Monday, August 8th, 2005
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The warm balmy sunshine sparkling off the sailboats moored in the Grand Traverse Bay harbor provided an unusual backdrop for a discussion about snow, cold and sled dog racing. On Thursday, August 4th a picnic was held at Traverse City's Elmwood Park for legendary Alaskan musher Charlie Boulding. Boulding and his wife Robin were visiting Robin's parents, Elliott and Florence Morrison, who reside in the area.
Boulding is arguably one of the most well known dog drivers in the sport today, with nine Iditarod finishes, two Yukon Quest victories, and many other shorter distance races in Alaska under his belt. In 2003, Boulding received the "Most Inspirational Musher" award at the Iditarod following his bout with cancer.
The picnic provided an opportunity for Michigan's own notables to compare notes with Boulding. Iditarod veterans Jim Warren of Linwood, MI and Ed Stielstra of Newberry, MI were in attendance, along with accomplished mushers Lloyd and Mary Gilbertson of Chatham. Cecil Houghton, often referred to as the "Father of Sled Dog Racing in Michigan" also attended the picnic.
Boulding encouraged mushers to spend more time training their dogs. "Races aren't won by strategy. They are won in November and December in training" advised Boulding.
In addition to mushers, fans of the sport were in attendance at the picnic. Nancy Whitley attended the picnic to thank Boulding for a very special favor. Nancy is the widow of Jigs Whitley, a former security officer at the Big Rock Point Plant in Charlevoix. A devoted fan and amateur musher, Jigs dreamed of running the Iditarod and attended the event as a fan in 1999. After his death, Nancy forwarded a ten page letter along with Jigs' obituary to Boulding, explaining that Jigs was unable to get to the Iditarod in life. Boulding immediately offered to help and carried a vial of Jigs' ashes with him on the Iditarod trail, allowing Jigs to complete his dream and providing the family with a sense of closure.
Sitting in a wheel chair sporting an Iditarod cap signed by Boulding, was a high school student named Logan, another fan of Boulding's. Logan's math class followed mushers in the Iditarod, computing their mileages and speeds as the race progressed. "I really wanted Charlie as my musher" grinned Logan.
Charlie and Robin Boulding spent the morning sailing with Traverse City residents Lee and Claudia Nowak, who are ardent fans of the sport. The picnic was planned and arranged by the Nowaks, who are actively involved with other mushers and fans of the sport. "Wouldn't it be great if we could get Charlie to run Michigan's U.P. 200?" mused Lee Nowak.
As the sun faded in the warm early evening hours that August day, about eighty-five fans and mushers returned to their homes, dreaming not of sailboats and sunshine, but of sparkling snow and the soft sound of runners pulled by teams of happy huskies.
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Prepared by Beverly Stroh