HUMAN

Name: Jessie Doherty

Age: 37

Residence:  Eagle River, Alaska

Years involved with Iditarod: 25

Iditarod Role: Volunteer

Current Location: Denaina Center, Anchorage, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 3, 2022

Temperature: 68 F Indoors

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

I got involved with the Iditarod when my mom voluntold me as she was volunteering in the early nineties, we initially started out with the food drop and a lot of those shorter, really interesting processes. Eventually I got to do some of the phone room when we had a really cool kid-to-kid direct line. We did downtown volunteering and that evolved into then the Dena’ina Center here, where we do the banquet every year. It’s been super fun.

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

I’m here today and involved with the Iditarod, because I love the process. I love that we are able to take the dogs up to Nome through the old diphtheria run trail, and that we can just see the athletes combining their strengths together and just having that extreme adventure out in the wilderness.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was when my mom was an IditaRider rider downtown, she got to have that great experience and I was able to assist in getting the dogs down the shoot by doing the dog handling there at the actual start.

What do you know for sure?

What I know for sure in life is that every day above ground is a good day.