LITTLE PAINTINGS FOR THE BIG PICTURE:

ALASKA HUTS ASSOCATION

In late September, 2022, I was thrilled to release a pair of limited edition prints in support of the Alaska Huts Association. This non-profit organization builds and maintains backcountry lodgings that promote camaraderie, stewardship, outdoor education, and Alaska’s cultural heritage. One of their current projects is the Lars Spurkland Memorial Hut, part of a linked three-hut system along the Glacier Discovery trail in the Kenai Mountains. In the early fall of 2022 I had the chance to travel by train, foot, and packraft to the proposed site near Spencer Glacier and take in the landscape with my sketchbook.

The hut’s namesake, the late, great Lars Spurkland, was a humble legend in the Alaskan outdoor community. To me, he was my high school cross country ski coach, my introduction to Fairbanks, and possibly the tallest person I’ve ever met.

I’m now about the same age as he was when he coached us gaggle of teenagers, a fairly thankless task and hefty time commitment that I can’t fathom balancing among life’s other requirements. But he did, with his classic laid-back gusto, and supported us as we formed our own connections - to the environment, to our peers, to ourselves - through skiing. I’m lucky to have known Lars and am honored to contribute in a small way to this project that will facilitate generations of outdoor recreation and education.

Photo of Lars Spurkland by Charlie Renfro