HUMAN

Name: Randy Esmailka

Age: 68

Residence:  Galena, Alaska

Occupation: Retired from the Alaska Fire Service.

Years involved with the Iditarod: Started out in the Iditarod probably back, well, in the middle 70s, somewheres around there, just helping out off and on.

Iditarod Roles: It started out as a part-time checker and just helping out moving dogs up, hauling stuff for the dogs, for mushers, then ended up as a checker.

Current Location: Galena, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 11, 2022

Temperature: 20F Outdoors

What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?

I got involved with the Iditarod around 1984, ’86. I remember meeting a lot of the… Well, I remember when Rick Swenson was involved, and that’s when I got involved. He was racing.

What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?

The reason why I helped out, started to help out, was because we grew up around dogs, and at the time, more of the community was involved in the Iditarod. We had some local mushers from the Yukon racing, and somehow we just wanted to help out. That’s continued on year after year. It seemed like once you do it, once or a couple of times, you want to continue helping out the next time they come through.

Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences.

I remember one time with the late Norman Vaughan, I was a checker hear in Galena, and all the mushers went by, and the only one left was Norman Vaughan. So, I looked at the time sheet. He left Ruby, and it was 28 hours. I thought, “Oh man, he’s got to be out there someplace.” So I jumped on my snow machine and went up the river, and ran into him about eight miles up the river in Beeson Slough. He was stopped. So, I turned my snow machine around there and he told me, “Stay about a hundred to 150 yards ahead of me,” because it was hard for him to see the trail markers, and the winds are blowing. So, I did that. It took us about an hour or so to come down. I went so far ahead, then he caught me up. Went so far ahead, he caught me up. He finally made it to Galena, and got him to the checkpoint, and got him all warmed up. Later on that winter, I got a letter from him. He was thanking me for helping him out, I was going looking for him. I remember, on his envelope, it said, “Old age isn’t for sissies.”

What in life do you know for sure?

What I’ve known for sure in life is, I know for sure one thing, is you have to help out your fellow man. All through my life, I’ve been helping out in one way or another, on search and rescue, and with the Iditarod. Sometimes, you get a “thank you”, but most time nobody says “thank you”, but you know that yourself, that you’re out there trying to help somebody. I think that’s important. Somewhere, somebody needs help. I know there was times when I needed help, and when somebody helped me, I was really grateful for it, and I thanked them.