Day 2 Finger Lake to Rainy Pass

Five and a half hours out of the chute, Ryne camped on trail between Yentna Station and Skwenta. It was a 3 hour rest and the trackers show Aliy Zirkle joined her here.

Ryne took her second rest outside of Finger Lake checkpoint for 4 hours where Cody Strathe camped, as well. Around 8:30 in the morning, the team took off to tackle the stretch between Finger Lake to Rainy Pass. It’s 29 miles between these two checkpoints and is one tough run. Mushers often aim to tackle it in the day light.

Leaving Finger Lake checkpoint, the trail takes a steep climb over a ridge toward a lake. The team gets a mile or two along it before swinging up a ravine and hitting a series of climbs.

This puts the team 10 miles out from Finger Lake checkpoint and at the dreaded Happy river steps, a series of downs into the river.
They’ll follow Happy River, climb up another ravine, cross two lakes, and finally finish running along the steep sloping mountainside. These are two particularly difficult stretches of hillside trail in the last 8 miles before Rainy Pass.

Rainy Pass checkpoint is located on Puntilla Lake in the heart of the Alaska Range. Leaving here, the team will cross Rainy Pass itself—the highest point on the Iditarod.

Now, it’s 24 hours into the race! Ryne and the dogs are currently camping in the Rainy Pass itself and we’ve heard it really pretty out there!

Iditarod 2021Start

The Iditarod 1,000 Mile race starts today!

But before Ryne goes flying over the start line behind her incredible team, the microchips of all the dogs are checked and urine samples are collected. Microchips are tiny computer chips, the size of a rice grain, that go underneath the dog’s skin around the neck or shoulder area. Each chip has a unique identification number. The Iditarod uses this to keep track of dogs and especially to make sure drop-dogs get returned to the correct owner.

If you’re following along, then you met the final team yesterday and read Ryne’s thoughts on the individual team members.

Now, here’s the line up for the race start! Dolly and King Louie are the first leading pair of this adventure… and they’re as excited as the rest of the team to reach the start chute.

I’m sure time is a weird concept this morning; dragging out with the ready-to-race-already urge while simultaneously flying by with the constant to-do tasks and last minute touches here and there. But time doesn’t stop and the team enters the chute, waiting for the countdown to reach zero.

The energy stays as they officially take off; the harness-banging and loud barks turning into the serious “game face” mode.

”There goes bib number fourteen, Ryne Olson…”

Good luck, Ryne!!! And good luck to Dolly, King Louie, Goblin, Thresher, Etta, Smoky, Oryx, Wingman, Faff, Maple, Mario, Bowser, Uno and Yoshi!!!

Stay tuned for more blog posts and updates of the team’s progress throughout the race.

THE FINAL 14!

DRUMROLL…..Here are the final 14 athletes who will be competing in the 2021 Iditarod!

It was a VERY tough choice. For the most part, I had the 13 picked out, but that number 14 dog was very much up for grabs. Kalyn and Derek will be loading up the team, my sled, Jezzy, and Sasha and driving south today. I’ll meet them in Wasilla, and we’ll stay the night at a hotel. Tomorrow, we have to be at the Deshka Landing staging area by no later than 11:00. It’s nearly time!

Today, Cartel and I are relaxing in Anchorage. We’ll meet up with Kelsey and Tyler to get them gear for picking up any dropped dogs.

A bit about the decision making for the final 14.

Bowser- this guy has zero race experience. As a two year old, he trained with the yearlings rather than the adults due to his incessant dipping (biting and eating snow on the side of the trail), which would cause him to vomit. This year, he has done every training run. He seems to have outgrown the dipping, and he works hard with a smooth, effortless gait. It’s a big race to tackle as your first race, but I think he’s up to the challenge. This decision probably falls on the more emotional side on a the emotional to rational decision making spectrum.

Dolly- Dolly is 7 years old, which is getting on the older end of the racing range. She’s also kind of slow. All that being said, she’s one of the team’s safety nets. She’s completed many 1000-mile races, has a great attitude, and if things get crazy, she’ll lead us out of the chaos, which is invaluable. Plus, she’s real cute.

Etta- Other than the Goose Bay 150 last year, this will be Etta’s first big race. Even though her race resume is sparse, I’m relying heavily on Etta’s leading skills. She’s exceptional. She has enthusiastically run every training mile this year and thrives in lead. Expect to see her in lead for a good chunk of the race.

