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APRIL, 2006 NEWSLETTER
| Peakfinder Updates
There’s now an impressive new option available on www.peakfinder.com. It provides an amazing way to enjoy and learn about the Canadian Rockies. Google Earth is a free, downloadable program that dynamically displays satellite images draped over terrain. There is coverage for the entire planet. When you open Google Earth through www.peakfinder.com, the program zooms in on the Canadian Rockies where you will find all 1558 peaks identified. You may then fly over the mountains, changing the elevation of your viewpoint, your angle of view, and the direction you are viewing. You can zoom in on a particular peak or valley and then travel around it to get views from all sides. It’s three dimensional -like piloting a helicopter through the mountains. Attached is a “screen-shot” of the Bow Valley area near Banff Townsite. Clicking on the icon next to the name above the line leading to a peak opens a window that provides elevation information. You will also find a link to the corresponding page of information and photos for that peak from www.peakfinder.com. When you open Google Earth through www.peakfinder.com all the peaks are identified. However there is a folder structure in the left panel that allows you to turn off all these identifiers. You can then select a single peak or several if you wish, or all the peaks over 11,000’, or 10,500’, or 10,000’. A sub-menu structure allows the selection of peaks by parks, by major valley, by range, or by hiking area. My favourite is viewing all the peaks along the continental divide. The resolution of the photos varies, the highest being an area centred on Mount Hector and another in the Goodsir Towers area. Presumably, over time, the resolution will improve over the entire range. If you’re a Canadian Rockies enthusiast, it’s possible to spend hours re-living old trips and planning new ones with this amazing combination of Google Earth and www.peakfinder.com. Thanks to Marta Wojnarowska, Chester, and Patrick for this major contribution to Peakfinder. The slideshow section is updated from time to time. Last month many of the photos in the Peaks of Waterton show were updated with better quality images. As well there is now a photo tour of the Rockies seen by driving up the Bow Valley on Highways #1 and #93. Check out the monthly panorama on the site. Previously they were photos from "50 Roadside Panoramas in the Canadian Rockies. Now we're using new colour photos from different locations. There are about 2800 photos on the website and sometimes errors are made in their captions. Several Peakfinder users have located errors and advised us so that they can be corrected. Please let us know if you find an error. If you have a favourite mountain photo or any information about the peaks of the Canadian Rockies that you would like included in Peakfinder please contact <dave@peakfinder.com>. Please note that all of the previous newsletters have been archived and are available on the site. If you're interested in esoteric lists, unusual mountain names, etcetera, browse through the earlier issues. |
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Enter "Mallard Peak" to learn more about the mountain. |
| Look who's honoured in the Canadian Rockies AXEL PEARSON Pearson Peak was not named to honour the Canadian prime minister who served during the 1950's and 1960's. It honours Private Axel Pearson from Giscome, British Columbia who was killed during WW II on 2 November 1943, age 41, while serving with the Canadian Forestry Corps. For information about Pearson Peak enter the mountain's name in the appropriate search box on the main page. |