Joe Redington, Sr.
All photos by Don Bowers.
I was fortunate enough to have snapped a few photos of Joe, Sr., over the years. Nothing professional, but maybe they can add some more to Joe's enduring legacy
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Joe, Sr., checking in at McGrath in the 1988 race in second place. I was flying for the Iditarod Air Force at the time. Joe was in first place leaving Nikolai and everyone in McGrath stayed up all night waiting for him, but he fooled us all by taking a several-hour break on the Kuskokwim River outside of town. Herbie Nayokpuk, another legendary Iditarod musher and a gentleman in his own right, passed him while he was resting on the river and arrived first in McGrath.
Joe, Sr., leaving McGrath in first place in 1988 (ahead of Herbie Nayokpuk) with an ABC Wide World of Sports cameraman in the sled filming him. The cameraman got off the sled a couple of minutes later. At this point Joe had just passed in front of my airplane, which contained his food bags for Cripple, 100 miles down the trail. Because of bad weather, the food bags went all the way to Galena and then back to Cripple, arriving only a few hours ahead of Joe. He never knew he'd passed his food bags in McGrath. He was first into Cripple, and first out, but he was forced to return because of a very soft trail and had to wait for cooler temperatures to firm up the trail that evening. He eventually finished 5th, at 71 years young.
Joe, Sr., (right) talks with Iditarod Air Force pilot Yogi Bear (left) at the Awards Banquet at Nome in 1992. Joe waited in line just like everyone else, and enjoyed visiting with anyone who wanted to talk to him.
Joe, Sr., leaving Iditarod in the 1997 race for the 65-mile run to Shageluk in a gathering snowstorm. I had the pleasure of running the 25th Anniversary Iditarod with Joe, who had turned 80 not long before. I ran toward the back of the pack with Joe and Dan Seavey and other Iditarod legends. It was easily the most enjoyable race I've ever run.
Joe, Sr., checks into Elim in the 1997 race--and right back out after only a brief stop. He pushed on to White Mountain and finished 36th at the age of 80.
At Kaltag in the 1997 race my team was parked right next to Joe's. He was kind enough to give me a smile and an unforgettable photo. There were some fine stories told in the checkpoint that evening as we all rested for the midnight run over the Kaltag Portage to Unalakleet under the brilliant northern lights and the breathtaking Hale-Bopp comet. This is how I remember Joe--a true gentleman of the trail with time for everyone, racing for Nome on a fast trail, chasing the comet under the dancing aurora….