After a couple of days to think over my recent posts*, I realized that I was urging you to embrace discomfort and adventure without an important caveat: Don't Be Stupid and Die.
Frankly, I think that "Don't Be Stupid and Die" should go without saying but, as Irondad mused upon in a recent post on his blog, sometimes we start to base our sense of self on the amount of discomfort and adventure we're willing to endure, to the point that we can get ourselves in to some very bad situations because we think our reputation somehow depends on riding across Death Valley in the midday heat in August without water.
The difference between hardcore and stupid is slight, but important. A hardcore rider is certain he/she can handle a challenging situation because he/she knows his/her limits, and the limits of his/her machine. A stupid rider, on the other hand, is simply certain he/she can handle a given situation because, hey, he/she isn't dead yet.
A hardcore rider and adventurer knows that, every now and then, it is best to simply not ride (or stop riding briefly, if conditions demand it).
So, please, keep riding boldly forth, just don't be stupid and get killed. I won't think any less of you - really, I won't - if you decide not to ride now and then because you don't like the conditions.
Just don't be a wussy all the time.
*The recent posts in question:
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