At twelve years old, Ryne received one of the best birthday presents imaginable: a dog sled ride. The experience was never forgotten, so eight years later as a twenty-year-old, Ryne 'googled' dog sled jobs and wound up moving from her hometown of Durango, Colorado to the upper peninsula of Michigan. She worked for the entire winter at a sled dog kennel in Michigan and was "hooked". From there, she kept heading north to Juneau, Alaska where she worked on the Herbert Glacier giving sled dog tours. She headed even farther north in 2010 to Two Rivers, Alaska - which she now calls home. Running a 1,000-mile dog sled race has been a lifetime goal for Ryne. She will be racing the Red and Black Team in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2012. She is a full-time team member of SP Kennel and adopted family to Aliy and Allen. She will prepare for her rookie Iditarod run in Two Rivers and learn from Aliy, Allen, and the accomplished dogs at SP Kennel.
Ryne grew up skiing, hiking, and camping with her two brothers, Nick and Tom, and childhood best friend, a yellow labrador named Honey. At 17, she through-hiked the 500-mile Colorado Trail with her dog, brother Nick, and two friends. Already a dog lover and outdoor enthusiast, mushing just made sense. Now in addition to mushing, her passions include reading, baking (with chocolate), and camping with her Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy, Jezebel.
Ryne's Race History:
2009 - 2010: Race to the Sky 300, UP 200
2010 - 2011: (Red & Black Team) Yukon Quest 300, Two Rivers Chatinika Challenge 100
