Gus Guenther, 45, was born and raised in Prospect, Pennsylvania. Before coming to Alaska, he received his B.A. in Journalism from the University of Pennsylvania and became a journeyman carpenter. He says he came to Alaska in 1991 because “I couldn’t drive any further and ended up in Clam Gulch to “try and disappear completely.” He began mushing in 1992. A member of Anchorage Local 1261, he has worked as a carpenter in Alaska since 2003. Gus says, “I’ve found running dogs to be one of the few things that can be purely beautiful.” He lists his hobbies as “chopping firewood and hauling water.”