hello. my name is john. » recreation

Christy & I went to the Smoky Mountains while the ladies were at their grandparents in 'Hotlanta'. We had an awesome time, canoing and hiking. It is really a beautiful part of the country, and the mountain folks are all very nice. We did a ton of driving, but it was a lot of fun. I now know why the Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular national park in the country (although, to be honest, it didn't seem crowded to us at all).

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures we took while we were there. Enjoy.
(more...)

We've been going to Vermont for the last couple of years to escape the heat and humidity of Philadelphia. We adore everything about the verdant state, and I am constantly amazed by the natural beauty all around me. So I spend an inordinate amount of time photographing anything that catches my eye and use up a lot of disk space. I have included some of the photos here for your enjoyment. (more...)

My brother Brian, Max & I drove through New York state to Silver Lake in Vermont on the weekend of July 11th, 2003. Silver Lake is about 1000 feet above sea level, just outside of Middlebury, Vermont in Goshen. One of the high points here are the Falls of Lana, a three-tier waterfall that offers a splendid opportunity for climbing and swimming crytsal clear, ice cold water. (more...)

Today the family went to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, a trip we make several times a week. We had an especially rewarding walk, as we saw and photographed a large Bald Eagle. According to the attending ranger, a pair of them have been nesting within the marsh since last summer. Considering recent events, this is surely a good sign. Heinz is 'the largest remaining freshwater tidal wetland in Pennsylvania' and is nestled between Philadelphia's southwest corner and Delaware County, PA. (A brief description of the area and its history can be found here.)

I have fond memories of running through its trails and exploring its woods, so I thought I'd share some photos we have taken of the refuge through the seasons. (more...)

In September 2002 I went to Mt. Marcy in the High Peak Wilderness Area of the Adirondack Mountains with my friends Alex & Noel. We hiked to the peaks of Mt. Marcy(5344' - highest in NY) & Mt. Colden(4714'), and hiked along Avalanche Lake. It was a spectacular place to see. The source of the Hudson River is here, clean and refreshing, at Lake Tear of the Clouds. Avalanche Lake is quite an amazing sight - an entire forest has slid down the mountainside, leaving a vast clearing and dumping hundreds of tons of debris into the ravine of two mountains next to the lake.

It was overcast at the mountaintops, as it is often, so the photos that follow are not the best but they certainly convey the fun and excitement of being there. (more...)