Faff- This will be Faff’s first 1000-mile race! She has started a couple 300-mile races last year, but did not finish. It’s a bit of a gamble taking her on the team, but she has run every training mile and has a fantastic attitude. She’s playful, strong, happy- just a really fun dog to be around. So she’s going. And that’s that.

Goblin- Goblin is the oldest at 8. BUT he’s a young eight. He just turned eight. And I found I just didn’t want to leave the starting line without him. He’s the only dog who raced with me in 2016. And he’s a badass. He’s looking strong, healthy, and ready to lead.

King Louie- Sweet, emotional Louie is ready for Iditarod! There are few dogs in this world who are as sweet as Louie. We’ve been managing a weird condition called Chronic Ulcerative Paradental Stomatitis, which will probably result in ultimately pulling out all his teeth. It’d be tough for a toothless dog to eat the number of calories required for a 1000-mile race, so for now, I’m just cherishing every race mile we get to travel together!

Maple- She’s dynamite. Strong, happy, good eater. She is currently in heat, so the boys think Maple is REAL cute right now, and she thinks she’s quite a catch as well. Hopefully she’ll be out of heat soon otherwise team dynamics could get interesting! Maple is an Iditarod finisher from her time with Jason Campeau.

Oryx- Oryx beast is ready to rock. With two 1000-mile races under her belt, I’m relying on her as a trail-hardened veteran to show all these newbies what a long distance trek is all about.

Smoky- Smoky hasn’t completed a 1000-mile race yet (he was dropped in Eagle last year after picking up a stomach bug), but I’m counting on him to be a main leader. He has what it takes. Expect to see him in lead for a good chunk of the trail.

Thresher- Thresher is small and mighty. He’s been 100%, finished all training miles, and is ready. He’s a back pocket leader, meaning if need be, he would run up front. He seems happier in team or farther back, but it’s reassuring to know that he’s there and has the abilities.

Uno- Energizer bunny Uno is back for another 1000-miler. Like the other veterans, I’m counting on her to show the rookies how it’s done. Uno has an exceptionally fast recovery time, so her energy is always a nice addition to the team atmosphere.

Wingman- This guy is the best. I can’t imagine racing without him. He’s the cheerleader and one of the hardest workers. Plus he’s a 1000-mile veteran.

Yoshi- This will be her first 1000-mile race, but she finished on our competitive Copper Basin schedule last year, so I know she’s up for the challenge. She’s quiet and unassuming, but she has a beautiful gait and works hard.

Mario- This guy was dog #14. I was debating between Mario, Elmer, and Otis up until yesterday. Mario is 100% healthy, chunky, and a 1000-mile veteran. Elmer is a reliable leader, pulls harder than Mario, but is coming back from a sore illiopsas and hasn’t finished 1000-mile race. Otis is a cheerleader and harder puller, but he can get thin on long races and has fewer miles this season after his incident with the stick. Ultimately I chose Mario for his reliability. And his cuteness. You can’t beat Mario cuteness.

The stats:

7 Female/ 7 Male

9 1000-mile Finishers/ 5 Rookies

This team is a quiet team. Most of the athletes are on the calmer side. Rather than crazily harness-banging, they prefer to stand at the ready, tails gently wagging. Most of the athletes hold weight exceptionally well (except for Etta, Smoky, and Dolly). And most importantly, they’re all just really nice dogs who are ready for an adventure! I can’t wait to cover 850 miles with these amazing canine athletes!

Iditarod ECGs, Blood Draws, Vet Checks, and Bib Draw!

Over the past couple days, the dogs have been getting a thorough health check!

First, we brought 23 athletes to the ECGs and blood draws. While really only 17-18 dogs are truly in contention for the Iditarod team, we brought along a few extras so they could experience a vet check, receive microchips, and get blood panels. Here is a video of yearling Watson demonstrating the process. He was a model patient! After the ECG, he just wanted to continue lying on the table getting belly rubs! Ha!

