Retirement

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Retirement. What does that even mean? For me, as a 29-year-old, retirement seems like a distant time and place that will magically appear once I get older. That’s how it works right? You hit a certain age when your body is tired and your mind is ready for a change and you magically have money in your bank account to relax, explore, and pay for health care? Ok, ok, maybe that’s not how it works. And since dog mushing doesn’t really come with a human retirement plan, I prefer to live by the mantra that if you like your work, you never work a day in your life. So we’ll just keep working!

While I may be nonchalant with my own retirement planning, I’m much more dedicated to the retirement of the athletes. Every time we welcome a new puppy to Ryno Kennel, it comes with the knowledge that we are responsible for every aspect of their life, including retirement. For some athletes, that means living out their days here at Ryno Kennel (like Crazy). For others, it means enjoying a couch in another home as the center of attention. Some athletes retire around eight or nine years old (this is common). Others retire earlier. And when they’re ready, it’s obvious. They might be more subdued at hook up or start to get stiff after long runs or run for the couch instead of the gang line when hooking up. If you listen, dogs are good communicators and let you know exactly what retirement means to them.

We’ve had a few retirees from the 2017-2018 race team, and I realized I have failed to announce their retirements!

Ham and Niagra have retired to train the yearlings. They still run regularly; however, the miles are shorter and there’s much more rest. They might run in a shorter race, but no more 1000-mile races for these two rockstars. Most nights they sleep inside with Tyler, our yearling trainer.

Coot’s Halloween Costume

Kindi is still at Ryno Kennel, but she will be retiring to live with my little brother, Tom, next spring. In the meantime, she’s training the yearlings, getting extra attention during tours, and sleeping inside with Tyler or Kalyn.

Belle, like Kindi, has retired but is at the Kennel until the spring. She’ll be moving in with our friend, Kelsey, as a hiking buddy and companion down in Anchorage. In the meantime, she’s training yearlings, rocking tours, and sleeping inside with Tyler.

Coot has retired to Seattle, WA and lives with our friends Phil and Emily. While Coot is still young, healthy, and strong, he preferred couch time to long races. Now he’s sleeping on Phil and Emily’s couch and hiking around the Seattle area.

Drake and his couch.

Drake has retired to our friend Joe’s recreation team. Drake still loves running and wasn’t quite ready for retirement, but an Achilles injury last winter means that long distance racing is no longer in his best interest. He’s running shorter distances and camping with Joe’s team.

Blitz moved down the road to Jeff and Jeri Reid’s kennel, Frozen Trident. Blitz will be helping Jeff qualify for Iditarod this season!

While it’s always hard to retire an athlete, I try to be the right home for each dog at the right time. These athletes love adventure and running, but like everyone, there comes a time when they’re ready to settle down and lounge on the couch. Whether it’s my couch or another couch, I make a promise to every athlete that I’m planning for their retirement.

And what are the current athletes doing? Well running of course! Here is a short video in front of The Two Rivers Outpost during a night run. So festive!

The adults had an easy day with some free running and relaxation after a couple longer runs.

Cuddle time with Boone on a stretch out walk. Crunch running by.

Yuker, always the bull in a china shop. Fish and Crunch.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving is one of my all-time favorite holidays.

1- There’s tons of food. Mushers are always hungry.

2- It’s right around the time we transition from ATVs to sleds, which is the most wonderful transition in the world (especially for my back and my right thumb, aka the throttle finger).

3- We get to spend it with friends and family, both human and canine!

We have so much to be thankful for at Ryno Kennel- from the crew who help with everyday tasks to the sponsors and fans who eagerly follow the kennel to the race volunteers- THANK YOU for making this lifestyle possible. And of course, these incredible canine athletes who every day allow us to be part of their wonderful world full of energy, optimism, and adventure. I’m eternally grateful for them.

Our Run from yesterday-

Some mushing days, the dogs are the only color we see!

Ryno Crew

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Training, racing, and caring for a kennel of 45 sled dogs is no small feat, and we couldn’t do it without an amazing, devoted crew of mushers who give their time and energy to this team! We’ve had lots of incredible help in the past, and this winter, we’re lucky to have another top-notch crew!

Kalyn

This season, Kalyn will be assisting with training the adult race team. She has several years of experience training and racing sled dogs, primarily at Manitou Crossing Kennels owned by Jennifer and Blake Freking. For the past three years, Kalyn has handled for the Frekings down in northern Minnesota where she competed in the UP200, Gunflint Mail Run, and Mid-distance Beargrease. With all her experience, we’re so pumped that Kalyn will be helping to train the race team this year! She’s currently entered in the Copper Basin 300. When not mushing, Kalyn’s favorite pastime is paddling in the Boundary Waters or on the coast of Alaska. Kalyn is also a wonderful photographer, so get ready for some great photos this season!

