HUMAN

Name: Ryne Olson

Age: 33

Residence: Two Rivers, Alaska

Occupation: I’m a guide at Chena Outdoor Collective

Years involved with Iditarod: 12 years

Iditarod Role: Most recently, my Iditarod role has been as a musher, but I’ve been a handler or just a fan.

Current Location: Lakefront Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 3, 2022

Temperature: 68 F Indoors

What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?

I first became involved with the Iditarod when I was handling for Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore. And I helped them take off on the start, and then got to fly to Unalakleet, and fly to Nome, and take a snow machine to White Mountain and just got a little taste of what it was like on the trail. And I was hooked.

What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?

I am here today, involved the Iditarod because of the adventure of the race and being able to travel across Alaska with a dog team. We always want to be competitive and do it as quickly as we can, but honestly, when it comes down to it’s just an incredible way to see the state and do it with some of the most amazing animals on the planet, it’s the ultimate wilderness adventure. And so that’s why we’re here. I love stopping in at all the small communities, or as many of them as we can, it’s definitely different now in the times of COVID, but that is forever one of my favorite things about races like the Iditarod, is stopping at those small communities and meeting those people, and getting a little glimpse into their lives, and traveling the trails that they travel between communities.

Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences.

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was traveling along the coast, I’ve traveled across the coast times now, and every time there are stories to tell from it just because the weather is so different than what I’m used to. But one time in particular, it was my rookie Iditarod, there was a big storm between Shaktoolik and Koyuk and many teams were held up, and I, all of a sudden, went from being in the thirties or forties and now potentially break into the top 20.
And once again, I was a rookie and I did not really know what I was doing, and so I pulled up and was really gung-ho, there had been some wind coming across the spit to Shaktoolik but the dogs did amazing, and so I was like, I could take a short rest and keep going, and all of a sudden jump all these spots, but it was some veteran mushers who were like, “Well, have you actually looked at what this next of stretch trail is? You’re going out across the sea ice, go over the berm and get down at face level and see what the dogs will actually be running into.”
And I did that and decided that I will wait and go with other mushers and not blaze out on my own. And even that, once it was finally time to leave Shaktoolik and run to Koyuk, was incredible, it was nerve-wracking, but there I traveled around with some other mushers and it was incredible to see what the dogs could do. And then also just totally out of my element and a moment that I will never forget.

What do you know for sure?

What I know for sure in my life is that I will always have dogs in some capacity. Dogs bring so much joy in every activity you do, I can’t imagine hiking without dogs, I can’t imagine skiing without dogs. So whether we’re competing in the Iditarod or just recreationally mushing or planning our own adventures, I know for sure that my life will always involve dogs.