Virtual hiking on the AT from your computer?

[JumpMaster Blaster]

http://www.terrain360.com/trails-2/

You can virtually hike part of the AT now, (a la Google Earth Street View), via Terrain 360. People are out there "mapping" and uploading....Hawk Mtn, Pass Mtn, Blood Mtn, HF, Pine Grove, etc. Takes a while to load & play, but it works.

Now, before the wailing of souls and gnashing of teeth begins, let me just say that I think it's pretty cool to see parts of the AT that I haven't had a chance to visit. Being under contract with Uncle Sugar prevents me from taking 6 months off to do so. I'd rather see this than a bunch of drones buzzing all around (which is already happening).

I'm sure this will be at least slightly controversial.

[Starchild]

Now, before the wailing of souls and gnashing of teeth begins

I'm sure this will be at least slightly controversial.

yes and no

There are many who want to make the AT a exclusive and extremely limited club, basically just for them. then again if others just imagine the video then may not need to ever set foot on their trail.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

I can understand the resistance to being able to view it from the comforts of home instead of breaking out the sweat needed to actually walk it. I kind of felt the same way when I saw my house on Google Earth street view for the first time. It felt weird.

However, not ever having set foot on the AT in GA, I can appreciate the opportunity to at least see it. I totally wouldn't be mad if someone did this for the Roan highlands in June.

And no, "digi-blazing" will NOT count towards mileage. Think that needs to be said, lol.

[Walkintom]

[QUOTE=
And no, "digi-blazing" will NOT count towards mileage. Think that needs to be said, lol.[/QUOTE]

I believe HYOH applies here. You don't get to tell other people what counts for their mileage.

I think it's interesting that this is being done and I might look at some areas via this tool. Thanks for posting it.

[rocketsocks]

I think it's cool for someone who may want to "cherry pick" and do some section hiking.

[RangerZ]

I wish that I had these recon tools during some of my previous lives.

[BirdBrain]

I believe HYOH applies here. You don't get to tell other people what counts for their mileage.

I have looked at maps and elevation profiles for the entire trail. Does that count as a thru?

[Walkintom]

I have looked at maps and elevation profiles for the entire trail. Does that count as a thru?

You decide.

[Donde]

Well that could have saved 5K miles or so. But really who cares if people just want to see a picture then good for them, some of us know they aren't seeing the same thing we see when we are out there.

[Carbo]

Time for a new planet to explore, just to keep the pioneering spirit alive.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

I have looked at maps and elevation profiles for the entire trail. Does that count as a thru?

Me too. I have also seen the entire trail on Google Earth. No need for all that walking...makes my feet hurt.

[HooKooDooKu]

This reminds me of how I learned about the AT. About 22 years ago, when the Internet was new, several news papers hiked the full length of the AT as a collaboration. Each paper had a reporter hike about a 200 to 300 mile section of the AT writing a weekly article of what they saw and experanced, plus an additional article about something or someone special they experienced that week. As one reporter finished his 200 to 300 mile section the next reporter took his place for the next few hundred miles of the trail. The result was a series of about 50 articles that took you about 3 or 4 hours to read and provided you a virtual tour of the AT... just enought detail and story telling with out the details of a journal.

[AO2134]

I can understand the resistance to being able to view it from the comforts of home instead of breaking out the sweat needed to actually walk it. I kind of felt the same way when I saw my house on Google Earth street view for the first time. It felt weird.

However, not ever having set foot on the AT in GA, I can appreciate the opportunity to at least see it. I totally wouldn't be mad if someone did this for the Roan highlands in June.

And no, "digi-blazing" will NOT count towards mileage. Think that needs to be said, lol.

Jumpmaster, I created a website that chronicles my hikes. I take a lot of pictures with mile markers listed. If you are interest, you can see it here: http://georgiahiker.weebly.com/

[wormer]

Yesterday, I spent two hours on Google Earth following the PCT from Campo to Temecula. I found the pics showed roads that were paved and related parking areas beside those road crossing. I would have had a difficult time finding them this summer, when I am planning my section hikes there. I am hoping that Google can figure a way to image under the tree canopy on the AT in the future.

[Wyoming]

Well I am happy to learn that I am not the only one hiking via Google Earth. Just the other day the wife informed me that all those hours I was flying around looking down on trails did not count as hiking. And I am pretty sure I 'passed' by wormer yesterday on the PCT.

On a serious note I am using Google Earth to help plan a several hundred mile new hiking route across a section of desert right now. It is a lot of fun actually. It's my 'secret' project. One nice thing in the desert is that the view from the satellites allows you to find springs which one could not likely find if they were just out there walking around.

[Offshore]

http://www.terrain360.com/trails-2/

You can virtually hike part of the AT now, (a la Google Earth Street View), via Terrain 360. People are out there "mapping" and uploading....Hawk Mtn, Pass Mtn, Blood Mtn, HF, Pine Grove, etc. Takes a while to load & play, but it works.

Now, before the wailing of souls and gnashing of teeth begins, let me just say that I think it's pretty cool to see parts of the AT that I haven't had a chance to visit. Being under contract with Uncle Sugar prevents me from taking 6 months off to do so. I'd rather see this than a bunch of drones buzzing all around (which is already happening).

I'm sure this will be at least slightly controversial.

I'm not going to knock it. A couple of months ago my gym added a bunch of LifeFitness treadmills with HD widescreens that have running and hiking routes from all over the world. You select a trail, set the maximum speed and incline, and the treadmill changes the resistance, speed and incline to match the selected route as its playing on the screen. Its actually pretty immersive. I think they used a backpack mounted Google street view type of setup, as some hikers on the trails seem to do double-takes - pretty funny. Its works pretty well and is a lot of fun. Now if they invented a boulder surface belt and had a mud dispenser, it would be spot on!

[JumpMaster Blaster]

Yesterday, I spent two hours on Google Earth following the PCT from Campo to Temecula. I found the pics showed roads that were paved and related parking areas beside those road crossing. I would have had a difficult time finding them this summer, when I am planning my section hikes there. I am hoping that Google can figure a way to image under the tree canopy on the AT in the future.

If Google asked people to do that I'd be on board (as long as people's faces & identities were blurred). It's only a matter of time before someone starts collaborating on that idea, especially after Wild and A Walk In The Woods.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

Jumpmaster, I created a website that chronicles my hikes. I take a lot of pictures with mile markers listed. If you are interest, you can see it here: http://georgiahiker.weebly.com/

Your site looks interesting! In return, you can check out mine if you want. Hopefully I get some more material this year (have only done a dayhike on the AT so far this year). http://www.justalittlesolitude.com