Tyne Walker, 16, was born in Kotzebue, Alaska. She started mushing when she was 12 because “I love the dogs and the excitement of racing,” she says. This will be her first Jr. Iditarod but she has run some sprint races. She’s a sophomore at Kotzebue High School and when she graduates, she wants to go to college and to learn to fly airplanes. She enjoys playing the recorder, weightlifting and skijoring. Tyne says, “My family had a lot of animals including horses, reindeer, a goat and chickens. My parents were both mushers when they were younger.” Tyne is part Inupiaq Eskimo.