Sunday, May 11, 2014
River guides are notorious storytellers—and whether they be true or tall or somewhere in-between, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and we will be. (Deep water, brother…)
So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we’ve asked our guides to recall a notable “first” paddling experience, broadly defined, and to tell a story about that experience.
Initiated on the Stan
by Stich Tichenor
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Stich on the Rogue in 1983 |
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Stich running McCloud Falls in May 1986 |
The next year in April 1974, twelve guides built Lettman Mark IV fiberglass kayaks in the warehouse of the outfitter before the river season became busy with commercial trips. If we weren’t guiding a trip with clients, we would throw our kayaks on the equipment truck at 6 AM to get a ride to Camp Nine. We would kayak all day until 4 PM when we would arrive at take out. There we would help load rafts onto the take-out truck and get a ride back to the 5-acre river commune of our outfitter. Life as a river guide was good! In fact, life as a guide is still good with Orange Torpedo Trips!
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Stich filming the fun at Mary’s Pothole on the Rogue River in 2012 |