Wearing bib #7 Laura Neese reaches the Corner of 4th and Cordova

A home school graduate, Laura Neese has been focused on running sled dogs since the age of nine. She fulfilled the literature component of her home school course by reading northern adventure books. Among other great stories of peril and excitement Laura has read Shackelton’s Endurance, Libby Riddle’s Race Across Alaska and Pam Flower’s Alone Across the Arctic. Undoubtedly Cruelest Miles written by the Salisbury cousins is in her library as well as Jack London’s Call of the Wild, South Pole by Roald Amundson and Come North with Me by Bernt Balchen.

Laura Neese at Vet Check

Laura is 20 years of age and has a passion for sled dogs as well as mushing long distance. As a youngster, she asked her parents for an Alaskan husky. Not much later two Siberians joined that husky. The trio grew into a larger team when a neighboring musher sold his team. From there Laura began breeding her own dogs. She has earned her Associate Degree in Veterinary Technology from Penn Foster College.

Neese has been working for Ed and Tasha Stielstra at Nature’s Kennel where she’s had the opportunity to learn from professional dog driver and Iditarod finisher, Ed Stielstra. He’s made the trip to Nome with a dog team multiple times. In working and training with she finds herself at the starting line on 4th and “D” in Anchorage. Neese completed the Yukon Quest and became known as the Quest’s Rookie sensation in 2016

Why, has Laura set her sights on racing 1,000 miles over the most beautiful, the most rugged and at times the most unforgiving, forsaken and treacherous land on earth? Her response had nothing to do with the glamorous romantic notions some might entertain. She wants to raise dogs and train herself as well as her huskies to be successful in the challenging environment Iditarod or Yukon Quest delivers. Neese feels the call to race in the country that raised Libby Riddles, Susan Butcher, DeeDee Jonrowe, Jessie Royer, Aliy Zirkle and others to heroine and role model status for girls and women around the world. Laura desires to fashion the deep and incredible connection between musher and canine that the preparation for and participation in an event like Iditarod or Quest creates.

It’s no secret that Neese has her eye set on Rookie of the Year Honors.  She’s got the team to do it as well as the attitude.  Neese’s smile is  contagious.  She received the Sportsmanship Award for the 2016 Yukon Quest.  She said there were four teams ahead of her on the ascent of Eagle Summit and they were moving very slowly. Laura said her dogs would have none of that. They caught one team after the other, weaved around them and led the pack to the top. At the finish line, Laura’s comment clearly indicated that she embraced the challenge, “It was fun.”  Yes, attitude is everything!