HUMAN

Name: Melissa Shelby

Age: 51

Residence: McCall Idaho

Occupation:  Photographer

Years involved with Iditarod: Rookie

Iditarod role: Trail photographer – new Jeff, part one of three. 

Current Location: Ruby, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 13, 2020
Temperature: 10F/Outdoors

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

I got involved with the Iditarod because I had been photographing the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge for the past three years. It was started by an Iditarod air force pilot, Jerry Wortley, who got to know my husband after working several years doing Iditarod air force. I would watch my husband leave and come to Alaska, and come home and tell me every year how much I had to become a volunteer. And so I finally got my opportunity this year, and that’s how I got started.

What is your Why?..Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?

I am here today and involved with Iditarod because I photographed sled dogs in Idaho for our local race, and I really got to know some of the mushers coming back a couple of times year after a year. You fall in love with the dogs. The whole community comes out. Jessie Royer won our first race, and in the process, one of her dogs got loose in the community. She still had to go out and do the race, and the whole community came together and helped find her dog. There were sightings every day. He had his own hashtag. It was Sled Jed, where’s Sled Jed? Find Sled Jed, hashtag Sled Jed. And just that sense of community, just the amazing dogs, and all of the volunteers. It was really amazing. And so I love the fact that the Iditarod is kind of like our race, but on an exponential scale; so much bigger, and more amazing than I could even imagine.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was walking into the schoolhouse in Takotna where I’ve never been before in my life, setting up my sleeping quarters, getting out my computer and looking up on the bulletin board, and above the board is a picture of Lonesome, one of Brett Bruggeman’s dogs, and underneath it, it says Skinny Leg Sled Dogs, and it had Brett’s name. And I knew immediately who it was because all of the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge fans and volunteers, we all follow Skinny Leg Sled Dog. Brett was our second champion. He won the year after Jessie won our inaugural race. And so I just felt totally at home, and I felt surrounded by people I knew. And it was just a great, wonderful experience.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is that the sky is blue on occasion. That’s it.