Circle City

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Ryne pulled into Circle City Checkpoint about 1:45 PM (AKST) very excited about how great the team is running. She said Dingle was an incredible leader over Eagle Summit, and Ham was instrumental leading through the overflows. After the mandatory 6 hour rest, Ryne is excited to run the last leg over night back into Central to the finish!

Birmingham Alabama Founders Club members wanted to send a message to Ryne for her run tonight:

ryne.jpg

To Ryno Kennel Followers: this is Ryne's Mom, Katy. I am sorry we are not able to post any photos yet.Though Ryno Kennel has an experienced musher out there, she has a very inexperienced and technically challenged web manager! And, currently, I am in Birmingham, Alabama visiting family trying to get coaching from children in Boston on how to upload anything! So sorry, but count on Ryne posting/explaining a lot when she is off the trail. Hopefully, before she races again, I will receive a tutorial!!

Rest

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Ryno Kennel completed a 5-hr rest at Central at approximately 1:30am (AKST). We have lost communications with her handlers due to poor cell coverage in this area. Early in the race Ryne dropped one young dog, Katy - due to a sore shoulder. 

Ryne is now over half way through the race. Her eleven happy puppies are rested and now moving down the trail. Follow her on the tracker. http://www.yukonquest.com/race-central/yq300-live-tracker

Quest 300 ATHLETES

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Time to announce the 2014 Quest 300 Ryno Team! As you can see, there's lots of energy and youth! I'm so excited to share the experience with nine first-time racers (Cartel, Katy, Supai, Rucu, Kindi, Ham, Fez, Derby, and Neptune). While it's fun to run a team of trail-hardened veterans, it will be so rewarding to overcome challenges and be a part of their transformation from goofy pups to real sled dogs. Two allstars from SP Kennel, Dingle and Lester, as well as leaders Neptune, from Riley Dyche, and Brie, from Dr. Tamara Rose, are joining the team to help make the race a success. Seven hours and counting!

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Handling Crew

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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

Derek and Jezzy

Meet my little brother, Tom!

A Warm Sunrise

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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.