RIGGINS, Idaho -- The guide easily moves the whitewater raft back and forth across the Salmon River as if he had been doing this his entire life. About 150 yards up, he studies the rapids at Fiddle Creek, looking for the best route to mix heart-pounding excitement with safety for the other eight people in the raft.
"Paddle forward," he yells as the raft approaches the rapids, wanting to build momentum.
As the rapids hit, he yells out, "Hard," and for the briefest of moments, water crashes all around the raft.