The next day, Dr. Joanne McCrea came out to the kennel to do physical health exams on all the dogs. We met Dr. McCrea on the Yukon Quest when she was volunteering her time, for which I am so, so appreciative. Not only does she make house calls to help with any canine issues, but Dr. McCrea has become our go-to person for reindeer veterinary care as well. After finishing her veterinary checks of the Iditarod athletes, Dr. McCrea looked at a couple other dogs in the kennel and drew blood from Kalyn’s reindeer Sappho so that we can see if she’s pregnant!

Now that our health checks are complete, we’re finishing off the final training runs (mostly just fun stretch out runs), packing up the truck, and getting ready for the IDITAROD!

I (Ryne) will be leaving early Thursday morning with co-pilot Cartel. I have to be in Anchorage for a pre-race Covid test that afternoon. Cartel and I will remain in Anchorage after the Covid test until the race start. Derek and Kalyn will drive the dogs down to Willow on Saturday. Mandy will remain at the kennel and hold down the homestead. There will be no Ceremonial Start or Starting Banquet this year, which I know the public will miss (as will Iditarod’s revenue stream), but as a musher, I’m pretty excited about that! Cartel and I don’t have any obligations while waiting in Anchorage other than setting up Kelsey and Tyler with gear to pick up any dropped dogs during Iditarod. A big THANK YOU to Kesley and Tyler for taking that on. Long time RK follows probably remember Tyler from his two winters as a handler at Ryno Kennel. Tyler and his girlfriend Kelsey now live in Anchorage with retiree, Belle.

The Iditarod randomly drew bib numbers, and the RK team will be leaving in position #14!

If you take Derek’s favorite number of 7 then add my collegiate soccer number of 4, then subtract my high school soccer number of 11, then add Kalyn’s favorite number of 6, then subtract the number of years I’ve lived in Alaska of 11, then add Mandy’s favorite number of 14, then add the number of brothers I have of 2, then add the number of puppies in my first litter (Supai, Rucu, Kindi) of 3.........
It equals 14!!! Coincidence? I think not. It’s going to be a good race.

Iditarod in TWO WEEKS!

TWO WEEKS. Just TWO WEEKS until the start of the 2021 Iditarod. Last Monday, Derek dropped off 1548 pounds of gear to be shipped out to the various checkpoints. Myself and sixteen dogs were on the final training series, running around the trails of Two Rivers. There are actually about 17 dogs who are in contention for the Iditarod team. I made a video of 16 of the athletes:

Dolly- At seven-years-old, Dolly is one of the oldest in contention, but you wouldn’t know it. She’s one of the most enthusiastic of the crew, barking and jumping up like a pogo stick to get moving. She’s holding her weight well and looking strong.

Elmer- Elmer is a very serious, very driven fella. His back leg was a little stiff after one run a couple months ago so he missed our longest run series, but after this last one, he’s looking great! He’s a fantastic leader!

Louie- King Louie is tied with Wingman for the most miles so far this season. He has never missed a training run, and he often runs tours because of his lovable personality! Louie is an incredible leader, albeit a little on the sensitive side. Only positive words and thoughts when around Louie, otherwise he takes any negativity to heart. Such a sweet boy.

Etta- Etta is rocking it. She runs lead more often than not. Her weakness is her eating. For whatever reason, Etta likes to keep a slim, trim figure. Luckily, she eats her food after training runs and series, so I’m hopeful she’ll maintain her weight during Iditarod. I’m counting on her to be a main leader.

Yoshi- Yoshi is looking strong. She’s been a little softer than her siblings this season (meaning she gets distracted or bored occasionally); however, I wonder if that’s due to running closer to the front of the team. If she’s on the Iditarod team, I’ll probably have her run farther back in the team to help her focus. She has a beautiful gait and eats well, we just want to make sure it’s always fun!

Smoky- This guy is a FORCE. He has grown into a main leader this season and loves to partner with Etta to lead the team. Like Etta, he can be hard to keep weight on, but I know his secret food preferences so I’ll whip up all his favorites for the race (cat food!). Smoky had a sore wrist after our trip to Eureka, but with some time off, it’s looking 100% (knock on wood). I’ll probably wrap it at each stop just to be on the safe side, much to his frustration. I’ve never met a dog who hates wrist wraps more than this dude. He’ll chew off the wrap in ten seconds flat unless I cover it in athletic tape! The little punk.

