Reindeer

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Anyone who has been following along with our tour business, Last Frontier Mushing Co-op, has probably seen photos of our reindeer. I’ve had several folks ask me, why reindeer? And my normal response is- why not?! I’ve always dreamed of having a farm, and reindeer are the ultimate arctic farm animals. Their coats are exceptionally thick, so frigid -50F temperatures are no big deal. In the winter, the reindeer eat the snow for hydration, so a water trough isn’t necessary. They’re browsers, meaning that our fields of saplings are PERFECT habitats for them. Seeing as caribou and reindeer are just different subspecies, they’re essentially made for the Arctic. I love watching them eat and move. They’re curious and agile. Long story short- who wouldn’t want a couple reindeer?

In our pursuit to begin a reindeer farm, we (Last Frontier Mushing Co-op) purchased three reindeer last fall- Ronin, Chisto, and Olive. A bull and two cows, these are to be the foundation of our new herd. They were all about one and half years old and had lived most of their life in the company of other reindeer, not humans. Ronin, with his bullish confidence, has learned to tolerate us, but Chisto and and Olive are a little more timid. Because we hope to incorporate reindeer as an educational and interactive component in our tours, we decided to not overly stress Ronin, Chisto, and Olive and instead focus on socializing their future offspring. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided our herd wasn’t ready to produce calves, so we decided to acquire two new bull calves with whom to begin training. And guess what- they arrived yesterday! These two boys are already quickly warming up to their new human and canine herdmates. As I type this blog post, I’m sitting in their pen, watching them nap, snore, and burp. Such cuties.

Napping Boys

Dog Runs and School Portraits

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Temperatures have been getting cooler and the pups are feeling SPUNKY!

We’ve been regularly taking out 10-dog teams for a short two miles to stretch their legs and get them warmed up before we start fall training. Even though they’ve hardly gotten their heart rate up by the time we return to the yard, these shorter distances are perfect for newbies like Scarpa, Petzl, Bert, and Ernie. All four of the yearlings have been rocking it!

I took a short video of a training run this morning. The team comprised of Lefty and Crunch leading followed by Faff and Yoshi, Smoky and Bowser, Thresher and Scarpa, Petzl and Mario, Otis and Bull. Lots of youth and lots of enthusiasm!

Yesterday, Scott Chesney with Tailspin Media came out to the kennel for our yearly school portraits. This is Scott’s FIFTH year of doing portraits! Thank you Scott! Some of the dogs are photogenic and require little distractions. Others require just a squeaky toy. And others require squeaky toy, weird animal sounds on the phone, and exaggerated flapping movements by the entertainment staff (aka me).

Derek, Bowser, Saeward, and Scott behind the camera.

Bert loved have Scott visit!

Amelia and Ernie

Jana and Bowser

Jana and Bowser

Cooke and Ewok

Cooke and Ewok

Tobin and Rose

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Meet the latest recruits to the Ryno team- Tobin and Rose!

These two youngsters joined us from Tagish Lake Kennel.

Rose is super friendly and playful. She’s always the first to come running when called and loves people. She’s long-legged and isn’t afraid of the big dogs.

Tobin is adventurous and little more aloof. He does enjoy attention, but he prefers running through the trees and exploring. He picked up “sit” quickly. He’s fearless and will take off sprinting down a trail even if no one else is joining him.

If you followed the World Cup this summer, you’ll probably recognize the theme! These two pups are named after Tobin Heath and Rose Lavelle who were two of my favorite players to watch. Hopefully these two will be champions like their namesakes!

Rose

Tobin

Yukon Quest!

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I just love this race so much that we’re headed back for the 2020 YUKON QUEST!!!!! Woot woot!

August 3rd was signups for the 2020 Yukon Quest. Ten mushers signed up on the first day, and we’re excited to see several friends on the list!