Tyler

We’re thrilled that Tyler has decided to come back for another season of yearling training! This will be Tyler’s third year helping out Ryno Kennel, and his yearling training skills are proven by all the upcoming rockstars. Other than sled dogs, Tyler’s biggest passion is Green Bay football. While training the yearlings, Tyler is also taking an EMT course and doing tours for Last Frontier Mushing Co-op. Thanks for all your help Tyler!

Bert and Ernie

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Welcome Bert and Ernie to the Ryno Team!

Bert and Ernie are from the Supai x Izzy litter and recently arrived at Ryno. Ernie is adventurous, outgoing, and fearless. He loves people, isn’t intimidated by the “big dogs,” and is going to be enormous! Bert is affectionate, vocal, and the best cuddler around. He loves to sit in your lap and nestle into your neck. He’s exceptionally sweet.

We’re so excited for this year’s puppy class of Scarpa, Petzl, Bert, and Ernie!

Thanks to Kalyn for all the wonderful photos!

Ernie

Bert

Kalyn and the pups.

The boys

Voting and Reindeer

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This blog should be relaxing, entertaining, and educational, so I try to keep this a “no politics zone,” but I hope everyone went out and voted yesterday! The dogs sure enjoyed our trip to the voting booth :)

The reindeer are settling in at their new home at the Co-op. Since they’re the start of our reindeer farm, we figured it’s about time we named them! If you have suggestions for names, please check out our Last Frontier Mushing Co-op Facebook Page and caption the photos of each reindeer with your suggested name. If we pick your name, then you get a Last Frontier Mushing Co-op t-shirt!

But first, a bit about the reindeer. Our farm is comprised of two cows and one bull. Each one has a distinctly different personality. The bull is fearless. He doesn’t shy away from ATVs, the dogs, or humans. While that makes it easy to interact with him, we have to be careful around him, especially this time of year (the rut). His confidence hasn’t translated to aggression, but he’ll protect his gals at all costs. The darker cow is the smallest. Even though she is small, she’s holds her own and will push the bull out of the way at the feeding table. She has a mischievious side too and will dip underneath the feeding table to hang out in the small corral by the gate. The white cow is graceful and reserved. We haven’t interacted with her too much yet. She’s at the bottom of the herd pecking order and is the first to shy away. That being said, I think once we gain her trust, she’ll be calm and docile. I’ve loved working with these three and learning about reindeer! While our three are still pretty standoffish, when handled and socialized, reindeer can become versatile, playful, and fun. I’m so excited to keep working with them and continue to grow our farm!

2 cows (to left) and 1 bull (right)

The Bull

Cow 1

Cow 2

Camping Trips

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Over the past week, we’ve been on two different camping trips to prepare the dogs for life on the trail. Most of the team are veterans, so the second straw is laid down, they immediately curl up and catch some shut eye. The two-year-olds, however, aren’t quite as disciplined. They like to play with their neighbor, dig in the snow, or bark at mysterious noises. After a short while, they eventually learn that straw means nap time, and they settle in for a short nap. During both of the campouts, we trained with the dog truck. This means hooking 26 dogs up to the front of the Ford, and cruising down unmaintained back roads. On the one hand, I feel really detached from the team as I roll the window down to yell “Ready, let’s go!” over the roar of the diesel engine. But on the other hand, sitting in a heated cab, listening to music, and making hot, fresh tea with a Jet Boil stove is pretty plush! While I wouldn’t want to train solely with a truck, it sure was comfortable at times :)

Our first camp was with fellow mushers from Squid Acres Kennels and Trail Breaker Kennels. We drove Standard Creek Road just south of Fairbanks. After running for a few hours, we bedded down the dogs for a four hour rest while we chatted with friends, made s’mores, and laughed around a campfire.

A few days later, we went looking for snow and gorgeous scenery on the Denali Highway. The Denali Highway is one of my favorite locations. Take a look at some of these photos, and you’ll see why! We’d stayed the night at Alpine Creek Lodge, and then continued down the Highway the following day, traversing from Cantwell to Paxson. I was very pleased by several young leaders stepping up and charging ahead, even with the chaos of 26 dogs running in a mob. Elmer, Cooke, Wingman, Boone, Jana, Lefty, and Goblin all took turns leading the hoard. Probably my favorite part about truck training is the fact that the whole squad is running together. I can watch all the dogs at one time, and they run shoulder to shoulder, reinforcing the team unity. I feel like a coach, watching their team work side by side, smiling, joking with one another, charging forward driven by a common goal.

