To be able to go where you can't go

I am just a guy that sometimes take pictures. And sometimes people see them. That is my mindset in regards to how I am a Local Guide. Isn’t it wonderful that a random photo with no real artistic value can actually be useful? One of the most exciting things about being a Local Guide is taking photos at places where nobody has gone before, like the one time I took a photo sphere from the side of my towns skyscraper. But a thought struck me recently. What about taking pictures where tons of people have gone before, but some people can’t go. That is probably one of the more exciting and valuable things I have done with Google Maps and Street View.

Long story short; I have been a scout in Sweden for most of my life. A while ago the Swedish scouts launched a project together with Google called Scout View (now scouttrails.com). The idea was that scouts around sweden would take a 360-camera with them and walk differrent trails and paths, so other people would be able to walk those trails from anywhere in the world. I am a big fan of Swedish nature, so my and my friend Aron was up for the task! We walked an 8km trail just near where we live the same day the first snow fell. It was beautiful!

A couple of days later we were asked to do an interview at the local morning radio show about what we had done. We where chatting a little bit about what we did and how we did it. When they asked us about why it was important, it suddenly occurred to me on a whole new level what we were doing. I answered something in the terms of “good for accessibility” or something. Later I realized what a profound insight that actually was. We constantly talk about how buildings and public places are inaccessible, but rarely about how inaccessible nature is; one of the most wonderful public places we have access to. Isn’t it magical how we have started working on making nature accessible? Now anybody can take a stroll in the Swedish forests, regardless of whether it is wheelchair accessible or not. Or maybe you just can’t afford to go there.

This is one of the more valuable and profound stories I have in terms of being a Local Guide

3 Likes