The "blamed my own gear" thing is so real and it shows up everywhere, not just biking. Like how people will buy a new desk chair when their back hurts, or switch coffee makers when they're tired all day, when the real fix is moving the monitor or going to bed earlier. We get attached to the thing we can see and touch, so the obvious culprit wins even when it's innocent. Bet half the "I need a better bike" posts on here are really just people needing a rack, a fit, or a slower route. Good on you for actually tracking down the cause instead of throwing money at the whole bike.

The narrowest point thing is good advice but its not always the move. Sometimes the narrow spot is deeper and faster and the wide part has a nice shallow gravel bar you can walk right across. I learned that the hard way on a crossing in the Smokies where I followed the worn path right into a thigh deep chute.