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You on a mild down slope but about go up a steep one so presume you were carrying max potential speed to carry you up the oncoming hill. Path is “only” 5ft wide and you were going through a stream for max splash potential. Put yourself in their shoes – could your actions have seemed intimidating or at least a bit presumptuous that they should be stepping off the path or slowing down to give you room?
I know how that sounds, and I know you’re only playing devils advocate, but that’s not how it played out. We were cruising, jogging speed or less. My mate, when he crossed the stream (on his single speed) was almost static on the uphill until he got some power down…by this stage they had deviated from their own path to obstruct his. When this didn’t work, they very obviously, and very deliberately turned their attention to me.
Where the down meets stream, and continues uphill there is also a gentle corner bearing right. The walker who shoved me rightly anticipated the natural line I would need to take to clear the stream (or I would have hit it off camber). He literally stood at the edge of the stream facing me and side stepped into my way. It was like he was getting ready to tackle someone in rugby etc. Him getting splashed was more a result of him stopping me in the stream, than me stopping in a manner so as to splash him (that was just a bonus). It was also the thing that set him off it seems.
I can honestly say I am glad I didn’t raise a fist and now feel like the bigger man (even though he was literally the bigger man). As I said, I always thought I would be the one to kick off in that sort of situation but I am glad I didn’t, not out of fear of conflict (because I definately would have emptied both of them), but more from a moral high ground aspect.
