I just want to mention, that you can enhance areas with bad resolution by overlaying them with better satellite- or topo-photos.
E.g. if you look at Austria's Tuxer Alps up to the mountain Olperer, you will be disappointed.
If you download and open this file with Google Earth instead of just looking at the default image, you will think you fly over the mountains in an aeroplane: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=711778
bbs.keyhole.com is a great community regarding GE, and I encourage you to join.
Cheers, Herbie
awsome article, i checked out google earth a few year ago and i am happy to see the reolution has improved. i'll have to check out my favorate mt's now and see how they look. i'm curious how everest looks now! it was pretty rounded when i checked it out before!
If you have a WiFi or broadband link, the data should stream fast enough to for low-level fly-overs.
Try the Alaska Coast Range. From Juneau use the pilot's dashboard to tilt over to an oblique angle of view. Then fly as low as possible, northward up the coastline.
At Auke Bay or Berner's Bay, bank Eastward up one of the glacial canyons. They rise, so you're going to have to pull back on the rudder stick to climb up the Mendenhall Glacier, or others, to the Juneau Icefields.
Keep climbing, steering clear and banking past the granite walls of towers and ridges!
Then watch out before breaking clear, and over the dropoff into the next glacial canyon on the far side! Vaughn-Lewis Glacier and others will knock your socks off.
Try the same to the Northwest, over in Glacier Bay National Monument, and North of there, up the Alsek & Tatshenshini canyons, by the Brabazon Range, and Northward to Mt. Saint Elias, and Prince William Sound, Denali, Brooks Range, etc.
Alps, Andes and Himalayas should be fun flights too.
mauri pelto - Dec 22, 2006 12:54 pm - Hasn't voted
map changes
Good thinking on an article. It is great for exploring remote areas Peru, etc that lack poor maps. Google earth is great for changes in the map. For example around the Juneau Icefield of the nineteen major glaciers 11 have retreated more than 1 kilometer, in several cases leaving new lakes behind, that your USGS map will not show. A comparison of maps and google images is found at Juneau Icefield
I posted some Mt. Rainier placemarks a bit over a year ago. As a confirmed cartoholic (map addict) I too found I was spending way too much time in GoogleEarth and other virtual spaces chasing my real and imagined past and future adventures around in my PC. If you can get by the occasional annoying bogus, erroneous, and misleading postings, GoogleEarth is a nice tool. Before going to the Grand Canyon earlier this month, I bought the National Geographic National Parks Explorer 3D CDs, but the Google Earth virtual-experience was much more realistic preview for the trip.
Ah yes, Google Earth. This thread reminds me of the day I discovered it, following a link from Google News about this "new" whiz-bang program that provided users the God-like ability to go anywhere, virtually "seeing" and even navigating through the whole enchilada. I had my doubts, but was sufficiently curious to check it out. Let's just say that after my initial 'hair on the back of the neck' realization of this thing's capabilities, I was hooked. With tears in my bloodshot eyes and a healthy growth of stubble, I said to my wife: "I've waited my whole life for this." She was mildly freaked out, then annoyed, as hours became days, then deadlines for thesis rewrites started flying past...I needed help. These days, I limit myself to an hour of GE at one time, and treat it as a reward for accomplishment of preset goals. Sound silly? Maybe, but left to gawp at Zambezi Falls or the Craters of the Moon or the West Face of Lhotse or the till-plastered ancestral bed of the preglacial Teays River unchecked, I can't imagine the cumulative effect it might have upon my life. Google Earth good. Google Earth bad. Any way you slice it, I'm a different person because of it. Moderation in all things. Works for me. Cheers.
I have been using this tool for some time now. It gives a good visual perspective of how high a summit is from a saddle or trailhead in case you don't have access to maps or topo.
I also like to use it to confirm longitude/latitude/altitude (I know its not precise but for my needs it serves its purpose). I noticed that the quality has improved overtime as well. Still a little slow at times when you zoom or change perspective.
Thanks for this great article. I use Google Earth to plan my trips, incl. mountaineering. The quality and global coverage is getting better and better.
I have developed a website, www.everytrail.com that lets you upload GPS data and photos in order to visualize your trips using Google maps and Google Earth. When you click the "Google Earth" at the top-right the GPS tracks and photos are downloaded into Google Earth. The site is work in progress and I'd love to get feedback from fellow mountaineers and travelers in order to make it better. If you have feedback, just send me a PM or leave a comment here.
