Smith River advice?

I am taking a 4 day MLK day weekend, sort of a last run before some other things come up this year.

I was considering the Smith, since that's a place i've never been.  Hopefully my steelhead card comes in the mail by then..

Anyways, I had a few questions for those who may know this river. 

Based on the following river conditions:
River stage from 9-12 feet, anything above that and I'm staying home.
 
1. Is it a particularly dangerous river?  I'm a pretty capable paddler/pedaler, but not looking to navigate a significant amount of whitewater or rapids.

2. Is there any sort of local shuttle service?  I'll be side drifting roe primarily, planning to drift down and see if i can get a shuttle back to my launch.

3. Average Depth?  I would prefer to deploy the pedals to slow my drift.

4. Inflatable or Hard Copy?  I have an i9 which is more stable than my Revo.  The revo has no drift anchor but I would try to get one done by then.  the i9 doesn't need a drift anchor setup, it rides fine in the current with anchor down.

Any additional steelie fishing advice would be nice, although i'm planning to hire a guide for Friday the 14th to learn a little more.

im not that familiar with floating the smith, more time throwing flies from the side, but i think your best bet is hiring the guide, they have the best knowledge of the river and the dangers that are present(submerged rocks, strainers etc) this is what i usually due when on unfamiliar waters, good luck and hope to hear a good report when you get back, cameron

The Smith is a powerhouse of current and potentially treacherous rapids even on the relative lower end.  I agree with bwodun - a guide is a great idea for up there.

http://fishwithjd.com/2011/01/04/a-good-start-to-2011-a-20-pound-steelhead/#comments

Yeah john, I saw that article and a few others but none seem to addressthe few questions I have. I've contacted a few guides already and am waitingto see who has availability for the day I want