If anyone had river water in their veins, it would be Dolores resident Andy Hutchinson.
Hutchinson, a river guide and boat builder, recently celebrated his 100th trip down the Grand Canyon, an adventure that many dont get to do in a lifetime.
The Grand Canyon has this mystique to it, he said. Its the seventh wonder of the world.
When he isnt guiding river trips, mostly down the San Juan River and the Grand Canyon, Hutchinson is building white water dories in his garage in Dolores.
The boats have clean lines and have flat bottoms and high sides, perfect for navigating rivers.
Dories are more maneuverable, but less forgiving. ... Rafts are more forgiving, but less maneuverable.
Riding a dory down the Grand Canyon, he said, is a unique experience, something you cant get in a raft.
When Hutchinson first saw a dory, he knew he was hooked.
I thought: That looks fun. They must be fun to row, he said.
And they simply look beautiful on the river, he added.
I think they are gorgeous on the water. They are like living art, he said.
Hutchinson guides dory trips down the Grand Canyon for Grand Canyon Expeditions. He has been a river guide for 30 years and says he plans to do it for as long as he can.
Its just heaven on Earth to me. I feel perfectly at home on the river, and I cant wait to go on the next trip and am sad when one trip ends, he said May 16 after returning from his 100th trip down the Grand Canyon and while preparing for a trip down the San Juan.
Hutchinson built his first boat in 1990 and has been building between one and four boats a year since. His company, High Desert Dories, can be found on the Internet at hddories.net
Hutchinson said he was smitten with dories when he first saw them in a book and then on the water in the Grand Canyon.
Hutchinson said his experience kayaking he traveled to Europe to compete in the wild water championships made dories a better choice for him to guide in, versus rafts.
They cost between $20,000 and $25,000.
These boats are so fun in big waves, Hutchinson said. And it is almost as fun to watch them go through.
Hutchinsons wife of two years, Kate Thompson, also guides river trips and says she has probably been down the Grand Canyon 75 times.
The two laugh when you ask how long they have been married.
We had a river marriage, Thompson said. A year later we had one for family and friends, but I count the river marriage with mother river, thats our church.
On the Web: http://hddories.net.
