Meier's Lake

/

Ryne’s handler (Derek) sent out a text message about 1:30PM AKST today saying he had reached Meier’s Lake and briefly had cell service until it was overloaded. The news: Ryne’s pups looked good coming into Sourdough and had a good attitude leaving. Sourdough is typically the coldest checkpoint on the race and has no services. Probably everyone is looking forward to Meier’s Lake in the hills with the warmer temperatures. Of the first four racers, Nicholas Petit and Ryne are the only two who have taken their mandatory 6 hour rest plus differential. Tonight should be interesting as Brent Sass and Aliy Zirkle take their six. The run out of Meier’s is usually the most difficult with a 4,085 foot climb between Meier’s and Chistochina. Looks to be a close race! Since Point Lodge, Ryne has run with 11 dogs since Oryx was benched due to a slightly sore muscle.

From Kalyn’s handler (Saeward) a text early this morning: headed down to Sourdough where a race volunteer said it was -60 there last night! Hoping it will be a bit warmer today, but not planning on lounging there long! The dogs were looking really good and screaming to leave the last checkpoint. Katy was benched at Point Lodge from Kalyn’s team — sore pad issue, but with 5 prior Copper Basin runs, Katy might have remembered how cold Sourdough can be!

Saeward shared that they were hanging out on the ice at Lake Louise, and it kept popping as it contracts in the cold. Made everyone jump, dogs and humans alike, although there was no risk whatsoever of unstable ice. It was a beautiful bright moon and gorgeous for running dogs.

100+ MILES DOWN THE TRAIL!

/

Quick recap of yesterday: what a start in -44 degree temps. Yes, you read that right negative 44 degrees! And not everyone was as prepared as Ryno Kennel: #2 racer didn’t make the chutes but Kalyn had her pups ready and out on the course in a burst of joy. Similar start for Ryne with the racer prior to her not ready, and Ryne’s pups pulling hard at the hook to get down the trail. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the pictures at the start like we hoped with such quick starts.

After catching up at Point Lodge (warmed up to -38!), Ryne said the two year olds were looking great. Having started toward the back of the pack with bib #23, Ryne found Elmer was more in the mood of visiting than passing teams, so Cook moved up to lead with Goblin and that pair started cruising down the trail.

Rules for the race: All teams must take at least 18 hours of checkpoint rest during the race. Most of the top teams will take only 18 hours and this can be spread over the checkpoints in any combination, but with one mandatory six-hour stop (plus differential) at any checkpoint. With that, we know Ryne took a six hour break at Point Lodge, plus her differential and declared this her mandatory six-hour stop. She was back on the trail around 1:00 AM.

For the next section of the trail, the Copper Basin website says:

“From the Lake Louise checkpoint on the southern edge of the lake, the race trail crosses over Lake Louise itself for a distance of just over 3 miles to the lake’s eastern edge. The trail through this next section skirts or crosses over numerous lakes including Crosswind Lake (32 miles before Sourdough) and Fish Lake (19 miles before Sourdough) in a northeasterly direction before reaching the second checkpoint at Sourdough Campground on the banks of the Gulkana River. Total distance between the first and second checkpoint is ~ 55 miles.”

Remember:  ‘First into a checkpoint’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘first in the race’ because that team might have not have taken as much rest yet as those that arrive later. The answer to the question “who is winning?” is not so straightforward. The thing to look at overall is the total run time of the teams – the cumulative time since the start.

Kaylan charging down the trail!

Volunteer update! -50 At the Sourdough Checkpoint There is a volunteer team warming up the tents for mushers, handlers, and volunteers! They will be working through the night keeping the stoves going and welcoming volunteers and mushers

Race Day!

/

Yesterday: 250+ car travel miles, Musher Registration and Vet Checks, Food Drops, handler and musher pre race meeting with course officials, “Meet the Musher”, Banquet and bib draw, REST time!

TODAY: Ready to rumble! Ryne will start with bib #23 and Kalyn bib #3 — RACE START: 10:00 AM AKST

Where to follow the race: http://trackleaders.com/copper20 (copy and paste!)

Setting the trail

Incredible Volunteers

SPOT Trackers

Carb table! YUM

Race Teams!

/

Drum roll……..and Ryne’s 2020 Copper Basin Team is……

Kalyn’s Team will be introduced in two groups. The first six are…..

And the second six are…..

