I. DTE Hiking Club Part 4 🥾

II. Rigged: They Beat The Game 🕊️

We Laughed, We Cried, and We Hiked … 🌎

Okay, we didn’t exactly cry …

But we received some serious character development during our outing in the Hudson Valley.

It all started on the train ride up to Cold Spring …

Seated in the last car of the Metro North on Saturday morning, (this has become common practice – we tend to turn the ride into a function) we plunged into an array of various conversations and games to pass the time.

Then, I received a phone call.

“I’m getting on the bus now. I should be there in 15 minutes.”

I was astounded. “15 minutes? We’re halfway out of Manhattan! You were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago!”

We were down one. That member totally missed the boat train and spent the morning at home. Bummer. But the tide was instantly lifted back up as another pair of hikers joined us by surprise at 125th Street.

Despite the loss, we were now 15 strong, and locked in with a group of fresh faces for the new hiking season.

Interested in joining the Hiking Club? Reply to this email, and we’ll talk 📧

Our squad for this hike was an eclectic mix of novices and experienced pros.

One member, all the way in from Minnesota, has more experience with the frosty forests of the North Country, while another hiker has only taken staggeringly long walks in the city.

I couldn’t help but smile when viewing the collection of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and diverse experiential backgrounds culminated in one train car.

This is what community looks like.

The chill of an air-conditioned train car can confuse expectations.

Up on the mountain, the people of DTE quickly realized the characteristics of early May, stripping off layers with every 100 feet of elevation gained.

When the clouds parted, and the sun guided the way, and we found our pace.

*Cue hiking montage and accommodating music*

Towards the peak of the climb, the snacks made an appearance, foreshadowing lunch at the waterfall.

Going down may be easier than up, but the hunger sets in right around that switch. Among the typical sandwiches and bags of trail mix, we were introduced to the favorite munchies of the team, which featured fruit, jerky, and even edamame.

Just as the glow of communion peaked, we felt the distant rumbling of thunder …

Our fears had come true.

With just over a mile remaining in the trail, and another mile toward the train station, we were without cover for what was a humbling washout.

The result? Cinematic. Biblical.

It was as if God himself put the rain sliders of the Earth’s weather simulator on 100, and entered a cheat code for fat raindrops and sideways wind.

So much for cursing the Sun an hour before.

Despite the calamity, the mood prior to the pour was so strong that we laughed our way through the walls of water.

With the motivation of Rincon Argentino on the other side, we dashed through the staticky haze of water with empanadas on our mind and cups of water in our shoes.

And that’s the story of Down to Earth Hike #4. It’s funny that there always is a story, no matter how prepared you are.

It’s the dynamism of nature and the magic of community, and I can’t wait to see which story we’ll tell next time.

Interested in joining the club? Just reply to this email, and we’ll talk! 📧

Testimonials From DTE Hikers 🌎 (3 May 2025)

Here’s what some hikers had to say:

“In the beginning, it’s always the worst part filled with a slight ‘why did I do this?’ But then towards the middle it’s a rewarding feeling knowing I did the hard part already and that I pushed myself.

Also for the next 2 days, I feel sore but it’s always in a good way, never any regrets. Just a sign that my muscles were active. I always enjoy hiking because it’s a free activity and I’d like to call it natures gym 😁”

-Shedika 🌎

“The group leader pulled me to the side and showed me how to live life, showed me how men operate.”

-James 🌎

“As someone who exercises regularly, I thought this hike would be a breeze. Which it was… at first. About 15-20 minutes into the hike I found myself admitting that the hike was going to be more challenging than I had imagined. By the second or third false summit I was ready to be finished 😅 but I’m so glad I saw it through.

The views were amazing and I had a great time getting to know other people on the hike while testing my mental fortitude. I was proud of myself for finishing what I started! The next day, though sore, I found myself thinking about how much I actually enjoyed the hike and wondering when the next one would be.”

-Wanda 🌎

Rigged: These Tenants Beat the Game 🕊️

Home ownership was the original bill of the American dream.

A carefully manicured lawn, a couple kids packed into a luxury sedan, and a run-of-the-mill house as the crowning achievement of it all.  

That dream was perhaps reality in the 20th century, when home ownership was facilitated (for some people) in suburban havens. 

In 2025, the government isn’t so keen on subsidized housing.

Instead, it’s left us to urbanize, crowded into slums of aging apartment buildings and cheap “luxury” housing that we don’t own and pay too much for. 

Worse, big real estate and its private equity henchmen are gobbling up homes and apartments to drive the prices up even higher.

Even worse (yeah … I know) our politicians are allowing this, and profiting from it.

The game is rigged, and those in first place have unlimited banana peels to fling behind them.

Thats why the Housing Freedom movement is aiming to flip the game on its head.

The goal is to take our homes back into our hands, becoming entirely independent and community-based.  

That’s just the gist of it — to put the plan in motion, we’ll need strategy, cooperation, funding, and a blueprint. 

We’re blessed to have someone who has already gotten the job done, paving the way for the rest of us to follow. 

Her name is Claudia Waterton. 

Along with her tenants in Port Morris, Bronx, Claudia is a home owner.

She’s achieved the American Dream, but in a way that’s more revolutionary (and a lot cooler) than a white picket fence. 

📺 WATCH my discussion with Claudia to hear her remarkable story, from abused tenant to empowered homeowner 💪🏽

Owning a home in the city can sound so far out for New Yorkers – let alone an entire apartment building.

But Claudia’s crew has already gotten it done — her story proves that flipping the script is not only possible, but it’s the logical next step in the urban experiment of the United States.

Since it’s evident that common people have been abandoned by the government — just turn on the news — it must be the people who take the responsibility of ownership into our hands.

It’s our time to eat …

Let’s jump into the revolutionary world of community ownership.

It’s the future of urban living, and with the tools you’ll gain from this podcast, you could be the next to own. 

Are you ready for the challenge?