About Matt
In my years, I have worn many hats. I am a photographer. I am a hiker, backpacker, a traveller, and an explorer. I am a scientist and a naturalist. I am an educator. I am a perpetual student, always learning about the world and its people. Almost everything I do stems from my love of the natural world. As a scientist, I study the behavior, ecology, and evolution of animals (I like plants, fungi, and microbial organisms too!). As a photographer, I’m drawn to the immense biodiversity and landscapes that have been carved out by millions of years of uplift, erosion, and other geological processes. As a traveler, I’m fascinated by the various cultures and their relationships with the natural world around them. This website is my place to share my photography, ideas, and experiences. So have a look around and enjoy my world.
What is “mineral2?”
Mineral2 has been my web alias ever since my first AOL account in the mid-90’s. There are so many Matt Singers out in the world, that finding user names and open URLs associated with my actual name is nearly impossible. So, I’ve kept the mineral2 identity ever since. The name comes from my rock and mineral collecting hobby that I started in grade school ever since discovering fossils in the undeveloped section of my neighborhood. I still collect rocks to this day.
Recent Stories
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Backpacking… sort of
It’s good to be back on the trail. Backpacking has been absent from my life for quite some time, and I am excited to change that. On this trip, I hiked 2.5 miles and 1500 feet up to a forest service fire lookout that has been converted into a cabin for rent. Shorty Peak tops out at an elevation of around 6500 feet above sea level with a view that is as spectacular as it sounds. The mountain is located in Idaho’s Selkirk Mountains on a ridge adjacent to the ridge that hosts the US-Canadian border. When Heather found that…
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The Prairie in Bloom
With the school year over and nice weather upon us, I’ve had some free time to get out and explore the landscape beyond Williston. I’ve been out on the prairie twice to discover the array of early wildflowers in the grasslands. This is the time of year when I feel like I could actually enjoy this place. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last very long. It’s said that there are only two seasons on the northern plains – a very long winter, and a short summer. Spring and Fall exist, but only for a week. All year round, the wind can blow…
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A Spiritual Moment
My trip to the Redwoods had a profound effect on me. I can’t really explain what it was or why. I’ve been to many amazing and beautiful places never come back as humbled and rejuvenated as I had on this last trip. But everything about it just put me at ease and at awe. It was a combination of spending time with the kids while experiencing a mature old-growth forest among some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. I came back to Williston ready to take on the world and maybe inspired to leave in search of…
