This is a good word! Guiding is fun, but sometimes it suuuuuuuucks. People are challenging at times. And even though it's fun to be on the river everyday, it's still a job, and sometimes jobs are not fun.
Also, most guides (not all), understand river etiquette because we're on the river every day. My experience with private boaters and river etiquette has been a mixed bag. For example, private boaters cut right into the middle of our pod ALL THE TIME. I've seen private boaters do that before rapids, and even during rapids. It's wild. Commercial companies usually don't do that to each other. And if we are going to pass another company, we'll connect with their trip leader to ask if it's ok for us to pass.
Because we're on the river every day, we tend to know river etiquette. Private boaters that come out a couple of times a season may not always know proper river etiquette. Again, a lack of river etiquette can happen with anyone, but I do see it far less with commercial companies as we're on the river way more than the average private boater. Just in raw numbers, we have more river miles than the average private boater. Even the most enthusiastic private boater that is on the water three or four days a week is not on the water six days a week like we are.
That being said, I do see commercial companies that think they own the river. Sometimes when I am on a private trip (even on the river I guide commercially) companies treat me like I don't matter, or I don't know what I am doing. So, I can see why private boaters have challenges with commercial companies.
All that being said, as one of the posters above mentioned, there are good people and bad people everywhere. It's not exclusive to one camp.
