HUMAN
Name: Monica Zappa
Age: 36
Residence: Kasilof, Alaska.
Occupation: I am a real estate agent, dog musher, commercial fishing woman. I also run the air quality station in the Ninilchik.
Years involved with Iditarod: This is my 6th.
Iditarod Role: A musher.
Current Location: Willow, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 8, 2020
Temperature: 22F/Outdoors
What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?
I got involved with Iditarod, I guess unknowingly in my childhood. I grew up in Wisconsin and my parents were mushers. My dad’s dream was actually to run the Iditarod. He didn’t make it. Sort of moved on to other things when I was about 12 and then unfortunately he died in a crash when I was 15, and never did I think about mushing for the next 12 years. All of a sudden, I was in Oklahoma and I just realized I’ve missed dogs in my life and I, long story short, ran away to Alaska. I was planning to be a handler for one year. Met my partner Tim Osmar and that was in 2010. And I decided I wanted to run Iditarod in 2012 when I watched my first race, and then decided, well, I didn’t know how I was going to do it but I wanted to, and just the stars aligned. I did my qualifiers in ’13 and was a rookie in ’14.
What is your Why?..Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?
I’m here today involved with Iditarod because of the dog team that I have today. I was on the fence about running this year up until we started fall training. And I realized that some of my puppies are two and a half year olds, are rock stars. And I really wanted to give them the chance to prove themselves on the trail, and it will be their grandpa, Blue Steel – he’s my main leader- It’ll be his last Iditarod. He’s eight and a half and he’s doing great, but I can just tell that it will be his last thousand-mile race. So that’s the main reason I just wanted him to be able to show his grand babies the way.
Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?
One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences, 2014 was my rookie year, and there was no snow on the trail. Pretty much the whole entire way to Nome, especially through the gorge and the burn was horrific. I didn’t know. I had never seen the trail before so I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know the difference of anything. And I was, like, “Oh, I’m doing pretty good. Doing pretty good. Feeling good about it.” And there’s kind of a famous corner where you go around this corner and there was a sign there that says, “Watch your ass.” You might have heard about this. Went around this corner and it’s a straight drop down through the gorge. There was a snow machine tipped over upside down in the trail and it was, like I said, my first experience. And I had to somehow stop the team – and there were angels watching over us for sure – and figure out how to get around this. I think it was media or something. And it was equally as hard trail for them as it was for us. But I’ll never forget just that whole trip through and then the burn and praying a lot. Literally thinking I could die at any moment and holding on for dear life.
What do you know for sure?:
What I know for sure in life is kind of become my motto this year and helped me through a lot of things and it is stay positive and make a plan.