Nomad Charlie Boy

Saw an interesting fellow on the way home from work today, Charlie Boy.
He says he has traveled 32,000 miles and is on cart #2. My wife had seen him a few days earlier much farther down the highway. He allowed me to take his picture and I thought it was pretty cool.
  Would have been great to have a bit more time to talk but we were headed in opposite directions and he needed to get to a safe camping spot.

Wow. Does he walk everywhere? I wonder why he pulls that on foot instead by bike. 

It is a cool looking cart.

The cart was extremely interesting, would have liked to have seen it opened up. He was very well spoken and  I wish we could have talked more.
His first cart was destroyed when he was struck by a car in Texas. He was on his way to Roseburg to visit friends.

Wonder if he made it. I haven't seen him, but I don't spend a lot of time in town at the moment.  I'll say hello if I do see him!

I found this page and thought I would give a Charley Boy update. After watching him all last week, make his way south out of Crescent City, CA, I ran across him on the back roads of Arcata, CA this evening. I stopped and talked to him for a while. Unfortunately he had just been run off the freeway by the highway patrol so he wasn't in the best of moods. Charley Boy has pushing his cart around the U.S. since 1992. He claims he has walked 32,000 miles across 21 states in that time. He definitely has some conspiracy theories running around his head but is a really nice guy. When we parted ways he thanked me for stopping and giving him someone to vent to.

That's a lot of walking.

Another Charlie Boy update. We came upon him 13 Nov 2011 as he trudged down the Avenue of the Giants through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. No way I could pass up a chance to chat, so we rolled alongside him as he walked and talked. Apparently, he discovered after he took up his cart that his true last name -- Chariot en Bois -- happens to mean "wood cart" in French. He said if he'd known that before he started walking, he woulda never taken up the cart, since the last thing he wants to be is a cliché. When asked why he started walking in the first place, which indeed he said he's been doing since the early 1990s, he talked of having seen a wood cart once and thinking it to be the coolest thing. Given the amount of conspiracy theory tumbling out of him about 10min into our confab, it's easy to imagine other forces may have also helped set him adrift. Nonetheless, he was an amiable fellow, and he let us snap a few pics as well. As we didn't have any cash to compensate for his image, we ponied up some chocolate chip cookies, a rootbeer and a box of crackers . . . all of which disappeared easily inside his beautiful wooden cart.

Interesting to see how he travels

I watched a video today that reminded me of this thread.

Another guy walking - this time across China - and you see a similar cart at the end of the video.

...and there was Peace Pilgrim with no cart...so admirable and kind of romantic sounding...another thing in reality I guess. I do like knowing that lifestyle is possible though.

Theox1978
 Found this while digging for info on an old gentleman i had the pleasure of meeting last weekend. Charlie boy is still walking, still pulling his wooden cart. He pitched camp next door behind an old machinery shop after asking me if it was ok. That was just the start of a couple of long conversations with the old fella. Lots of stories. Too much to list. Just wanted to share some facts. Met Marc on Dec 8th here in Goldthwaite TX. He was traveling west on Highway 84 and stopped here at the edge of town to camp for the night. Early the next morning, i made a couple of small repairs to his cart then he was off headed toward Brownwood TX. He said he was approaching 55,100 miles on his cart and had been stopped by the police 331 times so far. His back still bugs him when he gets still for too long so he just walks n walks. If anyone sees this that gets the chance to talk to him, do so. You wont regret it.

Doesn't seem that long ago that he pased through here.

Nomad Charlie boy passed through Huron South Dakota April 17

Says he is at 57,000 miles
346 police stops

UPDATE ON "Charlie Boy"  Jan 28 19 3pm CST
Charlie Boy was seen at the North Fork of The Red River on Hwy. 62. I was East bound & he was West bound about to cross the long bridge that crosses the river. I seen that there were several Semi-Trucks in the distance West bound to cross the bridge as well, so I turned around to get between him and the trucks then followed him slowly across the bridge. He stopped just off the West side of the bridge so I got out to talk. He seemed to be a very jolly and likable man. We shook hands and he shared some of his travels and told me that someone had ask "where was the prettiest place he had seen" to which he replied "where we are right now". He has a great taste for the beauty of different places. I guess the more you see of America, you began to realize that there is beauty in all places if only you see it in the right thought. He mentioned something that I do not remember exactly. It was something like this, I ask where he was headed and he said he was headed to his last day as a satisfied man. He has had time in thought to put together some interesting quotes. I do not know his age but I am nearing 70 and I could see many years of experience on his face. It was cool with a North wind about 20mph so I ask if he would like a place to rest up a while to which he said no that he was going to turn North at Altus, Ok. I could since that he wanted to go so I ask one more question, ("do you know Jesus" I was shocked at his reply "Go To Hell") and with that he hurried West again. Even though our conversation was short, I would have liked to be able to be a better friend to Charlie than I got to be. The only reason that I included the part in parenthesis is to allow those who follow Charlie's travels or remember him in prayer to understand how to ask God to bring him PEACE. Charlie will be in my prayers and I hope you will include him in yours as well.

