Japleen Khera
Jessie Holmes had an epiphany at the age of 16 to live the life of a mountain man like Jeremiah Johnson. Without much planning, he started out with his dog towards the Alaskan mountains. Assisted by basic survival skills like hunting, fishing, and carpentry, he led the life of a professional musher. He rose to fame in 2015 when BBC cast him on “Life Below Zero”, a docuseries that covers the daily struggles of those living in remote Alaskan regions, battling freezing winters and dangerous wild animals. The show was an instant hit and turned him into a public figure. Here is everything we know about the fan-favorite Jessie!
Jessie Holmes: Age and Where is He From?
Born on 20 February 1982, Jessie Holmes was raised at Odenville, Alabama. He left the States at the age of 16 after realizing his life-long dream to spend a life in the wilderness. Coming from a financially mediocre family, he worked as a carpenter for three years in Montana. After building “nice houses”, he saved sufficient to permanently move to Alaska with his dog, Freedom. In the initial phase during 2004, Jessie set up his residence in Eagle, a city near the US-Canadian border, to pursue a life of adventure amidst the bone-chilling Alaskan winters. He then shifted to Nenana where he worked as a musher to his 40 sled dogs and learned fishing and hunting as survival skills.
Jessie Holmes: Relationships
On the famous survival series by BBC, Jessie spoke about a six-year-long relationship with a special-someone that brought him to the crossroads about his future. He made significant life changes after splitting from the anonymous “gal” whom he intended to marry. In fact, the realization to take mushing seriously happened after this heartbreak. Other than that, the TV personality has chosen to stay completely mum about his love interests or past relationships. His life on the show seems to be engulfed by musher duties- tending to 40 sled dogs cannot be easy!
All his social media accounts showcase his love for dogs who are his constant companions. After joining the show in 2015, he posted an adorable picture of a box of puppies with a hashtag “best valentine gift”. It cannot be known for sure if the present was from a lady or Jessie had himself brought it home. Thus, it is difficult to comment if he has ever married or even been on a date lately.
Jessie Holmes: Life Below Zero Journey
Jessie’s life as a subsistent musher surviving along the Yukon River caught BBC’s attention. The production team approached him with an intent to chronicle the innumerable hardships faced in Alaska in its documentary TV collection “Life Below Zero”. But the simple-minded man turned down the offer as the idea of appearing on national television did not get fascinate him . Eventually, he understood that it was too good an opportunity to let go and featured in its 6th season.
Along with being a Television reality star, Jessie also exhibited a passion for running ultra dog-marathons. He has been participating in the “Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race” since 2016. He has won the 2016, Yukon 300, and 2017, Kobuk 440 for which he needed to race across a 440-mile trail above the Arctic Circle. Overcoming awful blizzard condition and temperature that dipped below 0ºC, he won the championship, beating seasoned participants. For the 2018 annual long-distance race, Jessie was required to cover 975 miles with his team of 16 sled dogs in anywhere from 8 to 15 days. He could not win the race and was placed 7th. But he was honored with the title “Rookie of the Year” award and took home $25,812 prize money.
While on the show, his day to day activities have been mirrored including him utilizing his carpentry skills to re-build a 40-years old house to make his lifestyle a bit more conformable. The Nat Geo series covered Jessie’s intense hard-work through the construction process at the end of which he modeled a “new cabin” from the scratch. He recently formed “Team Can’t Stop” to keep his fans updated about the everyday activities of the kennel and his marathons from the year 2021. The survival series continues to cover his many endeavors while Jessie keeps at his effort to live a life in a remote region of Alaska.
Read More: Andy Bassich From Life Below Zero: Everything We Know
