Hiker Trash Radio - Trail Stories - There's a Fine Line Between Sad and Impressive with Cam "Swami" Honan

Backpacker Magazine has called Cam Honan the most traveled hiker on earth. He has walked more than 75,000 miles across 68 countries. He completed the 12 Long Walks [12 consecutive thru-hikes, 14,000 miles, 29 states, 4 Canadian provinces, 18 months] and along the way, as a byproduct rather than a goal, put up one of the fastest Triple Crowns ever recorded. He cold-soaked for the entire 14,000 miles. He chugged quarts of gas station eggnog through a winter AT section because at 1,300 calories per quart it was the most efficient calorie source he could find. When Doc called this impressive, Cam said: there's a fine line between sad and impressive. This Trail Stories also covers the rabid dog attack in the Egyptian oasis of Siwa in 1995 [one of the best single adventure stories in the history of Hiker Trash Radio] and closes on the Swiss gentleman with 33-year-old boots who taught Cam that you can tell more about a hiker's love of the wilderness by the effort they put into their regular local walks than by any big expedition. The full interview with Cam drops Wednesday in two parts on the Hiker Trash Radio feed.

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 (6 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.

Episode Highlights

Trail Name — Swami

The Calendar Triple Crown — A Byproduct

The Eggnog

The Rabid Dog — Siwa, Egypt, 1995–96

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Mark — The Swiss Tom Bombadil

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.