Mark Doherty
Bio
Mark is a lifelong writer, musician, outdoorsman, and teacher. Mark's work focuses on natural insight, inspiration, and above all, creativity. Mark's website: www.moenkopimemories.org features links to most of his published works.
Stories (4)
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Flipping Pancakes and Rafts—Westwater 1990
It was near the end of my short but intense river guiding career that Skull Rapid in Westwater Canyon tried to gobble me up. My number was metaphorically drawn by the river gods, my time to flip had come. I would soon be the first of the two types of boatmen, those who have flipped, and those who will. But this trip was unique in many ways. First off, I was carrying not the usual troupe of paying customers, but rather a troupe of paid employees! My boat was the bluegrass band—banjo player, guitar player, mandolin player, and fiddle player. There were four of us. The paying customers were all on the other three boats running the river in front of us. We were the entertainment, much of the food, and oh yes, the booze. We were hired to play music, and I got a little extra for rowing the baggage boat. We were not what one might call the regular guides. The paying customers were a group of wealthy French physicians and their families, out for a dash and splash overnight whitewater trip where in two quick days, seasoned guides are expected to take customers to the very brink of death and danger, pull them back safely, then wine and dine them with gourmet on the river.
By Mark Doherty6 months ago in Humans
The Camping-Go-Round
Here we are, in the heart of one of America’s premier national parks. We were lucky enough to score a campsite in a wonderful tents-only campground on Jenny Lake beneath the sweep of the Grand Tetons. It’s the last site available, and the last one on the campground circle, site number 50.
By Mark Doherty6 months ago in Earth
The Blue Banana
The Blue Banana There it was, a great, huge, massive eighteen foot long fifteen hundred dollar banana sitting on the brown winter grass of the front lawn in the afternoon sunshine and cool frosty winter air. At least it looked like a banana, the way the bow and stern both bent one way making a sweeping yet subtle arc appear along both sides of the hull. Perhaps I should say it was kind of a banana shaped boat. The only problem with it being bananalike was that it was a pretty blue color, not a very appetizing color for that particular fruit. Nonetheless, the plastic hull of this lovely ocean kayak on the lawn was obviously ever so slightly bent in a sideways arc like a banana—not a healthy quality for an expensive eighteen foot sea kayak that was meant to be straight and true as it sliced through the pristine waters upon which it was designed to travel.
By Mark Doherty7 months ago in Humor
The Singing Rainbow
The Singing Rainbow It was going to rain, there was no doubt about it. Any over-hopeful thoughts that the thunderstorm might miss us were quickly dispelled by several bolts of lightning and a cool moist change in the evening breeze. Almost before the echoing thunder finished reverberating from the deep canyon walls of the Colorado River, the guests grabbed their picnic plates of fried chicken, potatoes, and a brownie and scurried onto their dry tour bus. They left behind bedraggled river guides to clean up dinner in the rain and load up the boats and gear from the evening float trip onto the waiting gear trucks and trailers.
By Mark Doherty7 months ago in Earth
