Translation of erwägen

A bystander who watched the entire scene all the time decided to help me. He was an older man, around seventy, but nonetheless he went to the oldest of these kids and slapped him. The boy was sixteen.
We all know that the consequences are awful. All are struggling, some kill eachother, mostly for really foolish reasons. They are not aware of it. Drugs should never be tolerated in any country.
It was a good way of starting the trip. A ferry ride across the beautiful water, a beer in one hand and the unknown adventure lying ahead. I had to look for a place to sleep and checked a few hostels.