Thank You!

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Thanks to everyone who has purchased a Ryno Kennel t-shirt over the past week. We’ve had 11 shirts purchased, bringing the donation total to $300! There are still some t-shirts remaining, so be sure to hop on the gear page!

Here are some videos and photos from the past week. Dogs. Dogs. Dogs!

Mario and his stormy eyes.

Liz (you may remember Liz- she handled at Ryno Kennel two winters ago) is here for the summer and has generously offered to help with projects! Most of the time, it’s just chores and walking dogs, but yesterday we started the process of pressure washing and re-painting each platform. Just a short nine hours later, we had platform one of three complete!

Pressure washing

Painted!


Time for Change

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I’ve always loved the outdoors. Some of my favorite early memories are playing with my brothers, cousins, and family at Yeilding Lake in Birmingham, Alabama. Launching off the rope swing. Catching bass. Learning to water ski. Skidding around corners on inner tubes pulled behind a jet boat. Catching frogs and turtles, running from snakes. Later on, I remember our backpacking trips in Colorado. My mom playing army with us to keep us moving down the trail. My dad teaching me to fish. Singing “the ants go marching” as we charged through afternoon storms in the mountains. In high school, my brother, two friends and I spent a summer hiking the entire 486-mile Colorado Trail. We were supported by our family and friends who resupplied us every week or so. I was taught to ski at a young age, both downhill and cross-country. Our garage was filled with outdoor gear, and I was encouraged by friends, family, the media, my community- literally everyone- to go outside. Be adventurous. So when people ask me how I got into the sport of mushing and pursued my dreams, I can look back on all those memories and think- how could I have not? I was surrounded by opportunity and support. Even today, generous people have sent donations during this pandemic helping us through this challenging time. And that’s not to say this lifestyle doesn’t require hard work, but there were/are role models, family, and friends along the way to help open doors and make my path easier.

But I realize that’s not the case for everyone. There are many people in this world who don’t have the same level of support. Who don’t see people who look like them in the media doing adventurous activities. Who don’t have the same opportunities. The outdoor community has little to no diversity. And in case you haven’t caught on yet, I’m trying to talk about racism. And truth be told, I’m not very good at it. While there is outwardly confrontational racism, there’s also more subtle ways. Access to opportunities. The subtle ques that society gives to tell you what you can or cannot do, what you can or cannot be. If you google search rock climbers, mountaineers, mushers, outdoor equipment ads, you’ll see a disturbing lack of diversity. We want to help change that. While it might not be much, Ryno Kennel will donate all the proceeds (less shipping) from the sale of our merchandise to the national non-profit: Outdoor Afro. We want to help diversify the face of outdoor adventure.

https://outdoorafro.com/about/

As described on their website, “Outdoor Afro has become the nation’s leading, cutting edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. We help people take better care of themselves, our communities, and our planet! Outdoor Afro is a national non-profit organization with leadership networks around the country. With nearly 80 leaders in 30 states from around the country, we connect thousands of people to outdoor experiences, who are changing the face of conservation. So come out in nature with us, or be a partner to help us grow our work so that we can help lead the way for inclusion in outdoor recreation, nature, and conservation for all!”

We know it’s a small start, but we hope to be a part of the change. So hop on over to our Gear Page and buy some Ryno Kennel Gear!

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Here We Go!

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And just like that…..we’ve signed up for the 2021 Iditarod Sled Dog Race!

All spring, we’ve been discussing the next race season. What races should we compete in? Iditarod? Yukon Quest? Both? Which mid-distance races? Will races even happen?

There has been so much uncertainty, but the one thing that has remained certain is that we have 43 Alaskans Huskies, with 24 potential racers, and we’re ALL amped for adventure. So here we go!

Our decision to enter the Iditarod was made easier by a few factors:

1- The Iditarod is providing a 50% discount for entries received in the month of June (that’s $2,000 off!).

2- The first 50 mushers to sign up for Iditarod will be awarded the Pike Veterinary Stimulus of $500 to apply towards veterinary expenses.

3- We haven’t been on the Iditarod trail since 2016, so it’s about time we go back for more exploration!

Beyond the Iditarod, we’re not sure of other racing plans, but we’ll be sure to keep you all informed as decisions are made. Kalyn will be returning for another season (YEAH KALYN!!!!), and we also have a new recruit - Mandy. More info soon to come.

In the meantime, here is a video from our 2016 Iditarod to get you all excited! Thank you to everyone for following along and being apart of the Ryno Team! We couldn’t do this without you all!