Backpacker Magazine has called Cam "Swami" Honan the most traveled hiker on earth. He has walked more than 75,000 miles across 68 countries. His Hiking Poll score is 7 out of 100 — the lowest score in the history of Hiker Trash Radio, and a record Cam considers fair. In Part 1, he and Doc cover the origins of the trail name Swami, the genesis and planning of the 12 Long Walks, the Calendar Year Triple Crown (which was a byproduct rather than a goal), what 14,000 miles of cold soaking does to a person, the gas station eggnog discovery that saved the winter AT section, the dodgy situation question that unlocked the rabid dog story from Egypt in 1995 (one of the finest adventure stories in the history of this podcast) and memorable trail characters Insane Dwayne and Tea Bag. The poodle dog bush reaction at mile 450 on the PCT that put him in a Ridgecrest ER for five days on antihistamines and steroids and left him looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is also there. Again, his score: 7.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Cam "Swami" Honan is an Australian long-distance hiker, writer, and founder of The Hiking Life (thehikinglife.com). Backpacker Magazine has called him the most traveled hiker on earth: 75,000+ miles across 68 countries. He completed the legendary 12 Long Walks: 12 consecutive thru-hikes, 14,000+ miles, 29 states, 4 Canadian provinces, 18 months, 2011–2012. Along the way he completed one of the fastest Triple Crowns on record (~236 days: PCT northbound, CDT southbound from Montana, AT southbound from Katahdin) as a byproduct, not a goal. He is the author of the Wanderlust book series (six volumes and counting) and Hiking and Backpacking for Dummies. His trail name, Swami, was given to him on his first PCT hike in 2007 by a woman from Glasgow who found his trail yoga amusing. Hiking Poll score: 7 out of 100.

What's Covered in Part 1


Trail Name — Swami

Trailblazer's Toolkit — Head Net (and Katabatic Quilts)


The Hiking Poll — Score: 7


The 12 Long Walks — Planning and Execution


The Calendar Triple Crown


The Eggnog


The Rabid Dog — Siwa, Egypt, 1995–96


Trail Characters — Insane Dwayne and Tea Bag


Links & Resources



  • The Hiking Life: https://www.thehikinglife.com

  • Cam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehikinglife

  • Wanderlust book series — Available wherever books are sold. Six volumes: USA, Himalaya, Nordics, Mediterranean, The Hidden Tracks, and more. A seventh — world's best day hikes — is due early next year.

  • Hiking and Backpacking for Dummies — Available wherever books are sold.

  • The Living Mountain — Nan Shepherd. Cam's Off the Beaten Path recommendation. An ode to the Cairngorms of Scotland; about 100 pages. Written during WWII, published in the mid-1970s. Nan Shepherd appears on the Scottish £5 note.

  • Continental Divide Trail Coalition: https://www.continentaldividetrail.org

  • Appalachian Trail Conservancy: https://www.appalachiantrail.org

  • Pacific Crest Trail Association: https://www.pcta.org


Connect with Hiker Trash Radio



  • Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com

  • Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio.


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