a guide to enjoying this publication

Welcome to The Adventures of Blake.

Here you’ll find stories and articles from me, Blake Boles.

Professionally, I’m an author, speaker, coach, and international trip leader for self-directed teenagers. Unprofessionally, I’m a partner dancer, outdoor adventurer, long-term traveler, and romantic idealist.

In 2020, following a particularly hard break-up, I started writing “secret scribblings” to my friends. The honesty and vulnerability felt good, and I eventually summoned the courage to share more publicly.

Here’s what I’ve written about:

Addiction to Novelty and Adventure · Run Me Like a Border Collie · Confessions of a Travel Addict · The Lodge · Channeling Christopher McCandless · All I Want to Be When I Grow up is a Dirtbag · Ecstasy, Transcendence, Adventure · Guidebook to Anywhere · The Lure of the Foreign · The Permanent Adventure · Life is Either a Daring Adventure or Nothing at All

Living Without a Permanent Address · Searching for Shangri-La · It’s Hard to Settle Down · “Where Do You Actually Live?” · Hungry Ghost · House, Room, Home · The Religion of Travel · A Packing List for Life

The Entrepreneurial Journey · Selling Books Isn’t About Making Money · How I've Made Money · You Must Live on the Edge of the Wilderness · The Life-Changing Magic of a Tidy Public Bio · Ten Things I'm Glad I Did in my 20s · Dirtbag Rich · You Don’t Have to Go to Work · Revisiting The 4-Hour Workweek · Death of a Dance Trip

Alternative Education · Bus Station Interview · Reform Education with Adventure · Unschooling as an Adult · Teaching Adventure · Happiness is the Feeling That Power Increases

Hiking, Trail Running, Backpacking · An American Camino · A Bloodsport for Poets · Love Letter to the Sierra Nevada · A Cheater's Guide to the Bay Area Ridge Trail · The Joy of Scheming · Trail Magic · Leaving the World to Rejoin It

Bicycle Touring · European Bike Trip · The Camino de Sharkiago · Monday to Friday · How to Have a Good Time on the Sunshine Coast · A Gift from Patagonia · Am I On an Adventure?

Connection & Gratitude · Love is a Diversified Portfolio · Grace · How Did I Get Here? · Against the Real World · Wandering for Connection

(Maybe Not) Becoming a Parent · I Don’t Want a Nuclear Family, I Want a Galactic Commune · Conflicted Thoughts About Having Kids · Crowdsourced Wisdom on Having Kids

Privilege · Avoiding the Cult of Retirement · How Do You Know When You’re Rich? · The Privilege of Wandering Europe · Only Rich People Can Go on Adventures

Aging · The “Could I Die Now?” Test · Vision of a Connected Dirtbag Future · Hobbled in Oaxaca · What is Midlife? · No More Goals · Living Safely is Dangerous and Deadly · Do What You Love and Die Trying

Deluding Oneself · The Moment I Knew I Was Free · Against Adventure · The Value of Selfishness · My Morning Routine · Lash Yourself to the Mast

Dance · Saturday Night, Berlin, 3:52am · Partner Dance is Magic · Notes from a Master · 30 Nights of Tango · How to Be a Connected Partner Dancer · Crème de la Connection

Romance · My Attachment Style is “Existentialist” · My European Summer · What Matters in a Partner · Monastery Roof · Pure Magic

This isn’t a complete index. Explore the archives for hidden treasure.

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The Adventures of Blake is free, forever. Thanks for spending some time here.