I HAD THIS PERFECT RIDE ALL PICKED OUT.

I INVITED MY FRIEND TO GO MOUNTAIN BIKING WITH ME.  He was new to the area.  I laid out what I thought was the perfect route for him.  About a quarter of our way in he wanted to go down a different trail.

The fact that I've been riding these trails for years didn't seem to matter much.  Well, to him.  It mattered a lot to me because I knew the consequences.

He was young. 

I told him I'd been down that trail and it was terrible.  There were all kinds of peril waiting if we went that way.

He didn't care.

We parted ways.  He assured me he'd be fine.  I assured him I wasn't so sure about that.

He's was on his own.

Worry set in on my part... and it never really left.  I wondered what I could have done different.  I believed in agency... and experience... I hoped for the best.