Career
Baker started mushing at age 14. He raced in his first Iditarod in 1996, placing 22nd. By his third race he placed in the top 10, and he sustained that position for six of the next seven years (from the 1998 to the 2005 Iditarods), only dropping to 22nd once again in 2000 due to dog trouble.
His second best finish was in 2002, when he crossed the finish line in 3rd place in 9 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, and 30 seconds.
He has competed in every race from the 1996 to the 2013 Iditarod. In the 2009 Iditarod, he finished in 3rd place. he has 24 dogs
Baker worked as a pilot and manager of his family"s air taxi business.
He also visits local schools as a motivational lecturer. Like Ramy Brooks, Baker is one of the few Alaska Native dog sled racers who compete in the modern Iditarod.
Baker lives near his extended family on the coast of the Chukchi Sea in Kotzebue, Alaska, and has a fish camp/winter cabin 30 mi (50 km) away, across Kobuk Lake.
He also has a daughter, Tahayla.