Home Town Physical Therapy

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We're excited to announce a new Ryno Kennel sponsor! This past summer, I had surgery on my back due to a herniated disk. With all the bending, twisting, lifting, and movement involved in mushing, it was critical that I was back to 110% health by September 1st to begin training. Home Town Physical Therapy set up an individual rehab schedule to ensure that I was ready to go by the mushing season. Not only am I healthier than ever before, but they've decided to sponsor Ryno Kennel! Thanks Jason, Jill, Greg, and all the wonderful staff at Home Town Physical Therapy for getting me back on my feet and helping me do what I love (like in the video below). THANKS!!

Colorado Creek Trail

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With drop bags finished and just 12 days until Quest start, we've been focusing on putting some solid training runs on the dogs. Yesterday Riley and I took two teams up the Colorado Creek drainage, and with the clear, -20 temps we experienced spectacular views! Sally, who is not normally a leader, led the entire run, breaking trail for a good portion. Who says a 35 pound dog with a foot and a half long legs can't be a trail breaker?

Just as we returned, the bottom fell out of the thermometer as -40 to -45 temperatures swept through the valley. That calls for a 14 dog night! Cartel, Sally, and Fire claimed the couch, Katy claimed the dog bed, Ham the lazy boy chair, Derby found a calm secluded corner, Kindi by the water bowl, Fez next to Derek, Niagra by the wood stove, Rucu under the table, Perm against the lazy boy, and Supai never settled but tried to play with everyone all night. Stormy and Jezzy enjoyed all the company. 

Food Drops- CHECK!

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After prepping all the food drops, I left them with the AMAZING Yukon Quest volunteers today and walked away. Quest volunteers will take all the drops and stage them at their respective checkpoints across the 1000 miles. Talk about a logistical undertaking! That kind of organization takes a fleet of volunteers and dedicated officials. Thank you! Just two weeks left, and we will be on the trail!

Scott Chesney was at the food drops today and took some great photos!

Yukon Quest Drop Bags

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With the Yukon Quest just two weeks away (gasp!), drop bags holding every possible item a musher and 14 dogs might need on a 1000-mile race in a variety of temperatures and conditions will be left with volunteers at the Yukon Quest food drops tomorrow. No pressure right? I guess that's the beauty of mushing. No matter how prepared I might feel (or try to be), something will happen that allows me to use some mushing ingenuity! 

So what is in those drop bags? Three types of kibble, beef, chicken skins, BLT (beef liver and tripe), fish, North Country meat mix, other meats, supplements, runner plastics, booties, vet wrap, vet gear, socks, gloves, neck gaiters, delicious vacuum sealed meals made by Kaz (thank you!), cheesecake, bacon, granola bars, Wilderness Athlete drink mix, hand warmers, toe warmers, matches, kleenex, and the list goes on….. Veteran mushers joke that a sign of a rookie is thousands of pounds of drop bags. Well, this year I fall into that category and will take full advantage of it! 

Two weeks and counting….WOOHOO!!

Photo taken by Whitney McLaren

Kennel Days

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Here are some photos of life around Ryno Kennel. There's never a dull moment! All the professional looking shots were taken by amazing photographer, Whitney McLaren. 

Gearing up for the trapline. 

Riley, Katy, and Cartel bootying. 

Derek building the latest sled. 

CJ, Amy, BP, and Jezzy ready to go. 

Ryno Kennel

Ryne and Drake

CJ

Fenton and Ryne

Copper Basin Photos

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Here are some great photos taken by Nick Guy Photography from the Copper Basin!

Pirate. She reminds me of a football player waiting to go in with a big jacket on.              

Niagra with snow flakes. 

Fez and Katy at finish. 

The team at Meiers Lake. 

Arriving at the finish line. 

Ham and Fire getting shoulder rubs. 

Ryne and Derek

Fire, Cartel, Ryne at finish

Ryne checking in at Red Eagle Lodge. 

Ham ready to rock. 

Cartel. Believe it or not, she's fierce.

Leaving Meiers Lake.

Finishline

Allen- 6x champ!

Athlete Report

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Fire and Cartel

Fire: Fire was the maturity and level-headed adult on the team. Her “Gee” “Haw” response was instant, she was unfazed by overflow or water, and she showed total focus amongst other teams, people, or distractions making her an impressive race leader. While Fire isn’t as fast as the younger leaders, she made a perfect pair with either Cartel, Katy, or her son, Ham. 

Cartel: Cartel was the cute little white dog that I just wanted to cuddle and baby until she reminded me that she’s tough as nails, doesn’t need extra attention, and will lead the team the tough final 60 miles to the CB finish line. Throughout the race, Cartel was a hard driving loper who kept the team at a nice high tempo. 

Katy: Katy truly impressed me during this race. The Copper Basin was her first ever 300 mile race, of which she led over half. All focus and drive, Katy has SO MUCH potential I get the jitters just thinking about it. Numerous people asked me about the little dog in lead, to which I’d respond, “that’s Katy, my all-star 2-year-old leader, named after my mother.” People normally gave me a weird look after that. 

Ham: Ham is a powerhouse. All Ham ever wants to do is run, regardless of the challenges that lay ahead. If he has one fault, it’s that he works himself into the ground. The final leg of the race, Ham was a slightly tired and needed a little pep talk only because he tried to single handedly pull the sled for the past 250 miles. Once he learns to go 90% instead of 120%, he’ll be a main man. 

