I once took a buddy out on his first camping trip. As a life-long city dweller, he was so excited for the opportunity to “get back to nature.” As we were walking along a particularly scenic trail, he grabbed a plastic-wrapped snack while commenting on the beauty of it all, ate the snack, and tossed the wrapper on the ground. Suffice it to say, I took this as a bit of a teachable moment. Save yourself a headache and educate your friend on trail etiquette before you go.

I’ve been steadily increasing my mileage, with a goal to ride 100 km by the end of the summer. My longest ride ever is 84 km; my longest ride this year is 57 km. Slow and steady wins the race.