Oryx- The Oryx Beast is chunky and ready to rock. I actually have to occasionally put her on a diet, even in the middle of the season because she can get rather thick! At the beginning of the season, Oryx often ran in lead, but like her brother Louie, Oryx can be a bit sensitive. She has to be feeling the leadership role, otherwise she lets you know by diving off the trail to roll in the snow.

Mario- Mario is looking great! He has completed all the training miles this year and is a little chunky muffin. In the team he’s very unassuming, but he always works hard, eats, and happily chugs along.

Maple- This big gal joined the team this summer. Initially, Maple was exceptionally shy and hid in her house for the majority of the day. With a little extra TLC, Maple has come out of her shell and now screams to run. She has run the Iditarod in the past and is an incredibly hard worker, so odds are Maple will be on the squad.

Uno- Uno is looking good this season! I wouldn’t call her the hardest worker in the team, but her recovery time is unmatched by any other dog. Uno is never tired. She’s always in your face and ready to rock.

Otis- Otis has had a rough season, primarily due to a bizarre, early season injury. During a run, poor Otis ran into a stick on the side of the trail and punctured his side! After a late night vet visit and stitches, Otis was on bed rest for a few weeks. To make sure he didn’t get fired up by the other dogs, Otis went to stay with Saeward at their house in town. He’s now fully recovered, but he does have less miles than the rest of the team. I really want him on the Iditarod team since he finished Quest last year and is such a cheerleader, but I’m on the fence. Final decision to be made later!

Faff- Faff the cheerleader. This gal is always happy and barking. During campouts, she loves to play with her neighbor instead of sleeping. I love her energy and attitude. She’s less experienced than many of the other athletes in contention, but she’s big, strong, and so happy. The energy she would bring to the team would be invaluable.

Wingman- This guy is tied with Louie for the most miles this season. He’s a force to reckon with and is a loud cheerleader on the team. Occasionally he has run in lead throughout the season, but I’d say his favorite place is just in the middle of the team. Barring any last minute issues, this guy will be on the Iditarod team.

Thresher- Thresher has had an excellent season so far. If there are any females in heat, Thresher can get a little distracted (he fancies himself a ladies’ man), but otherwise he’s dynamite. The trick is to just have Thresher run behind the gal in heat, and he’ll give 200%! Ha!

Bert- Watch out world- here comes a dark horse! Bert was very unimpressive as a yearling. He was easily distracted. For example, one day last season I was mushing a team with Bert in wheel. Kalyn was running a team behind me. We decided to switch teams. When Bert realized it was Kalyn mushing and not me, he spent the next 10 miles looking over his shoulder with big eyes wondering what on earth had happened. Oh Bert. All that being said, he has really matured in the past couple months. In particular, Bert has thrived on campouts and trips. He loves going new places and traveling. He’s dog #16 to be on the team just because I’d rather him run a mid-distance race before jumping into a 1000-miler, but if he had a mid-distance race under his belt or was a year older, then he’d be on the team for sure.

Bowser- Bowser has also improved immensely this season. He’s always been a hard worker; however, Bowser sometimes battles with anxiety. He gets really excited to run and dips incessantly, ultimately giving him an upset stomach. Last season we dropped him out of training to give him time to mature and hopeful overcome his anxiety. It seems to have paid off! This year Bowser is doing much better and has been controlling his dipping habit (biting snow as he’s running). Occasionally he can get worked up, but overall, it’s been a HUGE improvement.

Goblin (not in the video)- This guy is pretty special. He’s run every one thousand mile race with me since 2016. On the final run in the Quest last year, he strained a tendon on his back leg. If you remember, he actually crossed the finish line in the sled bag. After laser therapy, rehab, and lots of time off, Goblin has been looking great. I built up his miles a bit slower this season as a precaution. After a 200-mile training series, Goblin was the tiniest bit stiff on his back leg, but otherwise he’s been great. We’ll make the final call closer to the start, but if it was up to Goblin he’s ready to GO GO GO!

This Friday, we’ll be taking the dogs in for EKGs, and final vet checks will be on Saturday with Dr. McCrea. Most likely we’ll vet check Scarpa as well as the above 17 athletes. Scarpa is also looking really great, she’s just young and on the thinner side, so I’d rather her not run 1000-miles for her first race.

We’ll keep posting updates of Iditarod prep. We hope everyone is getting as excited as we are!!! Who’s ready to start pressing the tracker refresh button?!

