Help Blake and Kate Wilson rebuild Last Chance!

Help Kate and Blake Wilson, and the whole Wilson family, REBUILD LAST CHANCE!!!

Here is the above location, in ruin: https://youtu.be/fVRjxLc7iWY

The CZU Lightning Complex Fire has destroyed the entire community of Last Chance, along with Big Basin and hundreds of thousands of acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains.


At 3am on August 16th I was awoken by lightning & thunder the ferocity of which I’d never before experienced in California. In the morning our valley was full of an eerie mix of smoke, rain and fog. By 4pm I got visual confirmation of a fire on State Land near Waddell Beach. On Monday I left with what the essentials I could quickly pack my truck with, in some state of denial that this was it. I wish I’d done/gotten more, but I was under the impression I’d be back. That night I didn’t return to Last Chance, and by Tuesday Night the entire community evacuated, save for one soul who got trapped trying to escape, may he rest in peace.


I got out with Two Chainsaws, a generator, one axe, one wood maul, one electric Saw-zall, My Grandfather’s Winchester .22, Two boxes of antique hand tools, half my clothes, My computer and Camera equipment.


Infrastructure lost:

Two Cabins and a Fully stocked Cook Shack, water heater and outdoor tub/shower (The fire was hot enough to melt the enamel). Our entire water system including hundreds of yards of PVC pipe, one 550 gallon water tank, and a cache of plumbing tools, fixings, and extra pipe. Lots of Lumber and building materials.


Tools lost:

Shovels, Rakes, Pole Saws, Hatchets, Axes, Ropes, two circular saws, and two other chainsaws. Three step-ladders and one Large Extension Ladder, a Wheel-barrow, Large stocks of lumber, PVC, and roofing material. All types of oil, paint, sealant, caulk, and glue. This list will only grow.


Things that survived the fire: My Grandfather’s memorial plaque, some lengths of steel cable, anything solidly iron or steel (I’ve got some cast-iron pans in DESPERATE need of seasoning.) And our iconic adobe oven.



I’m asking for a goal of $25,000 to replace necessary tools and immediate infrastructure needs such as the spring fed water system, a shed or container to keep them safe in, solar panels, batteries and electrical supplies to get the property back on the right foot, concrete and lumber, perhaps a temporary living structure for people to stay in while we rebuild or even a small or Alaskan mill to begin to utilize the wood on hand.




Any donation of $100 or more can be considered a reservation for a future camping trip! If you can not give money but would like to help, donations of tools, materials, camping supplies or time and labor would be accepted graciously! My email is [email redacted]

Or if you would like to give directly my venmo is @blake-wilson-17





The Silver Lining to this all is that the creek is still running, and a strong winter will have it running clean again. The springs that dot our property will provide the first opportunity for plants to rebound. And most importantly the majority of redwood trees over 2’ in diameter will begin to show signs of life again within the next two years. Last Chance is NOT OVER! It is changed forever and will take a century to fully bounce back, but there will be swimming at Last Chance, and camping and s’mores, music, friends and family. And, with our help and a better understanding of forest ecology, natural life will bounce back as well, surrounded by people with a fresh understanding of how to better co-exist with it. Thank you so much for reading! I am filled with gratitude for those that wish to help or simply share in our loss.