Up and down

Quite a lot of progress over the past couple of days. Looks like the team is now going up & down the mountain to haul gear up gradually, and also executing on the old rule - climb high, sleep low. The really good news is that we are now getting good amount of data from Heli's tracker and can keep a good eye on their progress :-)

There is a brief mention on the AMS blog about Heli's group (look for reference to Phil who is the lead guide) when they were hovering around 11,000 feet: http://alaskamountaineeringschool.blogspot.com/

No mention on IMG's (Phil's company) website yet, but let's keep an eye on that one as well: http://mountainguides.com/wordpress/

Almost Camp 3 - ascending fast!

Great progress on the mountain! Looks like they are going up fast, now almost at camp 3! We are now getting better (i.e. more frequent) data from Heli's tracker device as well.

Progress!

Looks like the team is making great progress. For some reason we are getting very sparse data from Heli's tracker device (supposed to be every 20 min or so when they are on the go). Well, at least we know they are on the move and approaching Camp I.

Journey is about to begin!

Good news, the weather has cleared up! Heli and the rest of the group are flying from Talkeetna to the Kahiltna glacier (basecamp) this morning. As soon as they touch down, they will get their gear organized and start heading up on snowshoes. Heli has about 110+ lbs of gear - 40 lbs in her pack and 70 lbs + on the sled she is pulling... The tracker should be on as soon as they start heading up the mountain!

How to Use the Map

Once you install the plug-in, the Google Earth map at the top of this blog will keep the currently reported position in view by automatically updating the camera angle. You can just leave the page open and let it do its thing if you like. The current position will be updated about every 15 minutes.

However, this 3D map is also fully interactive and tons of fun to play with!! Explore! Click on the track marks! They will show you interesting travel stats. Click and drag the map left and right or in and out with your mouse or use the navigation controls that appear on the upper right side of the map:

From top to bottom, these controls allow you to:

(circle with the 'eye' icon) change the view from the 'camera' including spinning about the compass. My favorite is to click on the 'N' which will cause the map to orient North up.

(circle with the 'hand' icon) move the camera around - left, right, in, out (same is click and dragging on the map).

(+ - slider) zoom in and zoom out of the map

Become a navigation expert (and impress your friends) by checking out the full user documentation on Navigating in Google Earth. It's worth a look!!

Have fun! If you have any questions or are interested in having a 3DGeoTrail for your own adventures, contact us at RainOn.