I encounter many travelers similar to Charlie. There is one named Steven that I wish I could have kept here with me but he said "I was too knit-picky" and went back on the road. If you read this Steven, (I miss you Brother) or anyone meets him (tall ,dark headed, Caucasian, about fifty, jack of all trades and knows God, Good Man) Please tell Him I said Hi and God Bless. For those wondering about the writer, I am happily married to the wife of my youth for over 51 years with four living children, eleven Grandchildren, five Great Grandchildren that I am very proud of and I will join Jesus on my last day as a satisfied man. God Bless All

My contact has been removed as suggested by a concerned member. I did contact Marc the day after this post.  It was 19 degrees here this morning. Charlie Boy is doing fine.

I see Charlie mentioned in this thread, but who is Marc?

UPDATE ON Jan 29 2019 on "MARC CHARIOT en BOLS" ALIS "Charlie Boy". Read the above posts to glean all available details of "Charlie Boy" and my encounter with him, Thanks
Recounting all night long where Marc might spend the night, I headed out about 7:00am this morning with renewed desire to visit more with Marc again. I had dreamed up a way I might approach him without drawing out hostility if he would overlook the day before, if I could find him at all. I had been praying that God would lead me to him. As I drove West toward where he might stay the night, I began to polish what I might say to make up for the bad encounter the day before. I settled on a simple apology then talk about 5 riddles and offer money if needed to here me out. My first would be about "Desert Pet" I am sure most have heard this one about a Desert Nomad that kept a jug of water by a well in the desert full of water with a note that ask everyone to have faith and put the water in the well to prime the pump and resist the desire to drink the water. Then fill the jug for the next weary traveler. Having worked with pumps, I  have gained  knowledge of water wells like this that have a dry leather at the bottom of the pump but above the water level several feet to keep the sand in a well from eating on the leather all the time. If you do not have any water, you can put a small amount of sand into the pump and pump it to soften up the dry leather much like the water does. The scenario here is to get Living Water just look around there is sand everywhere, much as God is around us all the time. My hopes of this being a Great day just picked up as I spotted Marc pushing his cart up the road and passed by and went a little ways ahead to pull over and give him room to be able to stop safely. I waited to exit the car until it looked safe and got out. I started to make my apology but was cut short with language that would make a sailor blush. As he passed I said I can't give up on wanting to talk a spell so I tried the same again without success. With this being my third try, I decided I had put him to enough grief and let him rush into a Supermarket and disappear. I took a last picture of his Beautiful Wooden Cart and returned home. I can only pray that he will think of the kindness in my eyes on the second day, realize it was a desire to help him unload the burden he carries and that i may have planted a seed that someone will water in days to come. I will pray for Marc until I get peace or read on some blog that he has reached his "last day as a satisfied man"

I hope you all will take interest in this and other weary travelers. Please read all there is on this forum about Charlie Boy's journeys and encounters. I will post as I find others encounters from other traveler Blogs. At least someone will give us all a little hope just to see updates about the Desert Pet of the highway or "Charlie Boy"
If you read this Charlie Boy, Please forgive an Old x Traveler.

Interesting update.. In light of recent developments, I have taken a few moments to ask Odin All-Father to bestow his wisdom on Marc. I hope he may always be appropriately armed whenever he is plagued by brigands, cops, and proselytizers.

PS: Ron, Permies is a very safe and gentle place by the standards of the internet, but I would really encourage you to remove your phone number from your post, not best practice...

I am curious, have there been any recent sightings?

I'm interested in the whereabouts of Marc Charlebois. (Charlie Boy)  He and his family lived a couple of houses from me and my family in Minot, ND in the 60's and early 70's.  Marc was a year older than me and his younger brother and one of my best friends in my youth Marty (lost to Covid last year)  was my age.  I've been following Marc's exploits for a few years but I have no way to reach him.  If you hear from him please pass along my best wishes to him.  My name is Ken (Kenny) Williams.  It's been many years but he should remember that we were the black family down the street.  (not too many black families in Minot, ND at that time)  My contact information is:  luckyman858@sbcglobal.net

Marc Charlebois is the real deal' and got to know him while living in a tipi in Tolley

Hi Ken and J,

Welcome to Permies.

This is Charlebois….my body turned on me in Kansas….I went from 20 miles a walk & 4500 to 5000 miles in the last several years to not able to walk….people came to my rescue….I’m in an apartment & have medical….I’m walking with a cane but might not fully recover….I’m painting 8x10 oils portraits, still life’s & anything I think looks right in an attempt to maintain

Marc Charlebois, welcome to Permies! You are apparently very well loved!
I hope you are on the mend and are back walking again soon. I bet everyone would love to see your portraits.

Hi Marc,

Welcome to Permies.

It's good to see you again.

Welcome to  Permies Charlebois. That is beautiful work. Feel free to put up a link if you have a place where folk can buy your paintings.

This Charlebois….somebody is using the first photo in this stream to advertise his back to simple life building projects….can someone get him to stop?

I think I found it here on pinterest. I don’t use pinterest, so I do not know thier rules. But maybe somebody else will chime in with what could done.

Maybe there is a way to message that person on pinterest? Anyone?

Marc it is wonderful to find this way of reaching out to you. This is Diane and Mo from Nebraska. We have moved to Durango Co   We still have the painting you gave us and a couple pictures we took before you walked away 😁 May God bless you.