For those of you with slow internet or who want the cliff notes:

Ryne’s CB Team:

Elmer- 3 year old, leader. This will be Elmer’s first big race! He’s run the Two Rivers 100 before, but never anything longer. I’m very excited to see how he performs, and Elmer will most likely be running in lead a fair amount.

Goblin- 6 year old, leader. Goblin will probably start in lead to help Elmer (or a younger dog) navigate the beginning of the course. I’m then hoping to drop him back into the middle of the team and just have him as a reserve leader. Goblin has been a main guy for many years, so it’s hard for me to imagine doing a race without him!

Cooke- 3 year old, leader. Cooke is looking strong and sassy! Keep an eye out for him in the front of the team. He’s not the fastest dog, but he has an enthusiastic attitude and loves to move on down the trail.

Oryx- 3 year old, team. Oryx Beast ran the Yukon Quest with Andy Pace (Hey Moose! Kennel) last year, so she has lots of run/rest/repeat experience. However, this will be the first time we’re on a team together, so I’m looking forward to having her obnoxiously energetic attitude on the race.

Wingman- 4 year old, team. Wingman is the best eater in the kennel, which is an invaluable trait in a sled dog. He has a smooth trot, fiery personality, and LOVES coming into checkpoints. He makes our team look good every time we arrive in a checkpoint by barking and harness-banging.

Ewok- 4 year old, leader. Ewok ran the CB last year with me and is a powerhouse in the hills. She gets intimidated when passing (or being passed by) other teams, so she probably won’t lead until later in the race, but when she is up front, you can expect our speed to increase!

Flash- 3 year old, team. This is Flash’s first big race! Prior to this, she had only raced the Two Rivers 100. She has a super fun attitude and is oftentimes the first one to start harness banging and jumping around. I wouldn’t call her the hardest puller in the team, but I’m hoping her cheerleader attitude will make up for anything her work ethic might lack. Plus, she likes to go fast, seeing as she’s part sprint dog!

Wombat- 4 year old, team. Wombat is one HARD WORKING little dog. She gets pumped up to run, and then just puts her head down and works, works, works. If anything, that’s her fault. She overworks herself and can get a sore muscle. She has mellowed out a bit as she gets older, so I’m hoping that will help her take it easy!

Thresher- 2 year old, leader. This will be Thresher’s first big race! He’s probably the strongest 2 year old right now. He often leads in training, but we might just have him coast in team for his first big race. We’ll see. He’s tiny but powerful.

Yoshi- 2 year old, team. Yoshi is a ballerina sled dog. I think she’s the most graceful athlete in the kennel. She moves beautifully, keeps a tight tug, eats, and gets fired up anytime an animal is around. This will be her first big race, so she’ll most likely run in wheel or farther back in the team.

Jana- 8 year old, leader. Jana is the old girl of the team, but she doesn’t know it! I think this is her 8th Copper Basin! Wow! She finished in lead during our championship run in 2017. She’ll most likely run in team and be on standby as a leader. She doesn’t like passing or being passed by other dog teams (it’s kind of scary), but her nickname is the Closer because she comes through to lead the team to the finishline.

Uno- 4 year old, team. Uno never, ever, ever gets tired. At 1 AM last night, it was -50F and who’s out running in circles and playing- Uno. She’s an energizer bunny. She’s not super fast, but she gets the job done and never seems fatigued.

Kalyn’s Team

Katy- 7 year old, leader. This is Katy’s 6th Copper Basin. She’s a rockstar but doesn’t necessarily want to do the shorter rest of the race team. She’ll be one of Kalyn’s main leaders.

Smoky- 3 year old, leader. This will be Smoky’s first big race. He’s been amazing in training, so I’m hoping he’ll be on the Yukon Quest team. He’s enormous and can run fast but is more comfortable at a moderate speed, hence while he’ll be racing with Kalyn.

Dolly- 6 years old, leader. Dolly has many, many races under her belt, so she’ll be one of Kalyn’s main leaders. She weighs maybe 40 pounds, so Dolly and Katy make a hilarious little duo leading all the monster dogs.

Otis- 3 year old, team. This will be Otis’s first race. Like his brothers, Otis has been very strong in training. He’s not particularly fast, so he’s running with Kalyn, but if he does well in the Copper Basin, he has a very good chance of making the Quest team. His biggest hurdle will be maintaining his weight. Otis is a high burner.

Mario- 2 year old, team. Pretty blue-eyed Mario is about to embark on his first big race! Kalyn was very impressed with Mario on the last couple runs, so we’re hoping he’ll really excel on the CB. As a yearling, Mario would become anxious about almost anything, but now he’s much more confident and driven. He has a smooth trot, tough feet, and holds weight. A perfect little sled dog.

