Sorry, I Can't Make It ....

'cos I can't get a ride, have a work deadline, can't be ready in time .... Or, if you were actually going to tell the truth, you might say "I don't feel like going anymore. In fact, I'm not sure I was ever really committed to this trip, and, really, I don't give a rats' arse if this puts you out, inconveniences you, causes a lot of trouble, because, basically, it's all about me."

Tomorrow I leave for the Bonnington Traverse which I am running as a four day trip for my local mountaineering club. This will be my fifth time on the traverse. Clearly, I don't need to do it again, but, it is a good local traverse, suitable for people doing their first ski traverse, and, as our club maintains the cabins along the route, using them annually seems like a good idea. After so many years running the traverse, you would think that someone else in the club might take it on, but, that seems unlikely - and the topic for another blog post.

This year I had 10 people cancel. Of those 10, I consider two - one broken leg, the other the spouse of the person with the broken leg - had a real reason to cancel. The others all canceled because they just didn't feel like coming, although the excuses I heard were (ever so slightly) more creative than that. Some people canceled (three) because they organized another trip for the weekend before the Bonnington (which they had previously signed up for). These three didn't even let me know until long after they had organized their second (marginally) conflicting trip that they couldn't make it. In fact, they didn't let me know until I pointedly asked them if they were still coming on the Bonnington.

At least three of the people who canceled I fully expected to cancel as they make a very regular practice of canceling. In fact, these three people have canceled out of more trips than they have attended. I wanted to say to them, "Look, lets just save your time and mine and not go through this farce where you sign up, then cancel."

I always wonder if the chronic cancelers know that I know - not suspect, but know - that as the trip comes closer they will cancel. Do they know that every time they sign up for a trip, I roll my eyes, sigh, and think "here we go again." 

Near Grassy Cabin