Part I: The Inside Story on Dave Olson, 2012 Honorary Musher
Dave Olson of Knik, Alaska was named this year’s 2012 Honorary Iditarod Musher, a recognition that his large following of friends and Iditarod fans felt was long overdue. Dave Olson, not only a veteran musher and four time Iditarod finisher, is one of Iditarod’s trail pioneers. Behind the scenes and out of the public spotlight in the early years of the Iditarod, Dave was one of the early mushers of the Iditarod that actually jumped on a dog team or snow machine, cleared trail, scouted routes, and groomed the Iditarod race trail. As a competitor, he ran the Iditarod in 1973, ’74, ’80, ’83, and ’84. He also shouldered one of the biggest responsibilities of the race as Iditarod Marshall in 1986.
On being named Honorary Musher
Asked about events unfolding on December 2, 2011, Dave told me, “I was actually in my truck, pulling a horse trailer filled with building materials to my cabin in New Mexico when I got a call from the Iditarod Board.
Andy Baker, the board president, told me that I had been selected. I was completely surprised and told him that I really didn’t care to be honored.
Andy said, “Wait a minute, let me put you on speaker phone so the sixty people in the room can hear you say that.”
I could hear people laughing, clapping, and hollering, so I knew there was no backing out of it. I told Andy and the board that I was honored and would do whatever I could to help out the Iditarod.”
Dave will be listed as Musher #1 and is scheduled to follow the race to Nome and meet the 2012 Champ at the finish.
Minnesota to Alaska
Dave Olson was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1947. By high school he was already interested in sled dogs and assembled a team. A stint in the US Army, 1966 to 1968, interrupted his mushing career, but a friend kept his team ready for his return to Minnesota. In December,1968, he raced EAST Meets WEST, an inaugaural sprint race that attracted racers from both ends of the US. Shortly after, he loaded his twelve huskies and sleds, and drove to Alaska.
“I landed in Knik, Alaska and quickly got to know Joee Redington, Jr., one of the top sprint mushers. It didn’t take me long to also meet his father Joe Redington, Sr., who had this great idea to bust out a trail to the old Iditarod gold strike. The rest is history, and I have been involved with the Iditarod ever since.” Joe Redington, Sr., of course, is known by Iditarod fans as the persistent visionary that made the race a reality.
Dave has lived in Knik since 1969. His well-known business, Iditarod Masonry, was established in 1976. Dave and his wife Donna still have sled dogs, but the team is nearing retirement age. “My new sled dogs are my mules. Once you have animals, it’s hard to get it out of your mind. My mules take me into the woods.”
Dave and Mule Mikey on the cabin porch
Dave Olson and Mules at his cabin in New Mexico
A final note from friends about Dave Olson
Here I can speak from authority as I have known Dave Olson for thirty years, and along with a huge network of others, count him as one of my best friends. I met Dave in June, 1982 at the mouth of the Yukon River during the King salmon drift net season. Dave, Joee Redington, Jr, and I established a camp on an island and waited for radio announcements of the fishing openers.
Between times, we spent endless hours around a campfire discussing the Iditarod, counting on Dave’s detailed understanding of the trail and strategy. Dave’s sense of humor, love of the outdoors, and an unstoppable work ethic define his character. In addition, Dave has this interesting personal trait of being able to fix anything, build and weld a boat, lay out buildings, pour concrete, work stone, build with wood, and about anything else humans can do with tools. He just can’t handle seeing a friend screw up a building project. It goes something like this, “Do you think we should take a tape and double check your measurements?”
All these skills he shares generously with his many friends.
Next: Part II, Dave recounts the early days busting out the Iditarod Trail
