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, thanks to a break-up and the pandemic, I started writing “secret scribblings” to my friends. It felt good to write so honestly and vulnerably, and I eventually summoned the courage to share more publicly.
Here’s what I write about:
Being Addicted to Novelty, Excitement, and Travel · The Permanent Adventure · 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 · Life is Either a Daring Adventure or Nothing at All
Living Without a Permanent Address · “Where Do You Actually Live?” · Hungry Ghost · House, Room, Home · The Religion of Travel · A Packing List for Life
Alternative Education · Reform Education with Adventure · Unschooling as an Adult · Teaching Adventure · Happiness is the Feeling That Power Increases
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?
Hiking, Trail Running, and Backpacking · 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
The Entrepreneurial Journey · 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
Connection and Gratitude · Love is a Diversified Portfolio · Grace · How Did I Get Here? · Against the Real World · Wandering for Connection
(Maybe Not) Becoming a Parent · Conflicted Thoughts About Having Kids · Crowdsourced Wisdom on Having Kids
Privilege · How Do You Know When You’re Rich? · The Privilege of Wandering Europe · Only Rich People Can Go on Adventures
Aging · 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 · Against Adventure · The Value of Selfishness · My Morning Routine · Lash Yourself to the Mast
Dance · Partner Dance is Magic · Notes from a Master · 30 Nights of Tango
Romance · My European Summer 🌞💔 · What Matters in a Partner · Monastery Roof · Pure Magic
This isn’t a complete Table of Contents—go digging in the archive for hidden treasure!
My life is an open book. I invite you to comment, whether publicly or privately.
The Adventures of Blake is free, forever. You can tip me a coffee if you’d like.
I’m glad you’re here.
Hi Blake, I am a new subscriber. I wanted you to know that this "Read Me First" post has directly inspired me to create something similar for my Substack. Great idea! All kudos go to you! Thank you!