This morning, the Ryno Team headed into town for vet checks and musher/handler meetings. All the dogs passed the vet check with flying colors. Katy, in particular, enjoyed all the attention and was jealous when the vets moved on to her neighbors.
At the musher/handler meeting, Team Ryno drew bib number 57, which translates to lucky number 7 of 16. Can't wait!!
TWO DAYS until Quest 300!
For any race, the team is larger than just the musher and the dogs. Our Quest 300 team will be composed of 12 Alaskan Huskies (yet to be announced), one musher (myself), and two handlers- Tom and Derek. A huge thanks for all their help preparing for the race as well as giving up their time (especially on Super Bowl Sunday) to take on the thankless job of handlers. Thank you!
Derek and Jezzy
Meet my little brother, Tom!
Typically in Fairbanks, when the sky clears, the temperature drops. All those beautiful nights of vivid northern lights are normally accompanied by forty below temperatures. Likewise, when the clouds roll in, you're given a small respite from the cold. An exception would be the Chinook winds....or this winter in general.
For whatever reason, the Lower 48 has stolen our cold weather and left Alaska with 40 ABOVE and even rain. Yes, class was cancelled yesterday due to rain. In January. In Interior Alaska. But I guess I shouldn't complain. We're better off than most of Alaska. We at least have a solid base of rock-hard icy snow when other areas are covered in dirt. Unfortunately, the warm weather has been the cause of multiple race cancellations like the Tustumena 200 and Northern Lights 300. Luckily the Quest 300 and Yukon Quest next weekend are still a go.
But back to my clear sky/cold temps theory. It's been shattered. This winter we've had many days of beautiful clear skies and temperatures close to freezing, which I rather enjoy until the temperatures hit 30 above. As least my chickens are happy.
Today, Riley and I checked out the Colorado Creek/Compeau Trail run. What fun! Even though it was uncomfortably warm out, the dogs and I had a blast. The music in this video is from Micaela Cooley and her band Barleywine Revue. Check out their foot stompin', knee smackin' music at http://barleywinerevue.bandcamp.com
With the Quest 300 now two weeks away, we've been busy bagging kibble, cutting meat snacks, packaging booties, preparing drop bags, and of course training the dogs!
This afternoon, I hit the first milestone of the race- completing the drop bags. All the gear, food, and clothing for the race must be packed and dropped off for Quest volunteers to deliver to the various checkpoints. It can be difficult to anticipate what supplies you'll need at each checkpoint so I played the rookie card...pack EVERYTHING. I'm sure I packed more kibble and food than needed, but if there's a storm raging on Eagle Summit, we are prepared to relax at Mile 101 checkpoint for as long as necessary.
Not only is our gear now ready to go, but the youngsters are getting excited to race too. Here's a short video of 40 miles into our run last night. With a huge bright moon, warm temps, and enthusiastic pups, what could be better?
The Team with leaders Ham and Neptune (Ham's sister visiting from Riley Dyche's kennel---Thanks Riley!).
For folks who don't have lots of time to pour over the run/rest schedules of the Copper Basin 300, I've made a little cheat sheet. Basically, all the competitive mushers will run the race using just the mandatory amount of rest- 18 hours. The way to see who is winning is to compare run times while keeping in mind the amount of rest each team has used. Here's the latest:
Yip Woo! Go Allen, Aliy, and Matt!
The Copper Basin 300 is underway in Glennallen, Alaska! Follow along at http://copperbasin300.wordpress.com
A photo from the Copper Basin website.
Ryno Kennel is not racing in the CB300- but lots of great teams are! Be sure to follow along Allen Moore, Aliy Zirkle, and Meghan Luke from SP Kennel as well as Amanda Gecas from Boundary Kennel and Matt Hall from Smokin Ace Kennel.
Why is the CB one of my favorite races? While I've only raced the CB300 once in 2012 (and it was cancelled after only 90 miles due to no trail), the Copper Basin proves to be one of the most challenging and exciting mid-distance races in Alaska. As shown by the adjacent picture, the trail crosses open water, wind blown peaks, and frequent overflow. Add to that frigid temperatures and we have a dog race folks!
I felt it would be appropriate to contrast my prior post with a more standard dog run video. Enjoy!
The other morning, I woke up in darkness. I fed the dogs and cleaned the yard by the light of my headlamp. I cooked fish, prepared my sled, and played with puppies in a quasi-dawn glow. By noon, a thick cloud cover kept the sun and its glorious light hidden. I'll admit, the dogs and I were feeling sluggish and sleepy with all the darkness. It just felt so.....well, dark. To re-energize everyone, I decided we needed to run. And what a run it was.
That evening, we enjoyed a sunset like no other. The white snow and black spruce were contrasted with the vibrant blues, reds, and yellows of an electric sunset only possible in winter. The clouds curled and stretched, texturing the entire sky. It was as if Winter had heard my morning thoughts and said, "you know nothing, Ryne Olson."
Happy 2014 from all of us at Ryno Kennel.
Ryno Kennel is home to Iditarod and Yukon Quest veteran, Ryne Olson and her growing sled dog racing kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska.
All Photos Taken by: Scott Chesney, Julien Schroder, Kalyn Holl, or other Ryno Crew. All rights reserved. Please contact prior to using any photos.
BIG THANKS TO THE RYNO TEAM
Big Dan’s Trucking
Rick and Sue Patton
All Dog Sponsors
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