gray to green: the future of hiking

The future of hiking has arrived and it's name is Google.

Gone are the days when you venture to a trail without knowing exactly what to visually expect. Google is working on a new project, Google Trekker, which will allow hikers to view a trail from Google Maps, much like street view. The catch is, street view relies on cars to capture visual information, which obviously does not work for single track nature trails. Not to worry, the brains behind Google quickly solved this problem by strapping an enormous 360° camera to the back of an uncomfortable backpack and eliciting the help of Google staff, park partners, and volunteers around the world. I mean, who wouldn't want to lend Google a helping hand. I for one, would. . . and did.

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is working with Google to map trails in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Ryan has mapped several trails, but I wanted a chance as well. We headed out to Fort Mason for my training, then loaded the beast into our borrowed car, and made the schlep across town to Fort Funston.

It was a glorious Saturday, which meant the park was a total zoo, and we were the main attraction. We walked slowly around the trails, capturing every nook and cranny on film, as people chatted with us, jumped into the shots, took our photos, or wanted their photo taken with the camera. Although some people knew immediately what was up, others were a bit more out of the loop, wondering if we were working for Yahoo!, or had a telescope, or even a jet pack. Come on people, Yahoo!?

Awesome or nerdy? You be the judge.