Talk about meeting people from the group in person !
Rich had the advantage on me because he already knew I am a short, fat, balding, one-eyed Belgian with a limp.
After shaking hands and introductions we invited him to join us to the afternoon canyon (we just had completed the ropework tests under a bridge).
We were a bit on our guard because this was after all a guide’s exam, we didn’t know Rich and he was battling one gigantic jet lag.
I think all of us were trying to peer from the corners of our eyes to judge his equipment when still at the cars (all the right stuff, well thought out, not a “christmas tree”, one worry less), same when entering the “slightly aquatic and sloping – see pic” canyon (sure on his feet, kept up easily, second worry less) and certainly when rigging/descending his first rappel. Here the slickness of a seasoned canyoneer clearly surfaced and Rich was accepted into the group, read: thrown in the deep end without a second thought.
If the ACA “delivers” canyoneers with his level of competence, the sport will certainly have a bright and safe future in the States.
I hope these won’t take too long to download but I’ve attached a picture where Rich is washing off his jet lag in the first canyon, another one where both he and Thierry (the French senior instructor present) are grinning ear to ear (jet lag gone after a nights sleep, or did the wine help ?) and another one where he’s trying to figure out if he should stick to the ACA rule of “pick up any rubbish you find and carry it out” – apart from being a very able canyoneer he’s just another hipocrite – he just walked along pretending he hadn’t noticed… can you imagine !?!
Rich, I hope you weren’t too bored by the endless exercises/tests along the way or our ranting in all those strange languages. I felt guilty at times because I didn’t have more time for you – the exam, the students, keeping the Corsicans at bay (one of the students got a shot of buckshot on the windshield of his car at night for no apparent reason – while he, his wife and 10 months old son were sleeping in it…).
We’ll just have to get together again to do some canyons decently – just for the fun and beauty of them.
Koen
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