Charles Pezeshki wrote:

Long raft trips also offer interesting insights into
basic human tribalism. But that's another story.

A topic worth discussing, a story worth hearing.

Living in civilization, human groups are too large to be tribal.
People make friends, work, get married, have children, often without
consideration of tribal interaction. Would you and your spouse
get along well enough in a small tribe? That's one of the things
you find out on a long rafting trip. Marriages are made or broken.
How do you function getting things done with a group that has
limited resources? Some people are found useless, others discovered
to have admirable strengths and qualities.

A non-rafter friend who did the Grand Canyon with his brother, a
commercial outfitter, thought it strange that men and women took on
stereotypical roles (kitchen vs heavy setup) despite being liberated
with regard to gender roles in their normal civilized lives.
I find it interesting how quickly one can recognize lazy, selfish,
inflexible or obnoxious people, even on a 1-day river trip.

Chuck, thanks for your thoughts about the Main Salmon (below the
Middle Fork). The S Fork Salmon should be called the East Fork,
and the main Salmon above the N Fork should be called the S Fork,
so terminology can get confusing.