About

Why Redhot Mapping you ask?

My AT trailname is "Redhot" so I decided to use the moniker to create this website!  I got my trailname from my red hair and that I also wore a red hot chili pepper bandanna on the whole Appalachian Trail northbound in 2017. It took me 150 days to complete but it was an amazing experience. In addition to hiking the AT I have hiked half of the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, hiked in Denali NP, and have bicycled across the USA. 

How did you get started in creating Redhot Mapping?

Out of fun really. I noticed while hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park while trying to complete the 900 miler hiking challenge that there was no clear easy way of keeping track of your mileage as you were hiking that was cartographic appealing instead of using the NPS visitor map and a highlighter/pen for marking. Evenutally over time the pen and highlighter will fade away. I wanted to combine my skills in GIS and mapmaking to create a physical map that was "scratchable" to keep up with progress on paper while admiring my progress.....thus the Smokies 900 Miler Lidar Scratch Off Map was born along with the Redhot Mapping. You can easily turn this map along with your 900 miler spreadsheet  (found here) to apply for certification once complete. 

What are your company's goals/philosophy?

We humans are goal seeking creatures by nature. I wanted to help facilitate successful completion of large hiking/adventure challenges such as Smokies 900, Pisgah 400, South Beyond 6000, and many others by providing a way for visual tracking for your goal. Another hope of mine while you are adventuring is that you meet new people and share ideas and make new friends. There is no community like Trail Community! 

The maps I have created can be hung or placed anywhere and you can view your progression through time giving you some motivation while you remember the memories, friendships, and beauty that you overcame and observed while adventuring.Goal setting is difficult but with proper planning and small steps anything is achievable. 

If I have an idea for a new map location can I get it created?

Of course! Just send over your ideas through the Contact Us page and I will try and get back to you as soon as possible. It might take some time for me to  research  a new area and to find/create the data needed to make the new map following copyright law procedure but I will do my best. I prefer mapping US Federal Lands such as national parks, national forests, etc due to access of data and distribution but can accommodate for private or local areas as well. 

Do you provide any other mapping type services more than map production?

Yes! With over 4 years of experience in the GIS industry both in public and private industries and with a Graduate Geospatial Analysis Certificate from University of Florida I offer expert advice in the following areas: geovisualization, python scripting workflows, editing/processing in open source/ commercial GIS softwares, web map production, and other database development services. Please see the following Geospatial Consulting page for more detail.