Anastasia (Nas) Docherty

I had never experienced anything quite like it and was immediately hooked. I love pushing the physical boundaries of my small frame and learning how to perfect the techniques of physical activities through continually analyzing them. I am originally an upstate New Yorker that needed to move to the high desert of Santa Fe to experience rafting for the first time. I’m so glad that I did! I found a home here in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains between rafting in the summers and teaching snowboarding in the winters and wouldn’t have it any other way for the time being. I am currently in nursing school and intend to keep working outside after I finish school. I have been an avid dog caretaker in the 8 years that I have lived in Santa Fe, and tend to work many odd jobs when I’m not rafting or snowboarding.

What is your favorite river?

My favorite river tends to be the one I’m on in a raft!! But the Rio Grande is my favorite river because it is where I started rafting and it feels like home. The Taos Box Canyon on the Rio Grande is always exhilarating and full of wildlife, and the Racecourse is fun to watch change through the season. I always thoroughly enjoy a beautiful day on the Chama surrounded by such astounding landscapes, and look forward to exploring the rivers in my previous home state of New York in the future. I have also really enjoyed rafting sections of the Colorado River and the Arkansas in Colorado.

What is your favorite river story?

Between an incredible but challenging guide school, read-and-running class IV rapids, and an incredible week of training in Oregon, there are too many stories that are what keep me in love with this sport and lifestyle every day, and I look forward to making more stories with everyone I go down the river with.

What are your other hobbies, interests and passions?

The more hobbies the better! I have always been something of a dilettante, collecting as many hobbies as I can hold on to. Currently, my favorites aside from rafting include rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, running, snowboarding, gaming, woodworking, archery, and wakeboarding when I get the chance. A favorite sub-hobby is splitboarding, where you hike up the mountain and ride back down. I especially enjoying doing this at night during full moons. But I’ll try anything! I also carry some lifelong passions of various art mediums and making music. I was in a heavy metal band for a while and an alternative rock band for another while!

What certifications or degree do you have?

I have my EMT license and BLS certification, with more to come!

I first went to a trade high school for Graphic Design which I then earned an associate’s degree in and pursued design for several years. Then after working with my grandfather in his woodshop since childhood, I pursued a more focused study with woodworking which is why I moved to Santa Fe. After I started rafting in 2016, I started teaching snowboarding at Ski Santa Fe in the off season, which led me to obtaining my EMT-Basic license to work with Ski Patrol. From there I took the next level of EMS, earned my Advanced EMT certification, which put me on the path to getting my bachelor’s in Nursing, which I am in the final year of completing right now.