I do ride alone sometimes but the reason I quit a few years ago was doing an endo all by myself-- scared me knowing I was alone out there. That is why when I started riding again I decided to find people to ride with.

As far as pushing, I don't go beyond my comfort level. I am 43, not 13, and know that my skills will grow as I get more experienced. The last thing I need is a broken anything. Right now my legs are scratched and bruised. I can handle that. But yesterday when I chose to walk over a certain technical spot, one of the guys told me about a lady who ate it there, got a compound fracture of the wrist, and had to be airlifted out.