Derby: Derby has the biggest heart of anyone in the team. While she’s not the most athletically gifted, she reminded me of the Little Engine That Could. “Quit” is not in Derby’s vocabulary and  her positive attitude was a huge booster for the team on this race. I dropped her in Mendeltna only to make sure that she will be 100% healthy for the Yukon Quest. 

Fez: Fez did her job so efficiently and smoothly that I never had to worry about her. She was hard-headed and driven with a beautiful, effortless trot. Every time we saw another team, Fez would do a wild scream of excitement, getting the entire team fired up. A real firecracker. 

Rucu

Rucu: Rucu is a force. Most 65 pound dogs struggle with speed, but fast or slow, Rucu kept a tight tug and was always enthusiastic. He’s not a leader, but he was definitely one of the strongest finishing dogs on the team. Like his siblings Supai and Kindi, Rucu was just always happy, which is a invaluable trait in a sled dog. I just love this big guy. 

Supai: It was amazing--Supai never ever got tired. Whenever we stopped, his tail would be wagging high up in the air, and he’d bark and bark as if to say, “Come on guys, let’s do this!” He doesn’t necessarily want to be in lead, he just likes to cheer from the team. Always happy and ready to go, this guy will go far. 

Kindi: Kindi is just like her brother Supai. She’s always happy, if not a little sassy, and cruises down the trail with a smile on her face. I dropped her in Mendeltna because she just wasn’t running quite right and appeared to be cramping in her hind end. Luckily, she’s back to being 100% and ready to tackle the Yukon Quest! 

Kindi, Supai, Pirate, Ham, Derby

Niagra: Niagra was the biggest surprise of all the dogs. Leading up to the race, she was dog #12, but after the Copper Basin, she has solidified herself a spot on the main team. Whenever we stopped, she’d immediately start slamming her harness in anticipation to go, which more than once pulled my snowhook from the ground! 

Pirate: Pirate is from Amanda Gecas’s Boundary Kennel and has joined us this season to help fill out the team. A 60 lb female, Pirate reminds me of a female Arnold Schwarzenegger. During the CB, Pirate was all business and worked her way up from being in wheel to swing just due to her total focus. I hope Chagga and Earl turn out as good as their momma, Pirate, and pop, Rucu! 

Charley: Charley is also from Boundary Kennel and brother to Pirate. He was a hard working, driven wheel dog that put everything on the line. The final 60 miles, Charley occasionally rode in the sled bag because he just worked so hard throughout the rest of the race. There are few dogs that are as honest of workers as Charley.

Riley had an awesome race and gave some insight on the performance of a couple other Ryno athletes:

Perm: "I wouldn't have finished in the top 20 if not for Perm. She was the most impressive yearling I've ever run. She's needs to work up a larger appetite on the trail, but other than that she was a force to reckon with."

Sally: "Sally provided invaluable motivation to the team, and she added a lot of speed on our final run to the finish line. She needs work a little harder when the trail is soft and slow, but that comes with maturity. Her happy go-lucky attitude really benefited to the team."

Copper Basin- 3rd Place!

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Niagra

Woohoo! What an amazing weekend! The dogs exceeded all my expectations and posted flying times to earn third place in the Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog Race. I’m just so proud of them and amazed by their upbeat, go get ‘em attitude. The team was focused, driven, and tireless. 

The team at meiers lake. 

At 2:12 yesterday afternoon, we crossed the finish line led by Cartel and Fire. The finishing team consisted of Cartel, Fire, Ham, Katy, Fez, Supai, Rucu, Niagra, Pirate, and Charley. Derby and Kindi were dropped in Mendeltna with very minor sorenesses as a precaution to prevent bagging a dog on the final run into the finish. Unfortunately, Charley (70+ lbs) developed a slight shoulder soreness, so he did occasionally get rides on the final 60 mile leg. Today, all the dogs look amazingly spry and relaxed, ready to tackle another race! 

At 4:24 AM, Riley finished in 18th place. The Copper Basin was Riley’s first 300 mile race, and he had an impressive run! He brought 11 happy, healthy dogs to the finish line, led by his dogs, Brodie and Neptune with occasional appearances by Perm. According to Riley, “Perm is the toughest headed, hardest driving, one-year-old I’ve ever driven. And Sally was the spunkiest dog on the team and likes to go fast but didn’t like the deep, soft slow sections.”

More posts about dog performances and trail stories soon to come. A huge thank you to all the race volunteers and officials for putting on the “Toughest 300 miles in Alaska!” Also, a BIG thank you to Derek and Tessa for being two of the best handlers on the race (there should be a prize for that). Handlers get little sleep, stand in the cold, clean up after mushers, and get zero recognition for all their hard work and dedication to the dog team. THANK YOU!

The team leaving meiers lake: Katy and fire; cartel and ham; pirate and derby; kindi and supai; fez and rucu; niagra and charley

Left to right: supai, rucu, kinid, fez

Meiers Lake Checkpoint

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Well after our 75 mile trek here to Meiers Lake Checkpoint, we came in with the fastest time of 7 hours and 31 minutes which was only 2 minutes faster than the next lead. We were led by Cartel and Ham and of course they both did wonderful! Here we decided to take a full rest of 7 hours to rejuvenate and get ready for these next few legs. By the time we took off the dogs were absolutely thrilled and couldn't wait for the adventures ahead! This round we are led by the great Fire and Katy. Next stop is 43 miles down the trail at the Sourdough Checkpoint.