For several years the Iditarod Trail Committee has used teams of snowmachines to break trail for the dog teams and mushers. Since the 1970s Shageluk residents have helped break trail between Shageluk and Iditarod. Adolph Hamilton, who passed away this past Christmas was the original trailbreaker along with his sons Arnold and Rudy. Adolph was the only one who remembered the trail to the old gold town of Iditarod.

Yesterday, local trailbreakers, Glen Howard and Roger Hamilton, Sr. of Shageluk broke trail from Shageluk toward Iditarod. They met up with Iditarod trailbreakers Steve Graham.... coming from Iditarod. They came into Shageluk about 11:00 p.m. ~Joy~

The REAL Article, by Jarin Howard, Grade 9

Today I interviewed the trailbreakers that came from Iditarod. Their names on Earl Esmailka, Steve Graham, Chuck Melin, JR Melin, Dustin Ashcraft. They are from Unalakleet, Kaltag, McGrath, Anchorage and Palmer. They started from Wasilla and will go all the way to Nome. They have been on the trail for one week, cheating death a lot! A couple of them were rookie trail breakers but Steve Graham broke trail for 28 years. They said conditions on the trail from Ophir to Iditarod were frozen. One guy broke his hitch. It took them 20 hours to go from Ophir to Shageluk.

For website information on the Trailbreaking go to: http://iditarodairforce.com, go to GPS Tracking and you can see where the trailbreakers are! Thank you!