Fun With Google Earth

[noreasterbackcountry]

I've been so backcountry-repressed with this lack of snow, so I went on Google Earth last night and sniffed out a few possible spots.

http://nebackcountry.blogspot.com/20...arth.html#more

Fullscreen+capture+242013+110238+PM.bmp.jpg

[Huck_It_Baby]

I easily spend 3-4+ hours a day looking on Google Earth for back country zones. It's an amazingly useful tool.

This past weekend I toured both days in the NEK on logging roads and clearings I found from GE.

I will say that some times the sat data isn't always up to date AND what the 3D and topo lines show isn't always as detailed as it could be. I often find deep gullies and creeks beds which don't show up when browsing GE. Little surprises which make the tour challenging. I hit a creek on Saturday which wasn't frozen over, was deep and rushing. Couldn't cross. Had to re-route myself into a different zone.

Still though...I'm addicted.

[Cornhead]

Very cool, what an age we live in!

[noreasterbackcountry]

I easily spend 3-4+ hours a day looking on Google Earth for back country zones. It's an amazingly useful tool.

This past weekend I toured both days in the NEK on logging roads and clearings I found from GE.

I will say that some times the sat data isn't always up to date AND what the 3D and topo lines show isn't always as detailed as it could be. I often find deep gullies and creeks beds which don't show up when browsing GE. Little surprises which make the tour challenging. I hit a creek on Saturday which wasn't frozen over, was deep and rushing. Couldn't cross. Had to re-route myself into a different zone.

Still though...I'm addicted.

Nice. Glad to hear we're not the only ones. And you're right. There are always surprises: cliffs, ravines, impassible thickets.... that don't show up on GE. That keeps it interesting.

[MadMadWorld]

I've been so backcountry-repressed with this lack of snow, so I went on Google Earth last night and sniffed out a few possible spots.

http://nebackcountry.blogspot.com/20...arth.html#more

Fullscreen+capture+242013+110238+PM.bmp.jpg

Have you done any of the High Peaks in ADK? If you haven't I highly recommend them to you. I think you would have a blast.

[from_the_NEK]

The only issue with "Magalloway's hot sister" is that it faces straight south.

[noreasterbackcountry]

Have you done any of the High Peaks in ADK? If you haven't I highly recommend them to you. I think you would have a blast.

I haven't.. but I am itching to try. It is pretty far for me so I always end up going to closer spots. One day.... one day...

NEK-

Good point. She probably doesn't hold snow for long. Maybe in the glades?

[Huck_It_Baby]

PowderFields.jpg

Here is one spot I hit this past Saturday. While everyone else was skiing icy groomers in the resorts I was alone out here making fresh tracks hoping not to tangle with any bobcats.

[noreasterbackcountry]

Here is one spot I hit this past Saturday. While everyone else was skiing icy groomers in the resorts I was alone out here making fresh tracks hoping not to tangle with any bobcats.

Nice. The fresh cut on the left? How was the grundlefloss?

[Huck_It_Baby]

Nice. The fresh cut on the left? How was the grundlefloss?

First I went up into the clear cut on the left and above it into the glades. Came down and veered skiers left into the forest on an AWESOME frozen creek bed! So many frozen creeks you can ride in there.

Then I put the skins back on and went up to the huge irregularly shaped clearings on the right. I think I hit better snow on the clear cut in the left side of the picture. Both spots are super cool though. You can park fairly close and then skin up to these spots in a petty short time. Not a ton of vertical and it's low angle but it's above 2,000 feet and there is snow!