Truck training with 26 dogs

Yuker is always doing his own thing. (See black dog upside down in the back).

Wombat and Fenton

Elmer would rather enjoy the view than take a nap.

Starting off from Alpine Creek Lodge

Yearling Goals

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The yearlings are doing great! They’ve been running anywhere from two miles all the way up to fifteen. Once the runs started progressing over ten miles, we separated the yearlings and the adults so that the yearlings would increase their mileage at a slower pace. Ham, Fire, Niagra, Frosty, Kindi, and Belle are responsible for training with the yearlings and being good role models. While we do hope to get the yearlings miled up enough to run a race or two, our goals are very different for yearlings than for the adults.

So what are the ultimate goals when training young dogs (8 months - 2 years old)?

1- Mushing is FUN!

Alaskan Huskies instinctively love to pull and run, but they all have different personalities. We have to ensure that each training run is structured so that the youngsters feel strong, confident, and ready for more. We never want them to question their own abilities. Running must be fun and rewarding in order to set a good foundation. For example, Mario can get overwhelmed running back into the yard after a training run because all the adults like to loudly bark, welcoming the team back to the kennel. We changed up the return trail so there is more distance between the incoming team and the kennel, allowing Mario to feel more comfortable and confident without the adults barking close to him as he runs into the yard.

2- Manners, Manners, Manners

The first year in harness is crucial to starting good habits and manners. Like- don’t chew the neckline, don’t chew the gangline, don’t chew your neighbor etc. We also teach the dogs to come when called. Not only in this useful if they were to get loose in a busy area, but it also makes hook up easier when we can just call each dog to the gangline and not get drug down to the gangline by a crazy, excited super-athlete.

3- Mushing 101 (Passing, Camping etc)

It’s important to introduce the yearlings to activities that occur in training and races like passing other dogs teams, camping in straw away from home, and traveling in a dog truck. Recently, we practiced passing with our neighbors at Smokin’ Ace Kennels. Youngsters can have several different reactions when passing another dog team. They can be aggressive (a rare reaction except with uber confident dogs like Drake and the Duck litter), they can be curious, they can be fearful, or they can be totally unfazed. In the past, most of the youngsters fall somewhere between curious and hesitant, meaning they might drift towards the other team, but they have no intention of actually interacting with them. This a perfect reaction, because with a handful of practice passes with adults in front, the pups soon learn to totally ignore other teams. A couple days ago, we arranged a training run where we’d strategically pass two teams from our friends at Smokin’ Ace Kennels. The planned passing areas were wide, with enough space for the youngsters to not feel intimidated, yet also room for us to drive away from the other team in case the youngsters were too curious and we needed to steer the team off the trail. Each team had 5-6 adult dogs at the front of the team to act as role models and show the youngsters how they should behave. All the yearlings did wonderfully! Here’s a short clip of passing Amanda’s team. You can see Mario (3 up on the right) is slightly intimidated and drops back a bit. He quickly gains confidence though and charges ahead. Yoshi (in wheel on the left) is curious, straining on her neckline to sniff at the other dogs. Thresher (wheel on the right) and Dusky (one up from wheel on the right) didn’t care at all.

Once the yearlings have mastered the above three goals, then we focus on conditioning and adding miles.

A bit about each yearling:

Faff- Faff is the biggest female yearling. She has an insatiable appetite and is cuddly and affectionate. She can be a little timid around older dogs, but she’s realizing that she’s not the smallest dog in the yard. She likes to run in the middle or back of the team.

Mako- It’s amazing how well Mako moves considering his massive size. He’s happy, works hard, and is showing lots of promise. He did get tired at the end of one run and had a bouncy tug (meaning he wasn’t pulling super hard), the last 3/4 of a mile into the yard, but otherwise, Mako has been a rockstar.

Thresher- Thresher is the strongest yearling at the moment. Tyler ran him in lead, and he did wonderfully! He’s not particularly smart, but he loves to run and will yip as he’s running for the first mile or two. He looks like his dad, Goblin.

Bull- I know I just wrote that Thresher is the strongest yearling, but Bull is actually right up there with him. He’s loud, excited, and ready to rock. He has Goblin’s goofy one ear up, one ear down look. Bull is a powerhouse.