Kalyn’s new reindeer named Sappho!

When we asked Rucu if he was ready to come out of retirement and run the Iditarod

Iditarod Drop Bags by Mandy

Multiple skills I have learned over the season come together in order to make one thing happen: Iditarod drop bags. These are what will carry Ryne and her incredible furry athletes over the famous 1,000 Mile Race.

They hold goodies for the dogs (booties, meat snacks, vet kits, kibble, jackets, cat food) and for the human (dry gloves and socks, meals, spare batteries, hand warmers, etc). It’s a fine line balancing having enough supplies with options but also not wasting a ton of resources.

We had a few meat-cutting marathon days to prep for the amount of snack bags needed. This happened outside at the meat bandsaw. When the cold snap arrived, we moved inside to bag other non-frozen items. My own dogs loved when I weighing and bagging kibble on the kitchen counter; they were quick on the clean up duty whenever a stray kibble made it to the floor.

Beef, Beaver, Chicken Skins, Fish

Fun fact about me: I adore spreadsheets. It’s calming to have a piece of paper in my hand with all the information I need to complete my task—and easy access at that. We used our spreadsheets heavily as we gathered the correct quantity to each individual bag. Not every check point requires the same items. Ryne spent a great deal of effort to think of a broad running plan and base the drop bags off of that. It’s difficult making these decisions weeks out when you’re not sure what the weather will be like! They’re many factors to take into consideration.

This is my first year working for a race kennel, classifying me as a “Yearling” with Tobin, Sherlock, Watson and Rose. I’ve given Ryne and Kalyn quite a few laughs already this year and made sure it continued through the packing process. From silly questions to threading half of the drop bags wrong, I must take it in stride and appreciate the strong female mushers teaching me more and more... besides, a good belly laugh is always needed!

Speaking of which...

“One of the drop bags is opened and I saw Simon pick up an almost empty meat snack bag,” Derek says coming into the main cabin.

Simon and I, who also just arrived, nod in agreement.

“What? But wasn’t Sasha and Jeezy with you?” Ryne says from the couch.

“Yes.”

“Cartel is with me,” she says while getting up to prove the point. “Cartel?”

Peeking into the dog kennel, we hear another “Cartel?“ before a huh is let out.

“I guess it was Cartel since she’s not actually inside.”

Laughter is interrupted long enough for Simon to add that there were only a couple pieces left of the original 16 meat slices. Who knows where they’re hidden around the property now.

As if Kalyn and I didn’t sneak Cartel enough meat crumbles through the fence during our meat packing day.

Denali Highway Training

Last week, I took 16 athletes down to the Denali Highway for some race simulation training. Since we’re not competing in any mid-distance races this year, some of the youngsters needed to experience run/rest/run/rest/run/rest/run (you get the idea) so that they would be better prepared for the Iditarod should they make the team!

I loaded up Louie, Etta, Goblin, Dolly, Dracula, Cooke, Wingman, Faff, Yoshi, Maple, Uno, Mario, Scarpa, Bowser, Bert, and Thresher and headed to the Denali Highway!

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Day 1

The first day was full of clear, blue skies and a bone chilling north breeze straight into our faces. I bundled up the dogs and myself and thoroughly enjoyed my new ruff made by my good friend, Amanda Gecas of Boundary Fur Sewing.

Even though we’re deep in the Alaska Range, the area is a popular training ground for nearby Eielson Air Force Base. Jets rocketed around us, sometimes skimming so low that it looked like they were just a couple hundred feet above the ground! Sonic booms shook mountains, causing both me and the dogs to jump and look around for avalanches. On one hand, I was annoyed because the sonic booms would startle the dogs. On the other hand, I was wishing they’d find a place to land, pick me up, and let me zoom around the mountains with them! It must be exhilarating to be a jet pilot rocketing through the Alaska Range!

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For a couple of the runs, Paige showed us a loop that circles back behind their lodge and deep into the mountains. Down along the Denali Highway itself, there is such much life- moose, wolves, fox, caribou. Willows and spruce trees provide shelter and food for many animals. But this trail traversed deeper into the mountains where vegetation was sparse and there were hardly any animal tracks. Wind constantly blows the snow around, obscuring the trail, so Paige and Cody are regularly having to put it back in. I’m so glad we had the chance to mush it!

