About

“Australia’s greatest modern bushwalker.” 

~ Great Walks Magazine (Feb. 2018)

I love to hike. I love to travel. Whenever possible I combine the two. That’s basically The Hiking Life in a nutshell. As for the details, if memory serves they go something like this:

“Upon finishing university in 1993, I moved to Mexico. No, I was not on the run from the law, although not long after I arrived, I distinctly recall being told that only two kinds of people move to Mexico, “those that are wanted and those that are not wanted.” My intention was to spend a couple of years working, travelling, and learning another language before heading home to Australia. I ended up doing all of those things; however, two years have somehow metamorphosed into two decades………and counting.

During this period, if I haven’t been working, chances are I’ve been travelling. My journeys have taken me all over the globe, and wherever I’ve gone, I’ve been accompanied by a backpack, shelter, sleeping bag, and Suunto compass. As a consequence of these backcountry excursions, I’ve long since become proficient in different types of environments, ranging from deserts to jungles to mountains. More importantly, along the way, I’ve discovered that when it comes to experiencing the wonders of terra firma – I mean really experiencing them from the inside out rather than the outside in – there is simply no better way to do so than on foot.”

So there you have it. The Reader’s Digest version of The Hiking Life. If you’re interested in more trail-centric details about yours truly, see below. For everyone else, check out the rest of the site!

~   Cam “Swami” Honan

Hiking Miscellanea

• As of 2023, I’ve hiked more than 70,000 miles (112,654 km) in 61 countries and six continents. See 100 Classic Hikes for some of my favourite hiking trips from the past three decades.

• Between July 2011 and December 2012, I completed a trip that was called the “12 Long Walks.” Consisting of a dozen consecutive long-distance hikes and totalling more than 14,300 miles (23,014 km), it took me through 29 US States and four Canadian provinces. Along the way, I destroyed some 28 pairs of trail running shoes and most of what was left of my knee cartilage 😉 .

• During the 12 Long Walks trip, I completed the swiftest ever calendar year Triple Crown (Pacific Crest, Appalachian, and Continental Divide Trails – 236 days) and covered more distance in a calendar year than anyone before me (10,244 miles / 16,486 km).

• In more recent times, I’ve pioneered traverses of Mexico’s Copper Canyon region (along with Justin “Trauma” Lichter), Peru’s Cordillera Blanca Range, South Dakota’s Badlands, Bolivia’s Altiplano, and in early 2016, completed what may have been my toughest trip yet; an approximately 200 mile (322 km) solo traverse of southwest Tasmania, one of the wildest and most rugged wilderness areas on the planet.

• Since 2017 I’ve authored and co-edited five books, each of which features around 30 different hikes from around the world –  Wanderlust: Hiking on Legendary Trails, The Hidden Tracks, Wanderlust USA, Wanderlust Himalaya, and Wanderlust Nordics. As of March 2023, the first title of the quintet is now available in six languages – English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese.