Alan Eischens has been involved with the sport of mushing for more than 30 years. Over that time, he’s served as a race official and checkpoint volunteer. In 2012 he established Double EE kennel in Wasilla. He’s done a sled load of qualifying races and participated in his first Iditarod or perhaps we should say Iditariver in 2015. The lack of snow between Anchorage and the interior caused race officials to relocate the start of the race to Fairbanks. Rather than going up and over the Alaska Range, the 2015 trail ran along rivers for most of the miles between Fairbanks and Kaltag.
Al Eishens Dedicating Miles to Awareness of Pediatric Disease
Eischens was in Nome in 1978 when Dick Mackey claimed victory over Rick Swenson by one second. It was a duel of teams on Front Street that Eischens will likely remember the rest of his life. The two teams were neck and neck heading to the burled arch. Mackey went ahead of Swenson by almost the length of a football field but then his dogs ran up on the sidewalk and into the spectators. Swenson who took the lead soon found his dogs inspecting the underside of a parked school bus. Mackey once again gained the lead only to get tangled up in a camera tripod just as he entered the chute. Swenson was closing the gap. But not giving up, Mackey ran up, untangled his leaders and the two teams crossed under the arch only a second apart. The photo finish caused quite the controversy. There had never been one so close. Was it the whole team, sled and driver that had to cross under the arch or was it any part of the team. Decision – any part of the team.
Alan grew up in Adak, a village of the Aleutian Islands. He developed a great love for the out of doors and living off the land. He’s lived for ten years in Savoonga on St. Laurence Island where he worked construction. When Eischens finished Iditarod 2015, there were many Islanders in Nome to great him. Alan has also lived in Fairbanks. When he takes time away from training dogs and racing, he’s likely to be hunting, fishing, woodworking or snow machining.
Eischens dedicates the many miles he’s does with his dog team to bringing awareness and education to the public about pediatric stroke and pediatric brain cancer. Two special little gals, Ava and Remedy are pictured in the Double EE Kennel photo gallery holding a poster saying to Alan, “You be our legs, we’ll be your heart.”
This is a really special year for Remedy. Alaska Airlines secured Al’s Iditarider sled and donated the seat to Remedy. She’ll ride the distance of the ceremonial start seated with her mother in Al’s sled. The “special” doesn’t end there. Friends and Nome businesses came together covering expenses for to bring Remedy and her mother to Nome for iditarod week. It’s a dream come true for Remedy and a story that speaks to goodness and generosity. Al says when he’s having a rough day on the trail, he thinks of Remedy and what she’s overcome. It quickly reminds him that his challenges are very small.