Bull- 2 year old, team. This will be Bull’s (aka pogo stick) first big race! He has a goofy gait but has looked strong in training and has a fantastic, enthusiastic attitude. He has a “sweet spot” as far as speed is concerned, and when the team is going slower or faster than his desired speed, he sometimes gets a little slack. With age, he’s been figuring out how to change his gait to keep pulling at various speeds. We’re excited to see how he does in the race!

King Louie- 3 year old, leader. Louie will be one of Kalyn’s main leaders. He’s been FANTASTIC in training. If he has a strong race, Louie will be on the Quest team.

Badger- 3 year old, team. Badger is fired up and ready. He’s not particularly fast, but his coat is the thickest in the kennel, so I think he’s looking forward to the frigid temperatures that are in the forecast. Like Louie, if Badger has a good race, he’ll be on the Quest team.

Faff- 2 year old, team/leader. Faff allllmmooost made the A Team, but she was the tiniest bit stiff after a long run, so she’ll be traveling at a slower speed on Kalyn’s team. She’s quite the cheerleader and works so hard, so I’ll miss having her on my team!

Amelia- 4 year old, team. Amelia is the hardest worker in the kennel to a fault. Like Wombat, she overdoes it sometimes. She’s a spitfire, eats everything, and gets the team pumped up. If she has a good race with Kalyn, she’s in contention for the Quest.

Yuker- 4 year old, team. This big dude pulls more than his fair share. He prefers a moderate pace (hence Kalyn’s team), but with his work ethic, I’ll definitely miss having Yuker on my team! He’s a powerhouse.

Lefty- 6 year old, leader. This is the first time in a long time that Lefty hasn’t been on my team, and I’ll be honest, it breaks my heart a little bit. BUT I know that he’ll prefer Kalyn’s pace to the pace of my team. Lefty is still an A Team athlete, but he shines in intelligence and leadership not speed.


Adults on the bench:

Rucu- Rucu is strong and has done every training mile. Since he has so much experience, we’re letting a younger dog have a go at Copper Basin. Rucu is still in contention for Quest!

Loretta- Loretta is in the same boat as Rucu. She’s run MANY miles and doesn’t need to prove herself on the CB to make the Quest team.

Vanessa- Vanessa did the majority of the training miles, but a couple different times, she’d have a sore right shoulder. She’d bounce back quickly, but we’re erring on the side of caution. She’s sticking to shorter runs right now to make sure it’s nothing major.

Boone- Boone is amazing. She started training later in the fall to make sure her Achilles was healed (it was slightly swollen after the last Yukon Quest), and it is! She’s doing tours and training puppies and having a grand time. Since she started later in the fall, she never quite built up to race team miles, which is just fine. We’d rather have her sassy and 100% for next season.

Bowser- Bowser is 100% physically, but he has a bit of an anxiety problem. Last year and earlier this season, Bowser would get so excited during training runs that he’d over-dip (meaning he’d habitually bite snow as we were running) to point that he’d vomit. He loves to run and pulls super hard, but his anxious dipping was a real problem. Recently he’s been training with the yearlings in a more mellow environment to try and ease his anxiety and excitement. It’s been working! He rarely overdips any more, so we’re hoping he’ll outgrow the habit.

Supai- Supai has mostly been living the couch life this year. He had a stiff wrist earlier in the season that stubbornly persisted. After acupuncture, laser therapy, and rest, it’s looking better but he’s riding the couch until we make sure it’s 100%.

Crunch- Crunch is in the same boat as Supai. Both of them (along with Kindi, Fire, and Ham) spend every night with Tom in the cabin getting lots of TLC.

Fish, Ham, Fire, Bert, Ernie, Scarpa, and Petzl- They’ve all been doing shorter runs and tours and looking amazing! More about them later!

And there you have it!

Copper Basin!

/

It’s RACE TIME!!!

We’re SO excited to embark on the Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog Race on Saturday! We’ve been diligently preparing for the race, exercising the teams, and packing drop bags.

