Ritter Range Aerial Search Imagery

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 21 - 40 of total 41 in this topic

<< First | < Previous | Show All | Next > | Last >>

TomCochrane

Trad climber

Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 20, 2013 - 12:23am PT

it might help to realize that we were basically flying clockwise circles around the range with the right side of the airplane (and camera) facing the range

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 21, 2013 - 06:27pm PT

Just received the disks. I'll Copy em to HardDrive and if it would help I'll gladly send em back.

Edit
504pm All Disks copied, Learned how to view in full res and zoom in. Lots of work now finding and searching clips of the areas I think have potential. Cataloging the clips and noting the ones to search will take a few hours.

The DATA rate is beastly at full resolution. Might be time to invest in 4 SS drives and RAID them.

Resolution zoomed out is not adequate but zooming out is critical for reference location. Zoomed in is barely adequate resolution at times. Higher shutter speeds recommended. 1/500 or above if possible. Depth of field not important and suggest locking focus at infinity.

REDCINE is an excellent program and is taking advantage of all 4 cores at My overclocked speed of 4.4G.

PS you guys were bookin! High airspeed = safety and glad to see that.

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 21, 2013 - 09:25pm PT

What peak is this? South of Clydes Minaret and directly above deadhorse lake. (cecil lake in the foreground)

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 21, 2013 - 09:53pm PT

You are correct that is cecil lake in the foreground.

The peak in question is just off the map SSW across deadhorse lake from the indicated position of Pridham. (the ridge in between to pridham is hard to make out)

Another pic of it

Just seems like a good smaller day objective for a guy in Mammoth with crampons who is waiting for his car to be fixed. Also perhaps enough off the beaten path of ritter/banner that he might not have been discovered. It would be familiar to him having done clydes.

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 21, 2013 - 10:50pm PT

Coo but in that case Summit post is incorrect :) And I'd take yours and QITNLs advice over a questionably marked map anyday.

Thanks Dean

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 21, 2013 - 11:01pm PT

Thanks again.. the gully just seems to be one of the few (current at the time of disapearance) snow routes in the area other than on Ritter/Banner that go anywhere worth going. (thus I can see why you went up it) It grabbed my attention pretty quickly as a real route and not just a dead end snowfield.

Like pretty much everything in the area it's perfect for incapacitating a solo climber. Just one loose rock could do it.

And theres about a trillion of those all over this range unfortunately.

I'll be looking at any imagery in this area for a while

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 22, 2013 - 01:15am PT

The peak I have indicated is to the south (left and out of frame)of Starr minaret.

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 22, 2013 - 02:24am PT

Thanks. It does seem a fairly quick approach from Minaret/falls.. devils postpile Johnston meadows area. Aprox 5 to 7 miles and 3 k elevation to base of the gully. Well within Matts apparent ability for a day hike. We are all grasping at straws. I'm avoiding ritter/banner (they have had more traffic) and looking for a good second alternative is all.

Perhaps this will help with orientation.

In this image it's hard to make out deadhorse lake. Trust me it's there.. the vid is much better for showing it.

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Aug 22, 2013 - 11:33am PT

climb2ski
In the photo you posted.
From Right to Left
Obviously Clyde and then Ken (rather obscure compared to Clyde), South Notch (above Cecile).
Left of South Notch on the ridge is the short spire Kerhlein. Then the low rugged ridge from Kerhlein coming due east towards Cecile Lake with Pridham (also obscure) and Riegelhuth with its steep N Face in shadow.

Continuing R->L is the short, steep ridge between Kerhlein and Starr Minaret.
Then the long high ridge from Starr to The Watchtower, southwest of Deadhorse Lake with the big ice filled couloir draining into the steep valley south (left) of Deadhorse Lake.
The very high and rugged Watchtower marks the end of the Minarets group.

a couple of pics from Bob Burd's site
Pridham from summit of Riegelhuth, Starr well to the left of Pridham
http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_photos/riegelhuth_minaret_1/DSC03797_w.html
Starr from NE (perhaps from summit of Pridham which Bob climbed on the same outing)
http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_photos/riegelhuth_minaret_1/DSC03806_w.html
The dramatic snow filled couloir so prominent from Tom's aerial pic is obscured by the East ridge of Starr.