Dusky- Dusky has an exceptionally smooth trot and good attitude. At the moment, she’s probably one of the weakest yearlings for a couple minor training hiccups. At first she had trouble entering the dog yard after a run. Once she overcame that fear, she now gets too excited and would rather look around when we leave the dog yard instead of pulling. She quickly gets in the zone once we hit the treeline, but she needs to mature a bit before we start bumping up the miles.

Bowser- He’s a smaller guy (like all the boys in his litter), but he’s focused and works hard. I’d like to try him in lead one of these days because he hardly looks around at all when he’s running.

Mario- Mario is about the size of Cartel! Even though he’s tiny, he has a lot of drive and is the best hugger of the bunch. He struggles the most when running back into the yard, but we’re working on it. It’s not due to lack of drive, more lack of confidence.

Toad- Toad’s name is very fitting because he weighs the least of all the yearlings. He doesn’t weigh much more than Katy! He loves attention, though is one of the more timid yearlings around strangers. He’s been going on most tours in order to get more socialization with new people. Once he feels comfortable with a new person, he won’t leave you alone! He demands attention.

Yoshi- Yoshi is leggy and athletic. Early on, she lacked confidence and would get nervous entering the dog yard. She has been improving with every run! She’s a little more immature than the other yearlings, so she has been running less miles.

Dogs, First Snow, and Reindeer

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We’re having an unseasonably warm October (which the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer called a “thumbs up.” Mushers consider it a “thumbs down.”) We broke a record for the latest snowfall ever recorded in Fairbanks. The previous record was from 1920! Silver lining- the rain is creating some spectacular rainbows!

On this day in 2017 we were putting in our well. And I vividly recall that the ground was frozen and snow covered, I was wearing bunny boots, and the water quickly froze after being blasted out of the well by the air hose. It was poor weather for pounding a well, but fantastic weather for dog running. Currently the weather is 50F and sunny. Luckily, the dogs don’t mind too much as long as we run at the coolest hours of the day and take lots of breaks in the Chena River or enormous puddles, hence why they’re so happy in this video! Can you pick out your favorite dog?

Rain in October—- at least there’s a rainbow accompanying it!

Yuker

Thresher

Puppies soon to join RK! Photos compliments of Aliy.

Photo compliments of Aliy

First snow!- Although it all melted by the afternoon.

A cartoon to make you smile.

As a little girl, I always wanted a horse. I had wonderful friends who let me spend time with their horses, and I joined the Pony Club for a short time. But as with many kids, I also loved soccer, x-country running, nordic skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, backpacking, dogs (the list goes on), and you have to pick your activities. Well, it’s not exactly a horse, but tomorrow the Mushing Co-op is bringing home THREE REINDEER!! They’re not the reindeer in the photos below (these were from my recent visit to the Running Reindeer Ranch), but in no time at all, I hope our reindeer will be as social and personable as the reindeer I met on the tour. I’ll be sure to take photos and write a more informative blog about reindeer shortly after they arrive.

I always wanted a pony.

Puppies in a Basket!

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Last night I went over to SP Kennel to visit with the Izzy x Supai offspring. They’re almost five weeks old now and are motoring all over the place! They go by names like “the Big Fat Boy” or “Tiny Black Girl” or “Shy Brown Girl” or… you get the picture. Aliy and Allen will make their first two picks, and then I’ll have a chance to select two puppies. I know a lot of breeders and mushers have specific personality traits or conformation that they’re looking for (and I should probably do the same), but my 5-year-old inner child comes out and says, “Oooo that puppy is cute!” And there you have it. While good conformation is important, I think it’s the heart of a sled dog that matters more, and there’s no way you can tell that at such a young age.

While I don’t have photos of Scarpa and Petzl, they’re sassy as ever. They’ve mastered the “sit” command, which I’ve found very useful. I had never taught sled dogs “sit,” but one day, my friend Mari at ATAO Kennel said she had taught every single one of her sled dogs how to sit. While sitting in a race isn’t particularly important, knowing “sit” is just one more way you can connect with a dog, and it’s a perfect way to get puppies to focus. At least for half a second. So thanks for the inspiration Mari- I now want every puppy to learn to sit! And Scarpa and Petzl are masters at it. Well, at least for five seconds :)

Cabin Construction Continued

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The Wood Stove!

