Buckwheat Donahue

Carlin "Buckwheat" Donahue (born 1952) a legendary Alaskan folklorist, storyteller, entertainer, historian, adventurer, and four-time gold-panning champion, is one of the most recognizable faces in Alaska, and has been involved in many different aspects of life in Alaska's Inside Passage.

Beginning on October 1, 2005, Donahue walked 5,450 miles from Miami, Florida to Skagway, Alaska as a fundraiser for The Heartbeat Trail, an effort to provide necessary equipment for the Dahl Memorial Clinic, the only hospital within 110 miles of his native Skagway. The adventure took 327 days.

Called "one of the nicest and funniest guys on the planet" and "the closest most visitors come to a twinkly-eyed bear", Donahue was described by fellow Alaskan Mike Sica as "a cross between Pavarotti and Rodney Dangerfield."

Officially, Donahue is the Executive Director of the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau. A captivating storyteller, he often entertains crowds of Skagway's many tourists with his tales of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. "He is a teller of tales that keep the spirit of Alaska alive," wrote Floridian Larry Ferguson in 2004. "He is a devotee of Robert Service whose poems paint the picture of Alaska during the Gold Rush. And he is, when you see him, the very visage of an ."

In the mid-80's he founded the Buckwheat Ski Classic, an event which has grown into a popular local ski festival that includes 50K, 25K, 10K ski races, a 5K snowshoe race, and "one big party that lasts for two days".

Buckwheat Donahue is recognizable to television viewers in the Lower 48 as a frequent guest on many shows and travel documentaries on Alaska. In 2004, he was a featured guest on the History Channel's award-winning documentary "Big America: Alaska".

References

* [http://www.buckwheat.info/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=1&MMN_position=3:3 The Heartbeat Trail]

* [http://www.skagway.com/index.html Skagway, Alaska official website]

* [http://www.usaweekend.com/05_issues/051211/051211doing_good.html USA WEEKEND Magazine "Doing Good: One man walks across USA to help others]

* [http://www.familytravelnetwork.com/articles/kdz_goldpanning.asp Family Travel Network--"Goldpanning in Skagway"]

* [http://americanwaymag.com/aw/travel/feature.asp?archive_date=1/15/2006 AMERICAN WAY MAGAZINE: "In for the long haul"]