  1. Rob Cooke (V) - Whitehorse, YT

  2. Brent Sass (V) - Eureka, AK

  3. Lori Tweddell (R) - Whitehorse, YT

  4. Richie Beattie (V) - Two Rivers, AK

  5. Louve Tweddell (R) - Whitehorse, YT

  6. Dave Dalton (V) - Healy, AK

  7. Torsten Kohnert (V) - Lapland, Sweden

  8. Cody Strathe (V) - Ester, AK

  9. Ryne Olson (V) - Two Rivers, AK

  10. Denis Tremblay (V) - St-Michel des Saints, QC

We’ve also heard of a few mushers who intend to sign up later this fall. Cough cough…Michelle Phillips, Ed Hopkins, and Chase Tingle!

We can’t wait to share another 1000-mile race with all the Ryno fans. For this year’s Quest, I’m pumped to have our same human players- Derek, Kalyn, Saeward, Katy (mom)- plus one new addition- Tom! I’m so excited to have my little brother Tom helping out this season. As for the canine athletes, we should have an amazing crew this year! We have a really strong 3-year-old class who are poised to challenge some of the older veterans for their spots on the Quest team. Stay tuned for a pre-season athlete report to get the update on all the canine athletes.

And more exciting news- Ryno Kennel will soon have puppies! There has been a bit of radio silence this year as our planned breeding of Loretta and Coupe (Squid Acres Car Litter) didn’t result in puppies, but we will soon have FOUR pups joining us from other kennels! Arriving today from Michelle Phillips and Ed Hopkins in Canada are two pups, and later in September, two pups will be joining us from Jen Lebar (these two will be half siblings with Amelia). Photos and more info soon to come.

The mushing season is just around the corner- thank you all for continuing to be part of the Ryno Team!

Homestead Improvements

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The summer has been flying by, and temperatures have been HOT! Most days, temperatures hovered in the mid-high seventies if not eighty to eighty-five degrees. Normally, the dogs sleep through the hot days, basking in the warmth. Of course, that means when it’s finally a bit cooler around 1AM-3AM, the yard becomes alive! The dogs start barking, playing with their neighbors, and bouncing off the walls. We’re all looking forward to when the temperatures drop again and darkness returns. Our saving grace has been the Chena River. Several nights a week, a big group of pups and I head for the river to swim, fish, or cool off. Typically we meet Amanda, Janelle, Saeward, or the Borealis Peony gang for a massive dog party!

During the past two weeks, we’ve also had father-in-law (and Ryno Kennel Founder), Rick, at the kennel to help with projects. Our primary focus has been:

1- Building an uber-insulated battery shed

2-Staining and chinking the cabin

Lazy workers

Rick- with a Founders shirt that’s still in good condition!

The shed before Tyvek. We’ll then add siding and a pole barn over the top. The structure in square in an effort to decrease any wasted space (like the peak of a roof).

This past year, we’ve been turning on the generator whenever we need power and shutting it off when we’re finished. That means any time we needed water (except for a brief period when our pipes froze and we had to get water from the Chena River in the middle of the winter… oops), work on the computer, use a vacuum, or do anything energy related, we had to turn on the generator. I don’t like to turn on the generator for simple tasks (like charging a computer), so I’ve mostly just done without (which I’ll blame for my lack of blogs this year). Excitingly, in the near future, we’ll have a battery bank and solar panels!! We can’t wait!! Solar panels should cover all our energy needs from March-October, but we will have to turn on the generator during the dark winter months. However, with the battery bank, we’ll be able to store any excess power generated, rather than waste the extra output when all I needed was to work on the computer. Our main energy needs will be water, lights, washer, dryer, computer, and phone charging. Our fridge is powered with propane as is our oven. Having a 10-inch thick insulated shed for our battery bank, generator, and inverter is going to be a ginormous improvement for us!! Anyways, I was explaining all this to say that our battery shed was one of Rick’s main focuses during his “vacation.” A big thank you to Rick for helping building the shed!

Once the battery shed was complete (save the siding and pole barn over the roof), Rick started chipping away on the main cabin. On the to-do list for this summer is staining and chinking the cabin. Rick scraped all the old bark that was stubbornly hanging to the logs and began staining. Wow is it looking excellent! Now just imagine chink, a big porch with a rocking chair and dog couch- it’s going to be heaven! Can you spy Kindi in her favorite sleeping spot?

