{"id":26604,"date":"2022-02-15T16:00:41","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T00:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=26604"},"modified":"2022-02-16T13:39:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T21:39:17","slug":"meet-the-cast-of-characters-behind-dory-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2022\/02\/15\/meet-the-cast-of-characters-behind-dory-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Cast of Characters Behind Dory Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many river runners say there is no better way to experience a river than by dory. Beyond their stout, thoughtful design, these wooden boats hold a soulful connection to the river and a heritage of western exploration. And for many whitewater dory lovers, there\u2019s no better place than Idaho.<\/p>\n

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first commercial dory trips in Idaho, the new film Dory Land<\/em> by filmmaker Logan Bockrath and OARS<\/a> explores the community around wooden boats and free-flowing rivers that have flourished in the Gem State. And below, you\u2019ll find a little more about those featured in the film and why they love these fabled wooden river boats.<\/p>\n

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Curt Chang || Dory Guide 1972-Present
\n<\/strong>A legend of the dory community, Curt Chang<\/a> has been running Idaho\u2019s wild rivers in wooden boats since 1972. He started rowing dories as one of Martin Litton\u2019s original Grand Canyon Dories guides before Litton asked him to head up to Idaho to start a commercial guiding operation on the Snake and Salmon Rivers. The business began in Curt\u2019s backyard and later grew into the current boathouse in Lewiston, Idaho, which he designed and helped build, and where he now oversees every aspect of the OARS Idaho Dories operation. His stories of early trips in ramshackle crafts are endless and his love for dories endures, even after 50 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cDories have a lot more action. Because they\u2019re rigid, they don\u2019t conform to the water. They track amazingly better. It\u2019s like a sports car compared to a raft. A raft is kind of slow. They\u2019re very forgiving and you can bounce on things, and you can put a lot of stuff in them. But we liked the design of dories and that you could store everything below the deck.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dick Shedd || Dory Guide 1976-1994
\n<\/strong>One of Idaho\u2019s earliest dory guides, Dick Shedd watched the Idaho dories operation develop from a ramshackle business into a polished professional enterprise. He made his way to Idaho from the ski areas of California, where he had worked with Curt Chang. His son Eric Shedd followed him down the river and now rows dories for OARS. Dick\u2019s love of dories grew after just a few trips down Idaho\u2019s rivers. He draws from his roots when describing the way a dory moves through the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a skier, my explanation is a raft snow plows and a dory carves. Dories are in the water; a raft is on the water. The control and feel is completely different. The first couple of times the boat went up and over [the] wave in front of me, I knew this is where I belonged. This is what I wanted to do. I will continue to do this as long as I live.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Bill \u201cBronco\u201d Bruchak || Dory Guide 1980-2014
\n<\/strong>Bill Bruchak remembers being issued a dory as a guide, and having it feel like home, or like his \u201capartment,\u201d he says. Through many seasons, he\u2019d spend more than 100 days aboard the wooden boats. By the time Bronco retired in 2014, he was the longest serving dory guide in Idaho, other than Curt Chang. He started guiding rafts on Utah\u2019s Yampa River, before chasing down Martin Litton and personally asking him if he could join Litton\u2019s team of dory guides. During Bronco\u2019s first season in Idaho, he did 15 trips.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs time went on, I learned the nuances of the dories. They\u2019re amazing boats, boats you have to get a feel for. They\u2019re incredible to row. When you get the dory bug in your blood, some people think you\u2019re an elitist. But it\u2019s just a feeling that\u2019s different from any other. Even with the rafts of today, it\u2019s not the same as when you\u2019re in big water in a dory.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Eric Hudelson || Dory Guide 1993-Present
\n<\/strong>If he were to tell it, OARS Idaho dory guide Eric Hudelson would say there\u2019s nothing special about \u201cHud.\u201d He\u2019s just a guy who\u2019s been around. That\u2019s a little bit of an understatement. Hud has evolved from a raft guide to a boat master capable of piloting almost anything down Idaho\u2019s rivers, including dories and the mammoth sweep boats used on the Middle Fork of the Salmon<\/a>. As an instructor of rowing clinics, he\u2019s gained an appreciation for how fragile the crafts can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cDories are special. Dories are unique. I don\u2019t want to say that anybody can row a raft, but rafts are forgiving. A raft you can hit rocks. A raft can bounce off things. With a dory, you can\u2019t. A dory takes a craft to get it down through low water, through rocky water, through technical water, without putting a hole in it or banging it up and damaging it. There\u2019s not a lot of people that can do that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Eric Shedd || Dory Guide 2000-Present
\n<\/strong>Running dories seems to run in the Shedd family. Eric Shedd followed in his father\u2019s footsteps, starting in the OARS Idaho boathouse when he was still a teenager. His love for the watercrafts stems from his childhood. Now based in Colorado, he\u2019s a seasoned dory guide who returns to Idaho each year to lead trips. Eric is also a touring musician who draws from the water for inspiration. The single he sings in Dory Land<\/em> (\u201cI\u2019ll Be Good\u201d)<\/em> was recently recorded by his band Birds of Play<\/a> and will be released on their album Murmurations Vol. 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born into loving dories. I remember sitting on my dad’s lap as he rowed through the Lower Salmon, watching the oars gracefully dance through the flatwater and riding the bow through the whitewater. It was never a question of \u2018if,\u2019 only \u2018when\u2019 would I row dories\u2026There’s nothing quite like it; the way they dance through the big water and slide through the current.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Ashley Brown || Dory Guide 2003-Present
\n<\/strong>A long-time OARS dory guide, Ashley Brown was born into a river running family. She started guiding just after high school, following in the footsteps of her mom who was a Grand Canyon guide. The family ties extend to Idaho\u2019s rivers. Her younger brother is named Tappan after one of the rapids on the Middle Fork Salmon River. Brown guides commercial dory trips in Idaho and Grand Canyon and captains the occasional sweep boat. She knows the history of each dory in the Idaho fleet and understands what it means for a dory to have nice lines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re beautiful. They seem like they tell a story when you\u2019re rowing them down the river. Rafts are rafts and they\u2019re fun. Dories feel like they\u2019re part of the place. They\u2019re fun in the whitewater and they give you a bigger ride. It\u2019s definitely a bit more of a challenge and you always have to be on your toes. It feels like you\u2019re a part of whatever is happening at the time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Editor’s Note:<\/strong> Guest Contributor Dylan Silver is the Digital Marketing and Foundation Coordinator for OARS. He loves photography and exploring California\u2019s rivers and lakes.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n