Gimpilator--I thought you'd be interested to know that I've upgraded the U.S. National Parks list with a Google Earth hyperlink to each NP high point. --mark d.
Google Earth is a neat tool to use, especially now days! I use it in combination with google maps. Notice my route page of Arrowhead, it has a map with the route which I drew with google earth. As for this page when you get the time might I suggest updating some of the images because google earth's quality has gone up with most of Washington's peaks. Cheers Josh Lewis.
I personally have spent hours of a time using google earth for research. Of course it can never be a replacement for the real thing but for my excursions in the North Cascades, it works just fine although it is very handay to have a topo of the area for names etc. And regarding the photos of the North Cascades is that Shuksan from Yellow Aster and Eldorado from HLP's true summit?
herbie - Dec 20, 2006 11:28 am - Voted 9/10
Enhance Google with overlaysI just want to mention, that you can enhance areas with bad resolution by overlaying them with better satellite- or topo-photos.
E.g. if you look at Austria's Tuxer Alps up to the mountain Olperer, you will be disappointed.
If you download and open this file with Google Earth instead of just looking at the default image, you will think you fly over the mountains in an aeroplane:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=711778
bbs.keyhole.com is a great community regarding GE, and I encourage you to join.
Cheers, Herbie
gimpilator - Dec 20, 2006 9:28 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Enhance Google with overlaysWow! That does look a lot better. I'm going to have to spend some time poking around http://bbs.keyhole.com Cheers and thank you!
vapor0278 - Dec 20, 2006 7:48 pm - Hasn't voted
great!!!!awsome article, i checked out google earth a few year ago and i am happy to see the reolution has improved. i'll have to check out my favorate mt's now and see how they look. i'm curious how everest looks now! it was pretty rounded when i checked it out before!
gimpilator - Dec 20, 2006 8:40 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: great!!!!I was just looking at Everest this morning and it's not too bad. Thanks for the comment.
MtnGuide - Dec 22, 2006 4:06 am - Hasn't voted
Flyovers and FlyThroughsIf you have a WiFi or broadband link, the data should stream fast enough to for low-level fly-overs.
Try the Alaska Coast Range. From Juneau use the pilot's dashboard to tilt over to an oblique angle of view. Then fly as low as possible, northward up the coastline.
At Auke Bay or Berner's Bay, bank Eastward up one of the glacial canyons. They rise, so you're going to have to pull back on the rudder stick to climb up the Mendenhall Glacier, or others, to the Juneau Icefields.
Keep climbing, steering clear and banking past the granite walls of towers and ridges!
Then watch out before breaking clear, and over the dropoff into the next glacial canyon on the far side! Vaughn-Lewis Glacier and others will knock your socks off.
Try the same to the Northwest, over in Glacier Bay National Monument, and North of there, up the Alsek & Tatshenshini canyons, by the Brabazon Range, and Northward to Mt. Saint Elias, and Prince William Sound, Denali, Brooks Range, etc.
Alps, Andes and Himalayas should be fun flights too.
mauri pelto - Dec 22, 2006 12:54 pm - Hasn't voted
map changesGood thinking on an article. It is great for exploring remote areas Peru, etc that lack poor maps. Google earth is great for changes in the map. For example around the Juneau Icefield of the nineteen major glaciers 11 have retreated more than 1 kilometer, in several cases leaving new lakes behind, that your USGS map will not show. A comparison of maps and google images is found at Juneau Icefield
gimpilator - Dec 22, 2006 8:04 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: map changesTruly remarkable. Thanks for including that link.
osatrik - Dec 23, 2006 11:40 pm - Hasn't voted
Well done, GimpI posted some Mt. Rainier placemarks a bit over a year ago. As a confirmed cartoholic (map addict) I too found I was spending way too much time in GoogleEarth and other virtual spaces chasing my real and imagined past and future adventures around in my PC. If you can get by the occasional annoying bogus, erroneous, and misleading postings, GoogleEarth is a nice tool. Before going to the Grand Canyon earlier this month, I bought the National Geographic National Parks Explorer 3D CDs, but the Google Earth virtual-experience was much more realistic preview for the trip.
