Eye on the Trail: Telephoto Story – Legendary Musher

Legendary Musher

Who is this legendary musher?  He’s run Iditarod thirteen times.  In those thirteen races, he’s finished in the top ten eight times and has scratched only twice.  His first race was in 1992.  In his rookie run he claimed 43rd place with a time of 14 days, 4 hours and 12 minutes.  He sat out a year then came back to finish in 7th place.  For that jump of 36 places, he earned the Most Improved Musher Award presented by Global Information Technologies.  His career best finish was in 1998 when he was the third musher to reach Nome.  His time was 9 days, 11 hours and 41 minutes.  In the year Y2K this icon shaved 25 minutes off his time and claimed fifth place.  The mystery musher sold his team after the 2005 race and took up sailing.  To go along with his Iditarod top tens, this musher has claimed Yukon Quest Gold twice, 1991 and 1993.  His first Iditarod was sandwiched between those Quest Championships.  This fellow is a cancer survivor. In 2003 after surgery and treatment for colon cancer he was selected by his fellow competitors as the most inspirational musher of the Iditarod.  Who is this legendary mystery musher?

The legendary musher is Charlie Boulding.  Where is he now, more than a decade after his last Iditarod?  “Charlie is still living his bush lifestyle on the banks of the Tanana River with his wife Robin and eight-year-old daughter Tori though they also enjoy 5-6 weeks sailing in warm waters every fall.”