WRONG TURN: Father shares favorite secret path with 5 y/o daughter and challenges ensue…

I’ve been waiting YEARS to take Aubrin Sage down MY favorite secret path so when we found ourselves on that part of the mountain and she was feeling confident I asked her if she wanted to give it a shot.
It’s lighthearted nickname fails to reveal the length and complexities that lie ahead but the beauty of this forested ‘ditch ride’ leave all who enter, and successfully exit, feeling a sense of accomplishment and it quickly makes its way into their recollection as one of, if not their favorite runs of the day.
It’s varied terrain ranges from tight, walled-in single track to a spiderweb of ‘choose your own adventure’ paths and Aubrin pushed forward with the perfect amount of caution and vision allowing her to flow through this long unfamiliar experience while slowing and stopping when it became necessary to survey the situation and process a solution to navigate some really tricky areas but when dad took a wrong turn things edged more towards ‘sketchy’…😬
“You promise?” She asked when I said I’d catch her while we were perched at the top of a 10’ high rock outcrop in the forest.
While this type of terrain doesn’t bother me the world looks a whole lot bigger through the eyes of a 5 year old. I tried to set a tone that calmly and confidently acknowledged the mistake and circumstances without sounding indifferent to her very valid hesitation and worry.
While I was really impressed with how she approached the whole run, it was in those moments inching towards the top of that rocky cliff that I am most impressed and proud of. She had no lack of fear (it is very prominent in her initial tone) but she also has no lack of trust. Trust that together, we can get through anything.
None of us should go through life alone and everyone deserves that person(s) in which they have unwavering trust and confidence in. I cherish these years where I am her rock, her role model and her steadfast cheerleader and I am thankful for these opportunities to further our bond. ♥️
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Self filmed with the Insta360 X3 on their ‘invisible’ selfie stick: www.insta360.com/sal/x3?insrc...