A team from the University of Colorado at Boulder has been doing high tech 3-D mapping this week at Chimney Rock National Monument. They did a media presentation Wednesday morning. The weather was not promising for that sort of thing.
It was raining, sometimes hard, between Bayfield and Chimney Rock. Fortunately it was more of a drizzle at the monument.
Under cover of the bathroom porch roof at the monument's upper parking lot, Assistant Professor Gerardo Gutierrez showed off the remote sensing device called terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). Coupled with light detecting sensors that are placed around the area being mapped, the LiDAR creates images that reveal things hidden by vegetation, such as archeological structures.
The LiDAR is mounted on a tripod. It rotates 360 degrees, emitting up to 122,000 laser pulses per second. The sensors pick those up to create the scan. The data is aggregated on a laptop computer to create a fully interactive rendering of structures and terrain, according to background information from the CU News Center.
"The modeling we've done so far looks great," Gutierrez said. The team arrived Monday and started work on Tuesday. "We're already finished up there (the Great House area), so now we are mapping the lower parts," he said. They are staying until Sunday. "The next part of the program will be in September because the peregrines (falcons) are nesting and we can't fly drones." They use both winged and multi-copter drones to supplement the 3-D mapping from the air.
LiDAR modeling has already been done at Norlin Library and the Norlin Quadrangle on the CU Boulder campus, Fort Vasquez near Platteville along I-25, and Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison, near Red Rocks Park. The goal is to map relevant historical sites around the state. The 3-D images will become part of an online database that the public can access to explore historic sites virtually, according to the CU News Center. They also will be a permanent record of each site in the event of deterioration or loss.
Gutierrez attached a Nikon camera on top of the LiDAR. It adds color to the otherwise black and white image, Gutierrez said. With only slight rain at that point, he decided the actual demonstration of the LiDAR could be attempted. He removed the camera to be carried separately and carefully put the LiDar into a backpack as he noted that the device cost around a quarter of a million dollars.
One of Gutierrez's student helpers was tasked to carry the device up the trail to just above the Great House ruin, almost level with the base of the iconic Chimney Rock spires. Other helpers carrying tripods hiked up with the news media types.
This is NOT a handicapped accessible trail. It goes up the spine of the Chimney Rock ridge, with drop-offs and spectacular views on both sides. The spring vegetation was an almost iridescent green, accented with orange Indian paintbrushes and other desert flowers. The Chimney Rock visitor brochure describes this route as a "moderately challenging unimproved trail." Normally it's only open to guided tour groups. The lower part isn't bad, but the upper part is steep and rocky. I looked up at it in dismay. It's not a place to be in a summer thunder storm, and not, I was thinking, a desirable place to navigate in the rain that continued to threaten.
We reached the demonstration point in a light drizzle. Gutierrez held his rain poncho over the LiDAR as the backpack was opened. The plan was to mount the device on a tripod, but it's not supposed to get wet. A helper arrived with a tarp. The drizzle was getting a bit more insistent. Everyone was waiting to see if the drizzle would ease or the rain would get worse - probably not the right term, because the rain has been great for the land.
But there was that steep rocky ankle-breaker trail down. Respect for nature trumped science and technology for me. I headed down, imagining myself as a sure-footed mule until I got to the lower part of the trail.
Chimney Rock opened for the guided tour season on May 15. Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA) volunteers staff the little visitors cabin and guide tours. There are special full moon programs on May 21, June 20, July 19, Aug. 18, and Sept. 16, and dark night sky viewing programs on June 3, July 1 and 29, and Sept. 2 and 30.
Moon viewing programs are scheduled on June 10, July 15, Aug. 12, and Sept. 9. Summer solstice and fall equinox sunrise programs will be on June 21 and Sept. 23.
The annual free Life at Chimney Rock festival will be July 23 and 24 with an Indian market and hands-on craft activities.
Information is at www.chimneyrockco.org or 883-5359.
