R
on was born and raised in beautiful
Mill Valley, California, and it was
there that he fell in love with the
Great Outdoors. It’s a love that has guided
some of his most important choices in life,
with wonderful outcomes.
Ron recalls his days as an Eagle Scout
and the great influence of his Scoutmaster,
the late John (Jack) Barnard. Mill Valley’s
Scout Hall was at its peak enrollment
during the 1960s when Ron was involved.
Barnard inspired Ron and other scouts
to develop their skills at backpacking so
they could enjoy nature at its best. His
early memories are of hiking the Marin
Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais, exploring
coastal bluffs and forested mountain trails
he still enjoys today.
First Stint in Finance
Ron’s career could easily have gone in a
different direction. After graduating from
the University of Colorado in the early
1970s, he took a corporate job in San
Francisco’s financial district.
“I got involved in the credit industry,
underwriting contract surety bonds for the
construction industry. It was interesting and
I learned a great deal, but my heart wasn’t
in it.”
In Ron’s case, one thing led to another.
When he and his wife Renee went down
to Gilroy to visit with her parents, Ernest
and Ann, talk turned to home building.
The Filice family has a long, rich history
in South County that includes farming,
philanthropy and land ownership. Ernest
invited Ron to build some homes on the
family’s land. Ron agreed, and, joined a
few years later by Renee’s brother Gary, he
built about 100 dwelling units including
the 52-home Fox Hollow development in
Morgan Hill.
From Building to Brewing
In 1995, Ron decided to try his hand at
a startup. He launched the Coast Range
Brewing Company in an old cannery
building at 10th and Monterey in Gilroy.
“After college I had done some
bartending at a few great restaurant/
pubs and enjoyed the camaraderie. A
friend suggested the idea of starting a
microbrewery in Gilroy, and I liked the idea.
I got help configuring the brewery infra-
structure from another friend with related
experience, and I connected with a talented
brewer just about to graduate from the UC
Davis Brewing program. The business came
together very serendipitously.”
After eight years of managing the
brewery’s production, marketing and sales,
Ron decided it was time for a change, so he
stepped away from that business and tried
his hand, briefly, at real estate.
“I liked the business aspect of being a
realtor, but not the marketing.” Undaunted,
Ron explored other possibilities.
The Journalist
Ron credits former Morgan Hill Times
Editor-in-Chief Mark Derry for giving him
an entrée into the Bay Area media scene.
“I had done a little freelance writing in
2003. Then I got the itch to write again in
2009 so I talked to Mark. He said, ‘Ron,
why don’t you write a column for us? You
can be the Outdoors Guy.’ I owe him a lot
for inviting me to write about something I
care deeply about.”
Six years later, Ron’s newspaper column,
“Getting Out,” runs in the Morgan Hill
Times, the Gilroy Dispatch and the Hollister
Freelance, and enjoys a strong following
among hiking enthusiasts in South
County and beyond.
Climb Every Mountain
In 2012, Ron took things to a whole new
level by posing a challenge to fans of his
New Year’s Day hike. Those who wanted
to could join Ron in some or all of a series
of six local hikes from January to June, in
preparation for a “Challenge Hike” – the
one to test participants’ physical and mental
stamina – in July.
To his surprise, over 100 people showed
up on January 1st and most of them
committed to do the Challenge Hike. Between
2012 and 2015, Ron has led challenge hikes
to the summits of Clouds Rest, Mt. Tallac and
Mt. Hoffmann – all high-altitude peaks in the
Sierras, with trails covering distances up to 14
miles, and aptly rated as ‘difficult.’
It sounds daunting, but every year, hikers
of varying skill levels, from teens to gray-
hairs, rise to the challenge. And every year
they return home exhausted yet exhilarated
by the experience, wanting to know what’s
on tap for the next year’s challenge.