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The loop behind the lodge

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As we returned home, I was exceptionally proud of the dogs.

Louie and Etta led the entire way. They were a great pair with Etta bringing the energy, and Louie being the solid anchor, holding the line out and taking his job very seriously. Goblin and Dolly ran in swing. Goblin enjoyed having a break from his normal lead position. Dolly was a loud cheerleader, throwing her little 35 pound body into the air in excitement every time we stopped. She preferred running on the hard-packed trails and was a bit slack when the conditions were softer. Dracula and Cooke were next. Dracula would bark and pound her front two feet onto the ground, stamping in excitement. She’d eat all her food and her neighbor’s if I wasn’t watching closely. Cooke was happy to be back in the race pool. I had him sit out one of the runs just as a precaution since he doesn’t have as many miles as the rest of the crew. If you recall, his brother Smoky pulled Cooke’s tail earlier in the season, and it has taken awhile to heal. It finally seems like Cooke is feeling like his normal self! Wingman and Faff were next. Wingman is the biggest cheerleader in the team and was rock solid as always. Faff also had a great training run, eating well and pulling hard. Her tricep was slightly stiff when we returned to the truck, but 12 hours later, it’s hardly bothering her. I’m hopeful it was just a little tight and not a bigger issue. Yoshi and Maple were paired next. Yoshi doesn’t make much noise, but she shows her happiness by jumping up off the straw, pulling hard, and quietly wagging her tail at breaks. She’s looking great! Maple is new this year and brings so much to the team. She whines enthusiastically if she spots a team ahead of us, and she eats everything in sight! Good girl! Uno and Mario were quite the pair. They played together at the first break (as if they’ve never camped in their lives- ha!). After that, they were all business and motored down the trail. Scarpa and Thresher ran together. This was Scarpa’s first “mock” race. She did excellent! Her tricep was a little sore on the last run, so she caught a ride in the trailer on the final run to the truck, but she’s looking great now. Thresher was his normal driven, focused self. I’d like to start working with him in lead more; however, he so loves being farther back where he can chase his teammates. Bowser and Bert. For Bert, this was the farthest he’s ever traveled! Bert has been slow to mature as a sled dog, but he did smashingly during this trip! I was so proud of him. He worked hard, ate his food, and seemed to love traveling in new country. This was also a test for Bowser. When he was younger, Bowser would dip snow incessantly, causing him to vomit on the trail. We determined this was due to anxious nerves, so as a 2-year-old, he was held back to train with the yearlings. This year he has been doing much better! He was still a little anxious on the first run, but then he seemed to settle in. Go Bowser!

Now it’s time for Iditarod drop bag prep! Cutting meat snacks, bagging kibble, packing food- HERE WE GO!

White Mountains Camp by Mandy

“Did you happen to grab the ganglines?”

I glance over and meet Ryne’s eyes for the last second of hopefulness that we didn’t forget one of the most crucial pieces of gear.

You see, we’re a couple of miles down Chena Hot Springs Road on our way to the White Mountains for a two day mushing trip. Our first run is an easy 40 miles so we had a slow morning of packing and free-running the puppy litters. Even so, it’s afternoon already and we want snacks at the gas station, not a trip back to the kennel.

“No, I didn’t.”

Oh, well. It’s only a minor detour before we’re back on the road and bellies happy with food. Just 2 mushers, 19 dogs, and 1 truck.

The parking lot is filling up but the spot next to the trail head is clear. We pull in, slip on warmer clothes, and prep the sleds. Soon after, the dogs are out and dressed for the occasion! The other weekenders curiously watch as they arrange their own snow machines, hiking backpacks, firewood, etc.

We pause at the exit waiting for a family to pass by before taking off.

The little kid loudly asks his parent, “Why does she have so many dogs?” A single pet dog is dragged behind them with eyes spread wide at our pack.

Once they’re out of ear shot, Ryne turns to me; “Why doesn’t he have more dogs?” She gives the dogs the okay.

The sunset waves us off and I get my first peeks of the mountains through the sporadic gaps in Spruce trees. The team is loving new trails.

Night comes quickly and it’s a pleasant run to the cabin. I spend moments with my headlamp off to take in the stars and hear the steadiness of dog feet against the silence of an Alaskan night.

