Ryne and Team Win the Veterinarian Care Award!

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In addition to the standard placings, additional awards are handed out at the end of races recognizing various accomplishments including The Red Lantern (last place), the Golden Rake (best handler), Rookie of the Year, Sportsmanship Award and the Vet Care Award.

At this year's Copper Basin, the winners of the awards are as follows-

Red Lantern- Jason Stewart

The Golden Rake- Kim Franklin's handler

Rookie of the Year- Dave Delcourt

Sportsmanship- Darrin Lee

Vet Care Awards- Ryne Olson and Torsten Kohnert

Yes! We were ecstatic to win the Vet Care Award along with Torsten Kohnert. Finishing well in a race is always a source of pride, but nothing is more rewarding than being recognized for the health and happiness of the dog team. A huge thank you to Fire, Cartel, Ham, Katy, Perm, Fez, Rucu, Jana, Supai, Kindi, Pirate, and Drummer for making Ryno Kennel look good!

Expect a fast, crazy finish!

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At the last check point, the Mendeltna Creek Lodge, all race teams must complete their mandatory accumulated rest time for the race, 18 hours.  Therefore, new leave times for the last leg to finish have been posted:

Matt Hall 2:53 AM; Allen Moore 3:22 AM; Ryne Olson 3:28 AM; Aliy Zirkle 3:31 AM; Nicolas Petit 3:58 AM; Jessica Hendricks 4:29 AM

Ryne's team is very rested and looks very healthy and excited to go. This is going to be a crazy finish --- about 60 miles to go!

Go Ryno Kennel go!

 

 

Movin' Up

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Wow -- what a fast race this is turning into.

Last word from the trail was Ryne had arrived at Meiers Lake at 12:55 AM. She had moved from 40th to 8th in just over 12 hours! The trails had warmed up to 5 degrees above zero, and the dogs were in high spirits. Katy and Ham were in lead; Ryne said she is rotating the leaders every run to keep them fresh. 

Ryne has managed her rest time and at the Meiers Lake checkpoint had 9 hours in the bank towards the mandatory 18, while some in front of her have less rest and will have to stop, so we might be seeing Ryne move up even more.

Maliko arrived at the Meiers Lake checkpoint at 5:42 AM this morning with a happy team -- they had stopped earlier for a camp out on the trail!

Oh my, as I have been typing, the CB300 website shows Ryne arriving at the Sourdough Checkpoint at 10:31 AM putting her in 5th place! With a run time of 3 hours 22 minutes, 2nd fastest to this checkpoint so far, the dogs must be very sassy and happy.

Following are a few pictures from Meiers Lake with the last one taken from the Copper Basin site on facebook of a sled dog team under the Northern Lights at Meier's Lake--what a treat!

Copper Basin 300: Ryno Kennel Team Selections & Start Positions

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First, Ryno Kennel would like to thank all the wonder volunteers of the Copper Basin 300 for all they do putting together our first long distance race of the 2016 season. 

After arriving safely in Glennallen yesterday, Ryno Kennel dropped off their checkpoint bags and passed their vet checks with flying colors. Following mandatory musher meetings to receive news on the trail conditions, they were on to the musher draw to receive their bib numbers.

Ryne drew #40 which puts her with a 12:18 start followed close behind by Maliko who drew #45 and a 12:28 start. 

Ryne plans to start with Cartel and Fire as leaders, then Fez and Katy, Perm and Ham, Kindi and Supai, Rucu and Jana, and Pirate and Drummer in wheel.

Maliko will have Niagra and Boone in lead, then Derby and Sally, Belle and lefty, CJ and Coot, Brant and Drake, and Charley and Fenton in wheel.

Join us to listen to the start of the race broadcast by KCAM radio (http://cent8.directhostingcenter.com/start/oxtbxndc/)  Also, follow the GPS trackers at Race Central found on CB300.com and find regular updates on Copper Basin's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Copper-Basin-300-Sled-Dog-Race-113218608732801/?fref=ts).

 

Copper Basin Here We Come!

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We are so excited to be starting two teams in the Copper Basin 300 this weekend.  Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll be setting off with four humans and twenty four canine athletes to Glennallen.  This year, we've got an all star team of not only dogs, but also people!  Joining us as handlers for the 2016 Copper Basin, we have Derek Patton handling for Ryne and Tessa Butterfield handling for Maliko.  Both Derek and Tessa handled at last year's Copper Basin for Ryno Sled Dog Kennel, and we're thrilled to have them both back (though, to be fair, Derek probably wouldn't have let anyone else handle for Ryne anyway).  

Due to our strangely warm winter, the trail has been changed a little bit from previous years.  Rather than starting in Glennallen, we'll be starting in Gakona, about twenty miles up the road.  This changes our strategy a little bit as the first run into Red Eagle Lodge will only be about thirty miles.  That's a breeze for our super stars!  

Follow our teams on the Copper Basin (CB300.com) website, and stay tuned to Facebook and the Ryno Sled Dog Kennel webpage for pictures and updates from along the trail!

Picture from one of the final training runs before the big race!

Iditarod Insider

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Iditarod Insider has been highlighting two Iditarod mushers each week in a short video clip. This week, the Iditarod Insider featured Ryno Kennel! Check it out!

http://iditarod.com/insider-features-ryne-olson-and-ryan-redington/

If you haven't subscribed to the Iditarod Insider yet, now would be a great time! The Insider allows you to track all the mushers during the Iditarod as well as watch short clips of various teams and interviews of the mushers.

 

Trapline Pups

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Panorama View

Sunset on the trapline

While Maliko, the race dogs, and I have been busy training for Copper Basin, the trapline crew of Derek, Chagga, Earl, and Frosty have been enjoying the beautiful views of the trapline. Frosty grew up with Matt Hall outside of the small community of Eagle, Alaska, so for Frosty, life on the trapline is heaven. He spends his free-time exploring the forest around the cabin then leads the yearlings when it's time to "work." For Earl and Chagga, it's a great learning experience and gets them in touch with their roots. They get to explore untouched wilderness, breaking trail, moving slow and pulling heavier loads with lots of stopping to set and check traps. In addition to learning patience, they receive lots of one-on-one interaction and quickly learn that if they don't pull hard, the sled doesn't move. When not running the line, Earl and Chagga get to romp and play around the cabin. Oh, and I forgot to mention the final member of the trapline crew- Jezzy! Jezzy gets to run in front and scout the trail. She even caught a marten! Good dog!

I spy Frosty the trapline dog in his favorite sleeping spot. Can you?

Occasionally Derek finds remnants of the trappers of old. Here are a couple videos of rundown trapper cabins that Derek stumbled upon. Interestingly, the majority of their gear and belongings are still left in the cabins. The video on the right is particularly unique because the cabin is located underground!

Here's a video of Derek, Frosty, Earl, Chagga, and Jezzy in action!