Just like humans, we try to “peak” the dogs at the race. During middle and late December, we trained in earnest. With camp outs and longer runs, we tried to simulate what the dogs will encounter during the races. As race day inched closer, we slowly decreased the miles and rested the athletes so that they’ll be ready to go come Saturday. Since temperatures have been hovering around -30F to -50F at home, Kalyn and I loaded up the truck with 26 canine athletes and headed to the BLM White Mountains to finish off our last training runs in the “warmth” of the hills. The temperature inversion can be extreme in the Interior, so while it was -50F at home, it was a balmy -20F in the hills. The dogs looked AMAZING on their final training runs, making it hard to pick the final athletes for our two teams! We’ll announce the final picks tomorrow!

Kalyn and I made a short video describing the drop bags and some items that we packed, and as you can see from the adjacent photo, the forecast calls for some real winter temperatures! The last few Copper Basin races have been exceptionally warm, so there’s a part of me that’s excited to hit the trail in such frigid temps. Our dogs are well acclimated to the cold, so I think they’ll thrive! Kalyn and I….well…we better toughen up. Ha!

Training in the White Mountains

Team looking strong!

Following the Race

My wonderful mother will be updating the blog from afar throughout the race.

We will also be equipped with GPS trackers, so you can follow all the teams here:

https://cb300.com/trackers/

The Copper Basin will be updating their Facebook page, so if you’re on social media, be sure to check it out!

Schedule

Friday January 10th: The Ryno Teams will drive to Glennallen. We’ll leave our drop bags with the volunteers who will distribute them to the appropriate checkpoints. There will be a Mushers Meeting in the evening, and we’ll draw our bib numbers.

Saturday January 11th: Race Day!

Saturday-Tuesday (or Monday): Run, rest, repeat!

Tuesday: 5 PM Awards Ceremony and Open House

Human Crew

Derek will be handling for Ryne and Team

Saeward, Tracy, and Bryan will handle for Kalyn and Team.

Tom will be holding down the fort and caring for all the dogs at home as well as keeping the house from freezing.

Katy Human (Mom) will be updating the website from afar.

As they say- it takes a village!

Kalyn took a few photos from a fun walk the other day, so of course I had to randomly include them.

Watson and Sherlock

Cooke

Our Sweet Boy

/

This is a very, very hard blog for me to write. I’ve been debating about whether or not to share this information, but I try to be honest and open about all aspects of the kennel, both happy and sad. A few weeks ago, Nile passed away. It was exceptionally sudden. He was three years and seven months old. Two days prior he had enthusiastically charged through a 60-mile run. That evening, he had been body slamming and barking with his neighbors. Then for some unknown reason, he passed away peacefully in his house. We were are all devastated and heartbroken. We have been unable to determine the reason, though possible heart complications are suspected. Nile’s body was cremated. Some of his ashes will remain forever here at the kennel, and some will travel down the Copper Basin and Yukon Quest trails so his spirit will be with us. I wanted to make a video of Nile for this blog post, or maybe share my favorite photos of this amazing, affectionate dog, but I honestly can’t. It’s still too soon and the feelings too raw. Thank you all for following along and sharing our joys as well as our sorrows, but please don’t send comments or emails. Thank you.

Happy Holidays

/

Happy Holidays from all of us at Ryno Kennel! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family!

Today, we slept in, lounged around, played with the dogs, skijored with the reindeer, and will top off the evening with tasty food and games. We’re all enjoying the day off and just spending time with each other.

Bert, Ernie, Wombat, Louie, and Mario all received special gifts with lots of extras to share with the team! Thank you to Louise, Metta, and Debi for the treats!

We also spent some time training the reindeer just in case Santa needs help next year.

Thanksgiving

/

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with friends, family, and delicious food!

We have SO MUCH to be thankful for at Ryno Kennel- wonderful dogs, an amazing team, generous supporters, the list goes on and on! So thank you!

We decided to spend Thanksgiving lounging about and visiting with friends. Activities included sleeping, watching football, skijoring (with Boone, Scarpa, and Cartel), eating copious amounts of food and….reindeer mushing! For the past few weeks, Kalyn and I have been doing little training sessions with the reindeer. Our sessions are short and fun with lots of treats. We’ve been getting them used to wearing a harness, walking in a halter, and having someone be immediately behind them while they’re moving. Yesterday, we decided Sailor was ready. We hooked him up to the sled and off he went! Sailor did wonderfully. Pilot is a bit more highstrung, so he’s still at the harness wearing/ground driving stage. For dogs, we can take the easy route by hooking them up with an older, experienced dog and having the puppy learn from the older dog. Since we don’t have that option with the reindeer, this is a slower process with lots of baby steps. Regardless of whether the reindeer decide they want to pull sleighs or just eat and sleep about, we’ve had lots of fun working with them!