Stanley, Idaho: Up in the Sky with George Dorris
Our flight from Stanley, Idaho, to a small dirt strip along the bank of the Middle Fork of the Salmon lasted a little more than half an hour. We could see the Indian Creek landing strip long before touching down, and from the height we began our spiraling descent, the streak of dirt looked slightly larger than a postage stamp. The final banking turn had the plane headed for an upstream landing and we touched down without much of a bump.
For many of us in that plane, the 30-minute journey into the heart of the Frank Church Wilderness Area – a flight which had taken us up and over mountain peaks, across wild flower-laden valleys, and offered amazing views of America’s most famous wilderness river – was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For our pilot, George Dorris, the approach to the Indian Creek airstrip in his tiny Islander (the nine-passenger plane) is a more common experience than pulling into his own driveway.
George Dorris is an independent pilot who flies for many of the air services in Idaho. His company name is G & S , based out of McCall, Idaho, and he has been doing so for over 20 years. There are few, if any, pilots who know the Frank Church Wilderness Area as well as George. The most frequent flight ends at Indian Creek, the launch site for early-season or late-season Middle Fork of the Salmon float trips. River guides who have been around for a while consider George and his Islander an important piece to the puzzle of getting gear to and from the river. In low water years, when flights are necessary more often, seeing George and his plane is a weekly occurrence.
Back-country flying is a family gene that runs in George’s blood. His father, Bill Dorris, started flying in the Idaho back-country in the 1950’s and continued into the 90’s. He eventually taught his boys how to fly, and three of them now work together while continuing the family business of Sawtooth Flying Service, Inc.
In the air, George is as much of a commentator as pilot – pointing out favorite sites, telling jokes, and keeping his co-pilot entertained. It’s possible to fly all the way into Indian Creek with George and step out of the plane with a weeks worth of stories and a lifetime of history lessons. Flying with George is a lot more than a flight from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, but rather a personal tour of Idaho’s marvelous back-country.
The next time you fly in the Idaho back-country, keep an eye out for George Dorris. He’ll be up in the sky or loading his plane, but one way or another he will be the one making it happen: making his journey to and from the wilderness, so that you can pursue your own outdoor experience. Visit www. SawtoothFlying.com for additional information.
