Susan Butcher: A Lifetime of Inspiration

Susan Butcher: A Lifetime of Inspiration. December 26, 1954 - August 5, 2006. , "I came to Alaska in 1975, hoping to find, my dream. I also found my challenge, the Iditarod." , -Susan Butcher, "I do not know the word 'quit." Either I never did, or I have abolished it." , -Susan Butcher, To the world, Susan Butcher is best known for her participation in "The Last Great Race", the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. But Susan was more than a champion of long-distance races. She came to Alaska to live the simple life, the life of a pioneer woman. She epitomized a lifestyle many dream about but few dare to live., [Timeline] , 1954 Susan Butcher is born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts., 1975 Susan moves to Alaska., 1976 Susan moves to the wilderness in the Wrangell Mountains, 100 miles south of the gold rush community of Chinsana., 1977 Susan begins training for her first Iditarod., 1978 Susan moves to her homestead in Eureka and runs her first Iditarod sled dog race. She also establishes Trail Breaker Kennels. , Iditarod Competitor - 19th [place], 1979 Susan joins fellow musher Joe Redington, Sr. in making the first ascent by dog team of Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak. , Iditarod Competitor - 9th [place], 1980 Susan meets David Monson while he is training for the 1981 Iditarod. , Iditarod Competitor - 5th [place], 1981 - 1984 , She continues to participate in the Iditarod Long Distance Race from 1979-1985, 1981 Iditarod Competitor - 5th [place], 1982 Iditarod Competitor - 2nd [place], 1983 Susan and David Monson climb Mt. McKinley with Seven Summits Expedition. , 1983 Iditarod Competitor - 9th [place], 1984 Iditarod Competitor - 2nd [place], 1985 Susan marries David Monson, a lawyer from South Dakota who traveled north in 1977 to find his own dream in Alaska. , 1985 Iditarod Competitor - scratch, 1986 . 1987 . 1988 Iditarod Champion 1st [place] , Winner of the Iditarod sled dog race for three consecutive years., 1988 David Monson wins the Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile sled dog race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon Territory., 1989 Iditarod Competitor - 2nd [place], 1990 Wins Iditarod Sled dog race for the fourth time. , 1990 Iditarod Champion- 1st [place], 1991 Susan and David Monson build a cabin in Fairbanks., 1992 Iditarod Competitor - 2nd [place], 1993 Iditarod Competitor - 4th [place], 1994 Iditarod Competitor - 10th [place], 1995 Baby Tekla joins the family., 2000 Baby Chisana joins the family., 2005 Susan is diagnosed with leukemia in December., 2006 Susan loses her battle with leukemia on August 5., 2007 11-year old daughter Tekla and her father David Monson run 700 miles of the Iditarod in Susan's honor., [Photo captions, left to right, read] , . [Susan close up] Nome, 1991, . Susan, right., . Mushing can be a solitary sport. Shelby Lake, Brooks Range, 1991., . The 1987 finish of the Iditarod and Susan's second win., . Susan crosses her first Iditarod finish line in 1978., . Susan Butcher at the summit of Mt. McKinley with her dogs., . Leaving White Mountain on her way to Safety., . Care of the dogs is of paramount importance., . Susan's 1979 ascent of Mt. McKinley with musher Joe Redington Sr., guide Ray Genet, and photographer Rob Stapleton., . Coming into Unalakleet., . The cabin in Eureka., . Susan Butcher marries David Monson in 1985., . The 1986 Iditarod finish line and Susan's first win., . Susan and her beloved lead dog Granite at the 1986 Iditarod finish line., . Cooking on the trail. The dogs always come first., . Anchorage is the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. In 1988 as Susan leaves the starting line, she is headed for her third Iditarod victory., . Susan relaxes with future champion sled dogs., . Susan at the finish line for her last Iditarod win in 1990. She shares the spotlight with her lead dogs Elan (left) and Tempe., . In 1992 Susan and her Trail Breaker Kennels became part of the Riverboat Discovery tour. She delighted thousands of visitors with stories of her adventures on the Iditarod trail., . Susan became a much sought-after inspirational speaker. She received numerous awards. After her leukemia was diagnosed, she became a champion for bone marrow donors for Native peoples. Above she is photographed with President Bill Clinton., . Susan and Granite visit the White House and President George Bush, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and his wife Catherine., . The family in 2001 at Trail Breaker Kennels in Fairbanks., . Susan Butcher, during her treatment for leukemia, participated as a volunteer. Here she checks in her longtime friend, Dee Dee Jonrowe, a cancer survivor, at the Ruby checkpoint during the 2006 Iditarod., . The late Susan Butcher was the honorary musher of the 2007 race. Susan's daughter Tekla Monson, wearing Susan's snowsuit, stands under the Nome arch with her father, David Monson., . 11-year-old Tekla Monson, daughter of Susan Butcher, traveled 700 miles of the 2007 Iditarod trail with her father David Monson. They scattered some of Susan's ashes along her favorite part of the trail.