nature – Michael Rappa

Glacier National Park, 2019: Wildlife

October 3, 2021 Michael Rappa

Here are some animals I encountered during my hikes in Glacier National Park. I was particularly thrilled that I was able to see a bighorn sheep in the wild on my way back down from Grinnell Glacier.

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Ram on the Grinell Glacier Trail

Moose walking away from lake, viewed from high up on the Grinell Glacier Trail.

Chipmunk at St. Mary Falls

Mountain goat high up on a mountain at Two Medicine.

Mountain goat high up on a cliff at Two Medicine.

Glacier National Park, Montana - September, 2019

Marmot on the Highline Trail

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California Trip, 2014: Redwoods in Yosemite

August 9, 2021 Michael Rappa

On my way out of Yosemite National Park I stopped for a hike through the Mariposa grove of giant sequoias (aka redwoods). They don’t grow as tall as the coastal redwoods, but they grow wider–some are so massive that their branches actually look like trees themselves. It’s impossible for any photo to do these behemoths justice, but the people in some of the shots below, and the fact that many of the large surrounding trees look like sticks next to the redwoods, help to provide a sense of scale.

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Yosemite National Park – October, 2014

I thought this was a redwood pine cone because of how enormous it is, but redwoods apparently have small cones, so I’m not sure what type of tree this belongs to.

Yosemite National Park – October, 2014

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Panoramas

August 1, 2021 Michael Rappa

This is a collection of panoramas from my visit to Glacier National Park. For the most part I didn’t take any deliberate panorama shots on this trip–these were all stitched together from separate photos that I later realized would make good panoramas. The exceptions are the two night shots, which were sort of deliberate in that I aimed the camera in the dark at different angles for long exposures and hoped for the best (the Lake McDonald one, in particular, turned out pretty well).

The first four photos below feature views from the hotels where I stayed in Apgar Village and Many Glacier; the next three were taken during my hikes of the Highline and Grinnell Glacier trails, and the final photo is a view that should be familiar to fans of The Shining or Big Sky.

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Lake McDonald

Many Glacier: Swiftcurrent Lake

Highline Trail

Red pool near Grinnell Glacier.

Grinnell Glacier Trail

St. Mary Lake: Wild Goose Island

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Twin Falls Trail

July 11, 2021 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike of the Twin Falls Trail in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park. I had booked a boat (which I nearly missed after hitting road construction on the way to Two Medicine) to the far end of Two Medicine Lake, where I embarked on a guided hike to Twin Falls. I normally prefer to hike on my own, but being by myself in grizzly country, I thought it best to stick with a crowd, and considering the trees along the trail that were marked with giant grizzly claw scratches, I think it was the right call.

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Twin Falls Trail

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Running Eagle Falls Trail

April 24, 2021 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike to Running Eagle Falls in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park–actually, more of a stroll as it’s a short, easy trail to get to the falls.

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Running Eagles Falls Trail

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Backyard Wildlife – 2020

January 24, 2021 Michael Rappa

This is a collection of wildlife photos taken over the past year, primarily from my back yard (the first two fawn photos were taken in a nearby retention pond and the robin chick nest was in a bush in my front yard). Most of the deer photos were taken through a window so as not to scare them away. However, for a few of the later photos of a young buck, I was able to step outside because he wasn’t afraid of humans, which resulted in higher quality shots.

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Union Transportation Trail – October, 2020

January 5, 2021 Michael Rappa

Back in late October my wife and I decided to check out the relatively new (opened in 2010) Union Transportation Trail in Upper Freehold, a nine-mile rail trail not far from where we live. I was itching to get out and about after being mostly homebound for seven months (outside of a week in Cape May in September and dog walks around the neighborhood, I had barely left the house since the pandemic began), and it seemed like a good opportunity to see some fall foliage.

We got a late start, so we only had time to do the short leg of the trail traveling north from the Sharon Station Road parking area to 539–this section of the trail had opened to the public in 2017. It’s a pleasant little trail that also has a detour through trees that opens up into a large field of wild grass. I’m looking forward to returning to explore the southern portion of the trail, as well as the new section being planned that will extend the trail all the way to our home town.

Here are a few photos from our short hike:

Union Transportation Trail

Upstate New York Trip, 2015: Watkins Glen State Park

November 19, 2020 Michael Rappa

The photos below are from my hike through Watkins Glen State Park, a hidden gem located right on the main street running through the town of Watkins Glen. It’s hard to imagine that such a serene and gorgeous oasis of nature could be located so close to a bustling town (it was really bustling when I was there thanks to a car parade), but this park is such a place. It does not take long as you venture into the park for civilization to completely fall away to the point where you feel like you’re hiking through sublime wilderness.

The park has frequently been likened to Rivendell (of Lord of the Rings fame)—and with its myriad waterfalls, cascades, and stone bridges, it’s easy to see why. It is well worth the visit, and if you pair it with a visit to Letchworth (as we did), you will see two of the most beautiful state parks this country has to offer.

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Two Medicine Lake

October 15, 2020October 17, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos were shot around Two Medicine Lake, located in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park, a lesser-seen area of the park that takes a bit of driving to get to, but is worth the trip if you have the time.

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Two Medicine Lake

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Trail of Cedars

June 11, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike of the Trail of Cedars, an easy stroll through the woods that hooks up with the highly-recommended Avalanche Lake Trail around the halfway point.

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