Article

by Brendan Bane

Nov. 15, 2013—Shortly after Thursday’s night sky settled over Santa Cruz, more than 250 eager map geeks crowded the Hotel Paradox ballroom. With raffle and drink tickets in hand, the enthusiasts clustered into a large room with walls adorned in maps. Thursday marked the celebration of National Geographic’s new Trails Illustrated map, which details the Santa Cruz Mountains and its surrounding geography into adjacent counties.

“In terms of contiguous geography,” said executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks Bonny Hawley, “I tend to think up to the county line. But there’s a whole other world beyond that! And this map has a unique perspective that shows all that.”

Read Nat Geo Cartographer: Santa Cruz Map 'A Real Beast'
Read coverage of the map party in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

Hawley was one speaker among four. Hilltromper editorial queen bee Traci Hukill and National Geographic Senior Sales Manager Christine Schoonover also led the crowd in appreciating our region’s awesome map. But one speaker in particular stole the show. The charming Rachael Huerta, National Geographic cartographer, delivered a detailed presentation on our map’s genesis, complete with pictures of the process and Trails Illustrated headquarters. Her comedic coup de grâce came while showing off the office’s canine employees, otherwise known as “cardographers.” Many happy enthusiasts left with Huerta’s signature on their brand new maps.

The evening concluded with a raffle that saw Hilltromper CEO Eric Johnson and Hawley handing out bird book-and-map sets from National Geographic, a Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks sweatshirt and membership kit, and five highly coveted posters (judging from the joy of the winners and disappointment of the losers after each drawing) donated by friends of Hilltromper. The Seasons in the Sanctuary poster, a collaboration between artist Doug Ross and Santa Cruz arts administrator Crystal Birns, was a hit, as were four gorgeous mounted photographs by Carl Uebelhart. Johnson was then commandeered into an impromptu auction of a large-format poster of the Trails Illustrated map (one of only six!) signed by the cartographers, with proceeds supporting Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. (Jennifer Walker of Network Mortgage snapped it up.) The herd of map geeks remained lively and talkative throughout the night, with guests discussing everything from ecology to photography, mountain biking to hidden trails and more. Topics were diverse, but all interests coalesced on one sentiment: that Santa Cruzans are proud to have so many reasons to get outside, and they’re delighted to have a map that shows them how to get there.

Order a National Geographic Trails Illustrated Big Basin/Santa Cruz Parks and Preserves map here. You can also find them at Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks stores.

Find the Seasons in The Sanctuary poster at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, 35 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz (across from the wharf). Open Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm. Admission free.