I got the itch to return to Ouray for some canyoning, so I hitched a ride with Ursula and her friend for the long-ass drive to Ouray for their annual canyoning rendezvous. Always a pleasure visiting this town. Not sure how I feel about the rendezvous, though. Lots of obvious benefits: the chance to engage and interact and make friends with like-minded folks, all in a beautiful setting, swap stories, learn new skills, etc., etc. But there’s also a double edge to those perks. Sometimes there can be a small strain of arrogance and gatekeeping in these communities – people watching closely how you do things, ready to make corrections to your way of doing things if it doesn’t comport with what they’re used to. It’s an odd experience, and by no means ubiquitous, but it’s there, lurking quietly. Or maybe I’m just being overly sensitive. That is also a possibility. I remember getting scorned by someone because I pulled a rappel rope too fast, and the extra rope got caught in the current and started floating down the stream. They weren’t wrong about that caution, but it was light flow, and the creek was flat. It wasn’t like the rope was in danger of being carried off down the next waterfall. I guess I was just being too casual. I also remember someone at the campsite questioning why I set up our group tent so close to the others. I told them I was just trying to be social. The one time a year I try to be social, and I get questioned on it. Oh well, I try my best. That’s all we can do.