noneskull - Dec 24, 2006 12:14 am - Hasn't voted
Holy BlanketyblankAh yes, Google Earth. This thread reminds me of the day I discovered it, following a link from Google News about this "new" whiz-bang program that provided users the God-like ability to go anywhere, virtually "seeing" and even navigating through the whole enchilada. I had my doubts, but was sufficiently curious to check it out. Let's just say that after my initial 'hair on the back of the neck' realization of this thing's capabilities, I was hooked. With tears in my bloodshot eyes and a healthy growth of stubble, I said to my wife: "I've waited my whole life for this." She was mildly freaked out, then annoyed, as hours became days, then deadlines for thesis rewrites started flying past...I needed help. These days, I limit myself to an hour of GE at one time, and treat it as a reward for accomplishment of preset goals. Sound silly? Maybe, but left to gawp at Zambezi Falls or the Craters of the Moon or the West Face of Lhotse or the till-plastered ancestral bed of the preglacial Teays River unchecked, I can't imagine the cumulative effect it might have upon my life. Google Earth good. Google Earth bad. Any way you slice it, I'm a different person because of it. Moderation in all things. Works for me. Cheers.
gimpilator - Dec 24, 2006 4:50 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Holy BlanketyblankDoesn't sound silly to me. You just about described my first experience. I see you are a new member of Summit Post. Welcome.
johnm - Dec 24, 2006 6:27 am - Voted 10/10
Good visual tool in Lieu of Topo'sI have been using this tool for some time now. It gives a good visual perspective of how high a summit is from a saddle or trailhead in case you don't have access to maps or topo.
I also like to use it to confirm longitude/latitude/altitude (I know its not precise but for my needs it serves its purpose). I noticed that the quality has improved overtime as well. Still a little slow at times when you zoom or change perspective.
joosts - Dec 30, 2006 3:58 pm - Hasn't voted
EveryTrail.comThanks for this great article. I use Google Earth to plan my trips, incl. mountaineering. The quality and global coverage is getting better and better.
I have developed a website, www.everytrail.com that lets you upload GPS data and photos in order to visualize your trips using Google maps and Google Earth. When you click the "Google Earth" at the top-right the GPS tracks and photos are downloaded into Google Earth. The site is work in progress and I'd love to get feedback from fellow mountaineers and travelers in order to make it better. If you have feedback, just send me a PM or leave a comment here.
Cheers,
Joost
ronald - Dec 31, 2006 5:36 pm - Hasn't voted
Google Earth associated websiteGoogle Earth can be a great tool for outdoors activities by using website like Local Weekender.
http://www.localweekender.com/
On this website you can put place marks that pinpoints exact locations on Google Earth, and makes it easier to plan outdoor trip. Check this out.
Mark Doiron - Feb 3, 2007 1:15 pm - Voted 10/10
Thought You'd Like to Know ...Gimpilator--I thought you'd be interested to know that I've upgraded the U.S. National Parks list with a Google Earth hyperlink to each NP high point. --mark d.
gimpilator - Feb 3, 2007 3:37 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Thought You'd Like to Know ...Mark, that's great! Good thinking and nice work.
gimpilator - Jul 18, 2007 9:08 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Good Article!Thanks for the comment and thanks for the link! I didn't know about Panoramio before.
gimpilator - Oct 12, 2007 8:48 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Good Article!You're right! I can see they have added a lot of detail to that whole area. Three Fingers looks pretty good too.
Josh Lewis - Jan 26, 2011 12:42 pm - Hasn't voted
Nice page Adam!Google Earth is a neat tool to use, especially now days! I use it in combination with google maps. Notice my route page of Arrowhead, it has a map with the route which I drew with google earth. As for this page when you get the time might I suggest updating some of the images because google earth's quality has gone up with most of Washington's peaks. Cheers Josh Lewis.
gimpilator - Jan 27, 2011 6:01 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice page Adam!Thanks Josh. Nice route page! You're right, I should update some of these pics. Now I just have the find the time to do it.
fjes6 - Mar 31, 2011 5:13 pm - Voted 10/10
Oh YeahI personally have spent hours of a time using google earth for research. Of course it can never be a replacement for the real thing but for my excursions in the North Cascades, it works just fine although it is very handay to have a topo of the area for names etc. And regarding the photos of the North Cascades is that Shuksan from Yellow Aster and Eldorado from HLP's true summit?