Girls to Mushers

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Next year, we’re excited to be a part of a new trip offered through Last Frontier Mushing Co-op-

You can check it out on our webpage-

https://www.themushingcoop.com/girls-to-mushers

Girls to Mushers!

FREE for 14-18 year olds!

Are you between the ages of 14-18 with the dream of becoming a musher or just simply love outdoor adventures? Come learn with the best! Here at the Last Frontier, we want to provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for FOUR young dog lovers to get fully hooked on mushing. This three day, two night adventure is designed specifically for young girls to get out of their comfort zone and build self-confidence for whatever challenge they tackle next. You’ll learn to mush your own team, camp in the Arctic, and basic wilderness skills.

Expedition Details

March 8th - March 10th 2020

Maximum of 4 mushers

The trip begins at the Last Frontier Mushing Co-op in Two Rivers, Alaska. Each gal will drive her own team of 4-5 dogs and will have the same canine athletes every day to establish a bond between musher and team. No prior mushing experience is necessary, but we do ask that you are active and relatively fit. You should be prepared and able to stand on the runners for 4-5 hours each day with intermittent stops for snacks, lunch and photo op's.

Lodging

Our first night will be spent in Arctic Oven tents, while the second night, we’ll rough it and camp outdoors. Not to worry- we’ll teach everyone how to build a fire to stay toasty warm outside!

Itinerary

Day 1: Meet the crew at 11:00 AM at the Last Frontier Mushing Co-op. Partake in a Mushing School & lunch, then hit the trail and mush to our overnight camp in the Chena River Valley. Two mushers (that’s you gals!) will present a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic involving Alaska, nature, or canines.

Day 2: Mush 15-20 miles and arrive at our second campsite. Learn how to camp outside as well as wilderness survival skills. The two mushers who didn’t present the night before will give a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic involving Alaska, nature, or canines.

Day 3: Mush back to the Last Frontier Mushing Co-op, arriving at approximately 3:00 PM.


How to Sign Up

This trip is FREE. That’s right, completely free for four future mushers. To sign up, please write a 500 word letter telling us about yourself, where you’re from, prior dog experience, and how this trip could help you accomplish future goals. Be creative.

If selected, be prepared to create a 5-10 minute presentation to be given during the expedition. The presentation should be about an issue you’re passionate about involving Alaska, nature, or dogs.

Please attach the letter to an email and send it to themushingcoop@gmail.com. Include a profile picture and a short biography of where you’re from, age, school grade, sports, hobbies, etc. This will be shared publicly when we announce our winners on September 1st. Please specify if you would like for this info to remain private.

*Air fare, lodging & transportation (to and from the Mushing Co-op) NOT INCLUDED.

Be Part of LFMC’s Girls to Mushers Initiative

Our three-day trips are valued at $2,000 per person. Would you like to help us make this trip possible by sponsoring a future musher spot? Any amount is greatly appreciated, whether it’s $20 or the full $2,000. Your contribution will not influence the final musher selection.

Walks Walks Walks!

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Not too much to report from Team Ryno. We’ve just been walking! The yard is split up into 8-10 dog walking groups. We load the groups into the ATV trailer dog box, drive about 1/2 mile down the driveway, then let ‘em rip! The first few minutes are normally pure craziness as the dogs sprint around, yipping, and peeing on shrubs. Eventually, the group settles in for the walk and only the most high energy of the group continue to zoom around. Here are few videos from recent walks of the pups enjoying their summer outings.

Nick, Tom, Ryne

The dogs aren’t the only ones walking. My little brother walked at his graduation from Birmingham Southern College! YIP WOO!! Ok, it’s not really dog related, but we’re very excited for Tom, especially since that frees him up to come be a part of team Ryno next winter! That’s right! Tom is going to spend ALL winter at the kennel! We can’t wait.


Stormy's Cabin

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Every kennel has a story of a dog who started it all, and for Ryno Kennel, that’s Stormy. I fell in love with Stormy at SP Kennel. After leading my first Iditarod in 2012, Stormy retired to my couch and was the nanny to all the pups at Ryno Kennel. Stormy taught kindness, calm confidence, and manners. I’m not sure her hackles even worked, or if they did, she never used them. Stormy passed away last summer, but her calm presence is still felt at the kennel in the actions of all the pups who grew up under her guidance. The first cabin we built on the property has been named “Stormy’s Cabin.” She oversaw the entire building process as well as ensured that the wood stove was warm enough and functioned properly. Thanks for the sign, Cody!

