HUMAN
Name: Harry Caldwell
Age: 72
Residence: Point McKenzie, Alaska
Occupation: Retired Healthcare & respiratory therapist
First Year Ran Iditarod: 1993
Years involved with Iditarod: 8 years
Iditarod Role: Musher
Current Location: Iditarod Headquarters Vet Check, Wasilla, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 4, 2026
Temperature: -1F
What is it about running sled dogs that you love so much?
What I love about running sled dogs, it’s the most incredible experience anybody can ever be involved in, the sound of the scratching of the plastic runners running on hard snow, listening to the beautiful breathing patterns of your dogs as you wander through some of the most beautiful country you could ever hope to see in the wintertime. The scene of wildlife as you go by, moose, wolverine, all sorts of wild animals are out there awaiting you. Packs of wolves sometimes on the Yukon. It’s just been an incredible experience and it’s the only way you can enjoy it.
Question 2: What, who or how and when & why did you first get involved running the Iditarod?
I got involved running Iditarod because back in 1980s, I moved to Alaska and I always have several dogs and I have a love for Huskies. Well, my poor old dog was getting old and going down. I worked at the old Valley Hospital in Palmer. An ER doctor named Dr. Lauren Weaver invited me to come out to his house and said he would give me a nice husky dog if I wanted. When I got out to his house, he said, “Have you ever been on a sled dog team?” I go, “What’s that?” What would I know, I’m not from Alaska at that time. So he hooked me up to a four-wheeler, 10 dogs, and off we went. Most incredible trip I ever had. I met every one of his neighbors going through the neighborhood because he had no leaders. Apparently these 10 dogs, when they took off they chewed the tugline going to the leaders. So I had nothing but young puppies and no leaders. They went everywhere. I bounced off trees, I went through strange neighborhoods. When I got back, I said, “Can I have four?” and that began my mushing career.
Tell me about just one of your most memorable experiences running the Iditarod:
Most memorable experience from the Iditarod has got to be Susie. In the ’93 race when we went up the Yukon River, it was a terrible night, 40 below, blowing snow. My dog team stopped in the middle of the trail. I had fallen asleep on my seat. When I woke up, I thought I’d lost my dog team. It was one of those kind of nights, but they were still there. As the sun came up that morning, I look up and it was probably the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life on skate skis wearing a black Lycra ski suit, skiing down the Yukon River, and I’m going, “We’ve seen many hallucinations.” This one was incredible. She’s come skating past me. Imagine this skate skier skiing past you, beautiful, flowing black hair, and she skates by, says, “Good morning, Harry,” and into the distance she goes heading for Grayling.
Two years later, I’m thinking this is just a figment of my very tired mind. Talking to old Ralph Conatser up at Eagle Island, we got talking about these kind of things and what we see, was it real or not, and he goes, “Oh, that was Susie.” She was a member of the University of Anchorage Fairbanks ski team, and she was skiing from Eagle Island to Grayling. He said to her, “Just stay on the trail. If you get in trouble, I’m flying down to get the mail at noon.” So I got to meet Susie from UAF.
What in life do you know for sure?:
What I know for sure in life is one simple thing. Every morning when I wake up, I am so grateful for the many things I have seen and done and been able to be involved with, the people that I have met and that have helped me in my life’s journey. And I look forward to waking up every morning and seeing that sun come up or the snow or a blizzard, but just getting up and saying, “It’s a beautiful day.” It doesn’t get any better.