MATTHEW

JEFFERSON PORTER

Matthew Jefferson Porter, 24, of Trapper Creek, was the victim of a one-car highway fatality just north of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, on Sept. 13, 2001. He was traveling to Banff with a friend on a climbing expedition.

A lifelong Alaskan resident, Mr. Porter was born Aug. 23, 1977. He graduated from Susitna Valley High School near Talkeetna.

During high school, Mr. Porter won the Junior Mount Marathon championship and state cross-country ski championship. He achieved recognition as an All-American junior cross-country skier for four consecutive years. He had finished his junior year as an outdoor studies major at Alaska Pacific University.

According to his family: "Matt possessed a consuming love of mountains, snow and all that was Alaska. Matt grew up surrounded by the lore of Denali and began climbing in the mid '90s. At 18, Matt and a friend completed an extraordinary traverse of Denali that started from the Porter homestead in Trapper Creek and ended at Wonder Lake. After many trips with friends and family in the Alaska, Wrangell, and Chugach ranges, he began instructing mountaineering and guiding with Alaska-Denali Guiding and Alaska Mountaineering School in 1998. Matt freely shared his contagious enthusiasm for the Alaskan wilderness or, as he referred to it, "the real world," with his clients, students and many friends. Matt was involved in mountain rescues on Denali and the Chugach Range."

In his autobiography, he wrote: "The teacher that taught me the most was always the land." Most of Mr. Porter's interests were dominated by the Alaska landscape; he skied, fished, biked, hiked or climbed rock and ice every chance he got. He loved spending time at his cabin near Chickaloon, and the surrounding Talkeetna Mountains.

Although he had traveled in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Europe, he was always drawn back to Alaska. Other passions included poetry and music.

Mr. Porter will be greatly missed by his parents, David and Sondra Porter; and beloved brother, Nate Porter, all of Trapper Creek; best friend, Shannan Roy of Chickaloon; paternal grandparents, Floyd and Jean Porter; uncles and aunts, Curt and Diane Porter of Alabama and Don and Dottie Stucker of Utah; as well as many cousins and adventure-loving friends.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Porter's homestead in Trapper Creek, Mile 3.1 W. Petersville Road.

Brian Okonek and Mike Wood will guide the memorial. Potluck and music will follow. In lieu of flowers, scholarship donations may be sent to the Matthew Porter Memorial Fund, Mat Valley Federal Credit Union.

Local arrangements were made by Kehl's Palmer Mortuary.