Sorry I can't help with dorybuilding, but could you take a few moments
and explain the appeal of the Main and Lower Salmon? Every time we
take out from the Middle Fork, we wonder about this question. Maybe
it's more appealing downstream than it seems at the confluence.

Given how uncomfortable kayaks are, and how hard rafts are to row
against the wind, I certainly understand why you'd want a dory.

Hi Bill,

To be perfectly honest, for some of us that have been doing this sport for
what seems like forever, there are only two kinds of whitewater-- utterly
terrifying (Class V) or banal (anything else). When you have two kids, my
sense of responsibility has sort of made me give up on the first. The
second I like to do in pleasant wilderness scenery, of which the Main and
Lower Salmon has plenty. Think of it as a backpacking trip with as much
warm beer as you can drink.

For aspiring Class III wannabes, both these rivers have lots of small rapids
to bobble through. For me, Class III has turned into about the same amount
of exercise and excitement as walking. So it's just where I choose to walk.

Every now and again, there is a great play wave, and I beat myself senseless
against that for a while. Long raft trips also offer interesting insights
into basic human tribalism. But that's another story.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Chuck

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.

Hi Bill,

For those that would like to see pix of the scenery, go to

http://www.wildcountry.info

And go to the Main Salmon 2003 link (as well as the pan shots link).

You'll see the scenery we're talking about.

Best,

Chuck

in article , Bill Tuthill at
wrote on 8/21/03 11:14 AM:

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.