Exploring the Pacific Northwest’s natural wonders is getting a little bit easier. Google reconfigured its car-mounted Street View cameras for the hiking trail.
The idea is that people will be able to virtually walk mapped trails from the comfort of home. One Oregon conservation group is hoping this will inspire more people to visit and protect public lands.
Chandra LeGue and David Calahan are facing a bit of a problem. They’re at the Sundown Trailhead in Southern Oregon. And they’re standing in the middle of a cloud. Calahan, who’s guiding the upcoming hike, begins to troubleshoot.
David Calahan: “Well let’s talk about this. If we’re sitting here in the fog like this…”
But he’s suddenly distracted by what LeGue pulls out of the car and begins strapping on her back.
David Calahan: “Oh my goodness. That’s impressive.”
The object of his admiration is a Google Trekker camera.
Chandra LeGue: “It's sort of like an external frame backpack, but then it's got a box strapped to it that has batteries... And then it’s got this two-foot pole, basically, with this big camera on top. So it’s a little top-heavy. It doesn’t feel quite stable on your back. And it weighs about 40 pounds.”
Actually it has 15 cameras in a basketball-sized globe, designed to shoot a 360-degree image as she walks. The fog would definitely hamper the view. But the consensus is that the clouds could lift at any time…
Chandra LeGue: “I’m willing to hike up here…
…and they begin the climb to the ridgeline.
Chandra LeGue is a Field Coordinator with Oregon Wild. [She falls behind on the trail, trying to capture people-free images of the misty l andscape.] [The conservation group] [Oregon Wild] was chosen by Google to take the Trekker out and map places not accessible by their Street View vehicles.
Chandra LeGue: “Google’s interest is to document the Earth, so they loan it out to people who have an interest in also showcasing beautiful places. And so we have been taking it to places we want to protect on O&C lands in Western Oregon.”
The O&C lands are named for the Oregon & California Railroad, which once owned them. The government is updating how those forestlands are managed, and pressure is on to allow more logging.
David Calahan has been working with the Applegate Trails Association to protect this place, which is rich in biodiversity.
David Calahan: “It doesn’t get any less steep for a little bit, but pretty soon we’re going to be in shangri la.”
The area is also rich in history. The Sundown Trail’s namesake was a nearby abandoned mine. Hiking here, Calahan imagines a worker walking out of the mine after a back-breaking day, just in time to watch the sun dip behind the mountains.
David Calahan: “I could see him looking at a chunk of ore saying, ‘Is that gold, or is that the orange color from the setting sun?’”
As the hiking group pushes upward, the sun remains hidden. The eerie silhouettes of towering trees appear and vanish in the dense fog. LeGue and the Google Trekker catch up with the Calahan as they crest the hill.
David Calahan: “We’re there. This is the top. Congrats.”
Chandra LeGue: “There’s a big ponderosa pine.”
But there’s only a wall of clouds where there should be a broad vista.
David Calahan: “The Wildlands are keeping her secrets.”
Chandra Legue: “Somewhere off that way…”
The views aren’t there, but the fog shows a side of these Northwest forestlands few witness. LeGue says documenting these places with Google Trekker helps break down that barrier.
Chandra LeGue: “Just drawing attention to fact there are really great places people can visit, will get them to get out there, enjoy them and care about what's happening to them.”
Interactive Google Trekker trail maps are already available at spots along the Columbia Gorge. It’s unknown how long it will take for the Western Oregon maps to come online. Google did not respond to an interview request.
Calahan says for the longest time this spot in Southern Oregon went unnoticed.
David Calahan: “It's like this gem, jewel that got overlooked by the miners, loggers, farmers. Why didn't they punch a road in there and get that old growth out of there in the bottom? It keeps missing the ax.”
But now, he says, drawing broader attention to these forests will help keep that ax at bay.