Then we start hitting overflow.

The dogs are doing their best but it’s difficult to grip the ice when wearing booties. We slow down to make it easier on them but it’s hard to tell when the overflow will end—headlamps only reach so far. Ryne knows we’re super close to the cabin though, our end point for the day, so we push on.

(Below video is from the next day when we tackle overflown in the daylight and without booties on)

Reaching the cabin, we have to maneuver around until finding spots for both dog teams to fit. The evening routine begins with melting snow for the dogs’ dinners and ends with Ryne and I tucked into sleeping bags on the cabin’s wooden platforms.

Or at least, we think.

Most of the adult dogs curled up on their straw piles and went swiftly into dreamland. But not one trouble maker. We keep hearing play noises and a few growls—Ryne gets up to yell Quiet and try to catch the culprit but dogs are good at stopping to the sound of a door opening. This repeats a few times until we hear a dog on the porch!

Ryne simply opens the door, let’s in the now loose Faff, and closes it. Problem solved.

Our goal of this trip is not strictly training—we slept the entire night—but to experience the Whites and getting a longer run of 60 miles on new trails. We wait for sunlight and look forward to seeing the landscape in the new light.

And the Whites don’t disappoint! I appreciate the variety of terrain from the overflown rivers, deep forests, and vacant ridge lines; the rise and fall of the sun along its arc. But mostly, I cherish the dogs and what they share with me.

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Puppy Runs

The Cheese and Office Litters are now about 6.5- 7 months old. The Fire litter (Spitfire, Fox, and Fly) now exercise in harness, but we have yet to introduce the youngest RK athletes to a harness quite yet. For now, they get their energy out by chasing the snowmachine. We stage the snowmachine at the beginning of our exit trail, release the horde, and then rocket down to the Chena River for some zoomies.

These two litters have been quite a handful- getting into scuffles, barking incessantly, and growing monstrously large. Compared to the Fire Litter who were perfectly behaved from day one, these nine make for a chaotic horde and definitely try my patience. All that being said, when they’re out running, stretching out into full speed torpedoes, it makes my heart soar. Their love of running is so apparent that I feel lucky I get to be a part of it.

Big Tuna loves to be in the front. You can see in the last portions of the video, Tuna is going all out at the front of the pack, not caring about the dogs behind him and just enjoying eating up the trail. Beesly is often at the front as well and likes to dart around the snowmachine to lead everyone when we’re on narrow sections. Holly is one of the most athletic, and it’s spectacular to watch her run. She alternates from being near the front to playing with her siblings farther back. Mose likes to rocket ahead when he sees Tuna up front and shoulder bump him. Like Holly, Mose has an impressive build and can cover some ground when he puts on the turbo jets. Dwight is enormous. Because of his large size, he’s still kind of clumsy and gangling, so he’s normally farther back in the running group. Cartel often joins us on the runs, and he TOWERS over her. Cheddar is super speedy. She doesn’t have the confidence of Tuna and Beesly, but she spends her fair share of time at the front of the pack. When stopped, she likes to run ahead, then turn around, lie down, and mad dog (meaning stare at everyone like a Border Collie) as if daring them to run past her. Muenster is the fluffiest of all the puppies, which hides his athletic build, but when he gets going, Muenster can hang with the best of them. He prefers to pester and play with Cartel and Havarti rather than push for the lead. Havarti is taller and more graceful than her sister Cheddar. She LOVES pestering Cartel, and Cartel is slow, so Havarti normally ends up being farther back just because that’s where Cartel is. Mozzerella was one of the most confident pups early on, but as he’s gotten older, he’s definitely become a bit more introverted. He’s normally near the front but likes to keep out of the fray. He’s always very attentive on where the human is and likes to sit, hoping for a treat.

Dancing on Thin Ice

In the fall of 2019, we were contacted by email asking to take two famous British figure skaters dog mushing in search of a remote pond on which to go ice skating. I remember forwarding the message to my British sister-in-law, Cass, and asking if it seemed legit. It’s not uncommon to get strange emails, and more often than not they don’t pan out into worthwhile endeavors. Cass eagerly replied, yes, Torvill and Dean are very accomplished figure skaters! Directors Emma Frank and Helena Braun traveled to Two Rivers in the fall to scout out the filming possibilities. I took them for a short dryland mush (in a side by side) around the neighborhood, said goodbye, and wondered if we’d hear from them again.

