An Ode to the Dolores
Photos by Summer Doss
My love affair with the Dolores River began in 2019. It was my first season as a river guide and I had just finished derigging a trip when another guide told me, “The Dolores is running and I know you’re free this week. Let’s go.” We dropped everything to pack up and travel north the next morning.
It was a simple trip on a leaky, but beloved, paddle boat named Patches. I remember sitting in awe as I watched the vibrant Ponderosa gorge dissolve into Sandstone walls that embraced the river bank with their purple pink splendor. We high-sided our boat in Snaggletooth rapid to save our less-than-perfect line, laughed over nothing, and waited for the sun to rise after a chilly Colorado night that we had underprepared for. Not only did I fall in love with the Dolores – some of my deepest friendships were born and nurtured on that trip.
In spring of 2023, the Dolores was running at boatable levels for the first time since 2019. Once I heard, I knew I had to go run the Dolores with my best friend. Managing work schedules and renting a last minute dry suit, we ran the 28 miles of the Ponderosa Gorge in a day. We talked about nothing and everything, found an effortless flow boating together, and left feeling more connected, free, and joyful than we came.
At the end of June that same summer, my mom was in town when I heard that McPhee dam was dropping the water level that week. Not wanting to miss the chance to show my mom what is arguably my favorite river, we, yet again, cooked up last minute plans to scrounge together some gear, drive to Colorado, and run the Ponderosa gorge. This was my first experience “guiding” a family member: a precious opportunity to share the skill and passion I’d been cultivating since moving out West. Met with a mid-summer storm and much slower water, I only hoped that my mom would stay in the boat and that we’d make it to the take out before dark. Watching my mom grin ear to ear as she took in the Canyon, giggle at every cold splash of water, and find her own stride as we paddled together in our tandem ducky was one of the most fulfilling river experiences I’ve had to date.
In order to protect a place, it helps to love it. And in order to love a place, you must know it. I know the Dolores River like an old friend. Although we don’t see each-other often, I will always drop everything for the chance to reconnect, to share the ways I’ve changed and grown since our last meeting, and to make new, invaluable memories with it.
It is up to all of us to act on behalf of the places that mean the most to us. I am honored to advocate for my old friend: to fight for outdoor recreation, for the rural communities that depend on this land, and for the indigenous presence that stretches from time immemorial into present and future.
We knew Summer’s love for the Dolores ran deep, so we reached out to her to design a special edition line of merch to protect the Dolores River Canyon and its surrounding lands from mining and other extractive interests. These products embody both Summers’s deep appreciation for the landscape and what makes this beloved public land so special.
Author: Summer Doss
Summer Doss is a painter, designer, and river guide based out of Flagstaff, Arizona. Her work, in the studio and in the field, centers around the fundamental belief that experiences out of doors have the power to remind us of our inextricable connection to nature, our shared humanity, our resilience, and our capacity for fun. […]
