Tonight I completed the first map (Warning: 5.5MB-file) in a four-map series covering Big Bend’s Outer Mountain Loop. This map builds on the initial maps I created before the trip last month. Most significantly, the new map has waypoints based on GPS readings I took during my hike of the Outer Mountain Loop and my July trek to the South Rim. Eventually, I’ll complete the other three maps. The waypoints are complete for the hike (and even available as an Excel spreadsheet).
As I mentioned last month, it’s a bit of a drawn out process to create these maps. Part of it is due to the Mac platform being a bit behind Windows in terms of topographic software. While a number of proprietary and public domain mapping software programs have been available for a long time for Windows users, Mac fans only recently got a GPS-oriented program, James Associates excellent MacGPS Pro. James Associates has begun offering entire state topo maps on DVD, at prices significantly less than National Geographic’s TOPO! maps, which also just recently became available for the Mac (I just ordered Colorado and Wyoming, more to show my support to James Associates’ efforts than because I actually need them for trip planning.). Using MacGPS Pro, I can hook my GPS unit to my Mac and exchange waypoint, route, and other data back and forth between them. Before MacGPS Pro, I could not hook my Garmin Summit GPS unit to my computer at all.
The second reason this is a drawn out process is related to the amount of artistic control I want to have over the final product. The TOPO! software is pretty limited (at least the Windows version I have used was) when it comes to creative control. Looking at my final maps, it’s easy to see why I would want to run a map through Photoshop.

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