After a few emails back and forth speculating weather and conditions, Torvill and Dean and a host of filming personnel arrived at the kennel one day. Even then, I don’t think I fully grasped the accomplishments of Torvill and Dean. This was partially due to their personable, down-to-earth demeanors, and also me living in my own bubble. Perhaps it was good that I didn’t do much research ahead of time, otherwise I would have been begging for autographs and acting like a crazy fan.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are gold medal figure skaters, winning the highest score of all time in the 1984 Winter Olympics at Sarajevo for their performance to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero. And they sat on my dog-hair-covered couch, enthusiastically interacting with the dogs, and not letting on that they were celebrities.

After an afternoon of filming, the crew had enough clips to add a portion on dog mushing to their production- Dancing on Thin Ice. Currently, the production has only aired in England; however, it will hopefully be broadcast in the United States. While looking for a wilderness location to skate their gold medal Bolero, Torvill and Dean also touch on climate change and melting ice in the North. We thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it, and can now claim we’ve met gold medal Olympians!

Fall 2019

The Olympic champions travel to Alaska on an extraordinary quest to fulfill a lifelong dream. But will warming temperatures ruin their hopes to skate the Bolero in the remote wilderness?

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The Retired Life- by Mandy

You can’t train a dog to pull a sled—they either have the drive or they don’t. This goes hand-in-hand with retirement... they let you know when they don’t want to pull anymore or at least desire less intense miles.

And sometimes, an injury will lead to early retirement. This happened to the lovely Perm when her Achilles’ tendon never quite returned to normal. She is staying at my (Mandy) handler’s cabin for the season to get extra love and care... before she gets adopted by my partner and I :P

What’s retirement like for a sled dog, such as Perm?

Let me tell you, she can hold down a dog bed as well as she ran 1,000 Mile races. She was smart then and still is now. Every trait that made her a great sled dog has transferred to pet life. Here’s some stories of her figuring everything out:

At 7 years old, Perm learned the command Sit. Good girl! She quickly made the connection that she receives treats when she sits. On walks, she often randomly sits in front of you and stares intensely for her treat. I fall for it every time.

A couple weeks back, I decided it’d be fun to let Perm run around off-leash while I loaded up on firewood. The pile is next to Ryne’s house across the yard so we head over together. She sniffs a few pieces of wood and then moseys off. I’m not worried about it until I hear a door open and sudden laughter. I turn around to see that Perm let herself into Ryne’s!!!! The door has a long handle that when Perm paws at it, she can click open. It goes to show that, Perm adores any opportunity given to be inside... even if she has to create it herself.

She knows when to bed down but also when to get going. As soon as the second alarm goes off in the morning, a yawn comes from her dog bed that sounds more pterodactyl than wolf. Then she worms her nose to the closest face in hopes of a good morning ear scratch.

Perm is a good eater and knows the drill when it comes to meat soup and kibble. What I adore though is watching her try new treats, such as human food. She likes cheese but not yet peanut butter. Often times she just smells it before looking up with a “what do I do with this weird item?” expression. Don’t offer her toothpaste, she hates the smell.

Just like in the dog yard, these intelligent beasts need their minds stimulated or they get bored. When bored, they chew up their dog houses. We had a busy week and didn’t get much exercise for Perm one day. So, she began chewing the wooden frame of our bed instead!

While retired sled dogs desire a break from racing, they are typically still energetic. We take Perm on long walks, hikes, and bikejoring. The first time was weird for her but she crushed it. Now, she’s lining out and barking her head off to get going! My partner likes to bikejore with Perm and my dog Midnight—their favorite loop being to the local post office and back.

We can’t help it. We LOVE that Perm howls back as soon as you do. So, we regularly start a howl off for every family member we FaceTime... which causes the dog yard to howl too! Sorry Ryno Kennel when we do that at 8 in the morning.
Lastly, I have a 2 year old German Shepard-Husky. He’s an absolute goofball but does have a strong guarding trait. Luckily, Perm steals all hearts around her and broke him down. Now they run around together, marking up and down the trails of Two Rivers! It’s been incredible to watch him open up and a friendship starting to form. Good girl, Perm!