2012 Iditarod

Husky Hikes

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Last week, Kalyn, 17 canine athletes, and I headed down Chena Hot Springs Road for a day hike. There’s a beautiful trail that isn’t on any recreation maps, so (knock on wood), every time we’ve headed there for a hike, we’ve had the place to ourselves! Most of the time we stick to trails close to home for our summer walks, but every now and then it’s fun to take the pack and get up into the high country. And this trail goes up and up and up and up and up, so in a short period of time, we’ve climbed from the Chena River Valley bottom to the very top of the surrounding peaks. The views are spectacular! Some day I’ll try to take photos with Kalyn in them, but for now, she’s the primary photographer and snapped some magnificent photos.

New Recruits

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We’re pretty excited to welcome FIVE new recruits to the Ryno Team! These five are special for a couple different reasons-

1) They’re from our friends at Hey Moose! Kennel. Kristin and I have traveled many miles together, including an entire Iditarod and Yukon Quest! I’ve always loved the spunk and happiness of her dog team and am excited to add these five to the roster.

2) They’re all relatives to our current Ryno all-stars!

Smoky and Otis

These two powerhouse boys are direct brothers to our rockstar- Cooke! They’ll be turning three this summer. Smoky and Otis are inseparable, hence why we don’t have a single photo of them individually. Otis is outgoing, boisterous, and the loudest dog in the yard. He does best running near the back of the team. Smoky is playful, yet more of an introvert. He can be a bit hesitant meeting new people, but he quickly warms up and seems to stare into your soul. This spring, he ran in team, swing, and wheel. I’m hoping with a bit of confidence, he might be a leader like Cooke!

Otis (L) & Smoky (R)

Oryx

Oryx is part of the African litter, meaning she’s siblings with King Louie, Vanessa, Nile, and Badger! She has their INSANE energy and spunk. This past winter, she finished the Yukon Quest with Andy. Good job Oryx!

Oryx

Loretta

Loretta and Dolly are Cooke’s older sisters. They have the same parents but were born a few years earlier. Loretta has quite a resume including Yukon Quest (3 times) and Iditarod. Her personality reminds me of Katy- super affectionate with a calm, confident demeanor. She’s been around the block (aka 1000-miles) just a few times.

Loretta

Dolly

Talk about adorable. Dolly is Cooke’s older sister, and like Loretta, she has finished multiple 1000-mile races. Dolly led the majority portion of Andy’s Yukon Quest this year. She’s very loving until it’s go-time, then she’s harness banging to run!

Dolly

We’re so excited to welcome these athletes to our team!

Puppy Runs!

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With yesterday’s cooler temperatures, we took all the dogs out for a nice, short stretch-out run! For Bert and Ernie, that meant it was their first time in harness, and they were excellent!

When putting pups in harness for the first time, we typically run each dog by themselves so that they can focus on the task at hand and not worry about playing with their neighbor. We also hook the team up slightly away from the dog yard to try and create a slightly more quiet, calm environment. Both Bert and Ernie were naturals, although Bert did try to turn around in harness a couple times, which can cause a pretty big tangle! Spinning around, excitedly barking, chewing on lines, or trying to chase squirrels are all common behaviors for a first time pup. It’s the manners part we have to train, the pulling comes naturally!

Petzl and Scarpa have also been rockstars! Scarpa can be a bit of a heathen at hook up (pouncing all over her neighbor), so for this run we had her run by herself. That being said, once we give the READY?! command, both girls are leaping forward in harness and ready to go. We’re very excited about their futures! Petzl is food motivated and loves human affection. Scarpa loves adventure and exploring and isn’t as concerned about whether or not a human is nearby, which is interesting because as a pup, she stayed right by my heels on every puppy walk. Go figure!

We’re looking forward to cooler temps over the summer and next fall so that we can really start working with this puppy class!

Bert

Ernie

Petzl

Scarpa