MY love affair with Dories

A little more than 2 years ago I was invited to join a group of people who were rowing some home built replicas of historic dories first used in the 1950's and 60's on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. You know as in white water, as in Big White Walter,  As in Lava Falls, Hance, Bedrock and KILLER FANG RAPID.  Actually I and 5 other people were invited to join the group at Diamond Creek, which is the take out for many whitewater trips in Grand Canyon National Park and help row these small wooden boats down the last 70 miles to Pearce Ferry on the Colorado River with the usual head wind cooling the sweat on our brows while doing it.  It was a lot of fun.  I got to ride in the Susie R and I got to help row the GEM,  the Flavell, the Portola and another Susie Too  as well.  It was fun.  Each boat handled differently and each boat had it's own personality - Its own way of moving through the water to the force and direction that you the rower was putting into it with the handmade ash oars we were using. The one I rowed for the longest time was the Susie Too replica. She somehow felt just right.

My love affair with dories started in the early fall of 1974 when I was hiking with friends in a section of Grand Canyon called the Beamer Trail. We had driven across the Navajo Reservation through low sagebrush country, skirted a families home and yard and ended up at the edge of a tributary canyon to the Little Colorado River where there was a way down to the Little Colorado River and then a way down along the edge of the Little Colorado River to the Colorado River and then a trail from that confluence of 2 rivers up and over to the base of the Tanner Trail which was a way out of the Grand Canyon.  This was probably my 6th or 7th hike in Grand Canyon and there were 5 of us on the trip which was to last for 6 days. The section of that trail goes over a rough section of cliffs with a lot of erosion where you work you way around to the head of deep arroyos and then back to the top of the cliff along the river where you are looking down from between 300 and 700 feet. It is slow going and you have to watch your footing as you follow small piles of rocks called cairns that others have left that may or may not mark the right and easiest trial.  We were taking a break on the cliff top when 4 small boats pulled into sight from the east and rowed right under us.  One of my friends called out a greeting and asked what they called those boats and a voice answered back "They'er Dories, Grand Canyon Dories". I remember thinking that I would like to row one of those through the Grand Canyon sometime.

Fast forward 40 years with a few dory encounters at Lee's Ferry, along the edge of the river and a few opportunities to row a private dory on other rivers and we arrive at 2014, I have acquired woodworking skills from building furniture and for renovating houses along the way. I have measured and designed the plans for a replica build of the Susie Too, I have won a permit for a private rowing trip for 16 people on  the Grand Canyon, starting on March 5. I have 2 wonderful friends, Tony Wrigley and John Schroeder who have helped me to build a dory- in fact they have done most of the work and we have finished her and gotten her launched.  I have rowed her for her first 4 miles down the Colorado River near where I live in Bullhead City and we have driven her to Lee's Ferry. We have gone through all the ranger checks of boat and equipment and people and we have held a christening ceremony at the edge of the river with champaign provided by another good friend, Donna Hill. and I have rowed Susie Too to her first night's resting place at the river runners camp just above the Paria Riffle. It is time.