EDITED for corrections.

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 22, 2013 - 11:41am PT

Thanks guys .. Just trying to understand the lay of the land. Perhaps I should delete the pics as they were questions not meant to fill others in with bad info.

I know the pics are not very good at this angle. But there is still something I am having trouble accounting for.

The peak (Watchtower) I have indicated by the square is SOUTH by SW of Deadhorse lake. This is very clear when watching the video but not showing well in the screenies I have labeled. Which puts it south of Starr peak on the same ridge.

Not really very material to the search (other than accuracy if folks ask for info or looking for it.)

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 22, 2013 - 12:30pm PT

More clarity on a different flyby.

A. Dead Horse Lake
B. Unnamed lake east and directly below Starr
C. Starr
?. ??

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Aug 22, 2013 - 01:31pm PT

I agree with QITNL
? peak is The Watchtower. Beck Lake pass to it's South (or behind in this view). Long ridge running north joining it to Starr Minaret. Earlier pic shows the two Beck Lakes clearly.
I had it wrong in my earlier post. Your new pic clarifies it well. I've edited my earlier post to minimize subsequent confusion.

Note: The Watchtower eastern couloir is mostly hidden from the main part of the Minarets, Cecile Lake, etc.

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Aug 26, 2013 - 11:35am PT

BUMP

SplitPants

Social climber

Aug 26, 2013 - 11:42am PT

Ok I have what is likely a dumb question as I am clueless about this type of technology.

Would it be of any benefit to crowd source examining this video using the local theater in Mammoth? Get a bunch of volunteers in there to examine in unison on a big screen. Just kind of thinking out loud based on reading the information in this thread......

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Aug 26, 2013 - 11:45am PT

Interesting idea. Why don't you contact Tom Cochrane directly? (just click on his his name below the avatar)

climbski2

Mountain climber

Anchorage AK, Reno NV

Aug 26, 2013 - 11:45am PT

I spent many hours looking carefully at all close up video provided of the east side of the Ritter range. From Banner to the Watchtower on several passes. Simply did not find anything. :(

This does not mean much really. I was also UNABLE TO RULE OUT any search areas. Only very short bits of the footage were of high enough resolution to be useful. It is a very difficult thing to take a camera up there in a small cramped bumpy aircraft shooting through the window and get the best results the first try. I do think this can be a usable tool. But it is very challenging.

Up thread I made some suggestions. Shutter speed being possibly a big key to getting the full sharpness his equipment should be capable of in each frame. Other issues make this a VERY difficult endeavor. Huge props to Tom Cochrane and the whole team involved.

Most cinematography is shot with relatively low shutter speed compared to still photography of fast moving subjects. (in this case it would help to reduce the effect of camera motion while zoomed in)

The reason slow shutter speed are generally used in cinematography/videography is that it makes the viewing experience much smoother. I have shot 1/1000 on professional video equipment in the past. It makes for a strange looking harder to watch film for most uses. But very sharp images. Which would be better for SAR usage.

TomCochrane

Trad climber

Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2013 - 03:20am PT

working to refine this technique...unfortunately also have other fires to fight...Chelsea had to pass her Biannual flight review...the airplane is due for an expensive annual inspection...not to mention...

today we flew a local test flight with the RED Mysterium X at 1/2000 shutter speed, 30 fps, 800 ASA (native for the Mysterium X sensor), using a cinema 35mmm Angeneux 25-250 lens zoomed to 250 mm, with no filter, and aperture at f5.6 to balance the exposure histogram

some of it worked really well, depending upon light angle

trying to figure out how to fit in a matt box with a circular polarizer and IR filters and extra support for hand-holding the heavy camera and an optical flat to replace the plexiglass window

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Aug 28, 2013 - 12:25pm PT

Tom,
did you get any photos of the Castle Rock region? I'm managing a shaded fuel break project in CRSP and would love aerial photos if you took them. We've cleared the Kings Creek Truck Trail from Skyline to Vajrapani.
PLEASE, don't go out of your way to take more pics. Don't need them that badly