We’ve had a few chilly nights (4F yesterday morning!), so it’s kicked our cabin construction into overdrive! When temperatures start to drop that low, it means the ground is freezing, and any projects that involve dirt work better be about finished. Luckily, Derek finished connecting our water just in time! If you recall from last fall, we pounded a well next to the cabin. The well has supplied us with water all summer and fall, but it hasn’t been connected to the cabin itself. A submersible pump propelled water out of a hose at the top of the well casing, which meant that when temperatures drop below freezing, the hose was pretty much guaranteed to freeze. To connect the cabin to the well, we dug a three-foot trench, cut a hole in well casing, and connected the pump to a pipe going to the cabin. We then insulated the pipe to keep it from freezing in the winter. And truthfully, when I say “we,” I mostly mean Derek. I occasionally gave a hand, but most the time, I was busy running dogs or doing kennel work! I’m continually impressed by Derek’s can-do attitude and patience when tackling these projects with which we have zero prior experience!

Yesterday’s focus was installing our wood stove. We purchased a super efficient, 12-14 hour burn-time wood stove. The stove even has a filter to make the smoke “cleaner!” Air pollution in the winter is a major problem for the Fairbanks North Pole region because many homes heat with wood or coal, and the smoke sits in the valley. Two Rivers doesn’t have the same issue, but we figured we might as well get as fuel efficient of a stove as possible. Plus, it’s nice to sleep through the whole night and not have to wake up to restock the stove :)

The stove is located on the first floor of the cabin, so it was a bit nerve-wracking cutting through our second floor and then the roof to install the stove pipe! After several hours, Derek and I got to enjoy the warm and comforting glow of a fire in our new wood stove!

I promise to write a dog update here soon! The adults have been training 4-5 days a week and are LOVING the cooler weather. The yearlings are doing shorter miles and learning the routine. They, too, are looking strong! Thank you to all of this year’s dog sponsors. Our new dog sponsor gear has just arrived, so stay tuned for the latest Ryno gear!

Insulating the pipe from the house to the well.

Eagle Visit

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Over the past few days, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Eagle and boat seven miles down the Yukon River to visit with Matt Hall’s parents, Wayne and Scarlett, in their beautiful, remote home. Wayne and Scarlett live a truly subsistence lifestyle. Their property can only be accessed by bush plane (there is a large gravel bar near their house), dog team in the winter, or boat in the summer. Every summer, they put a fish wheel into the Yukon to catch anywhere from 4,000-5,000 Chum salmon to feed their sled dogs. Several years ago, Wayne ran the Yukon Quest; however, now Scarlett and Wayne own and operate Bush Alaska Expeditions, a remote dog touring business that offers the real deal.

Tyler, Matt, and I drove to Eagle (about an 8-10 hour drive depending on road conditions). We combined it with a trip to Delta to grab our winter’s supply of straw for our kennels. Once we arrived in the small community of Eagle (population 65ish), Wayne and their handler, Greg, picked us, and we took their boat downriver to their homestead. You might recognize the city of Eagle, Alaska as a checkpoint in the Yukon Quest. While the Taylor Highway does go to Eagle, it isn’t maintained during the winter months, so a section of the Yukon Quest trail travels on the Taylor Highway, up and over American Summit, and down into Eagle. From there, the Quest trail goes up the Yukon River to Circle, where it once again gets on the road system. Even though I’ve been to Eagle before, I had never seen it in the summertime. American Summit was known for blizzards, wind drifts, and terrifying conditions, and Eagle was a sleepy little community right on the banks of the frozen Yukon River. It was incredible to see all that country in a different season. The town of Eagle was still quiet and easy-going, but wow- American Summit and the Yukon River are TOTALLY different! It’s hard to believe so much water is rushing under our feet as we mush along the frozen Yukon. Or that American Summit actually has a graded road winding up its summit instead of side-hilling wind drifts and sloping glaciers.

While at Scarlett and Wayne’s house, we helped them move their fish wheel across the Yukon River and stage it in preparation for it to be hauled up the bank and stored for the winter. Moving the fish wheel across the Yukon can be a challenging task. If the fish wheel starts to drift too far with the current or turn crosswise to the current, it can result in disaster. Luckily, Wayne expertly pushed the fish wheel across the river and landed it perfectly in an eddy where it would sit until they haul it on land. After that, Matt showed us around the cabin, taking us grayling fishing, up a cliff to a falcon nest, and around the slough. He shared with us stories from his childhood and growing up in bush Alaska. What an incredible way of life! A big thank you to the Halls for letting me sleep on your floor for a couple nights and giving me a little glimpse into your world!

The view from Scarlett and Wayne’s house.

The view from a cliff overlooking the Yukon River.

The Hall’s fish wheel.

The Hall’s home, complete with old dogs waiting to be let inside.