If a Tree Falls in the Woods

A bike trail, a freak accident, and the arithmetic of fate

Photo by Mateusz Dach from Pexels

A tree blocked the path. This was no surprise; after a windy storm, the Washington Secondary Bike Trail is usually strewn with debris.

But this was a tree. The foliage was voluminous and green. The trunk still looked healthy — except that it was horizontal, barricading the whole trail.