The hiking life: Australian walker clocks up the miles & refuses to hang up his boots
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- Published on Friday, 28 June 2013 15:58
- Written by John Pint
While soaking in a pool of hot mineralized water at the Primavera Forest’s famous Caliente River, I was introduced to a remarkable man. “I’d like you to meet Cam Honan,” said my friend Diarmuid Milligan. “Like you, he enjoys hiking.”
What an understatement! I soon discovered that this tall, quiet, often smiling Australian has circled the globe, hiking along most of the world’s most beautiful trails, walking so much that he has covered over 80,467 kilometers in 55 countries and is thought by many to hold the world’s distance record for hiking.
Far more importantly, during all those hours of walking, Honan’s mind was always working and I found his reflections on what he was doing fascinating:
“One foot in front of the other. Everything you need in the world on your back. Wake up with the sun. Go to sleep when it gets dark. Walk, listen and observe in between: The Hiking Life.”
So much experience trekking along the world’s trails also gave Honan a chance to refine and perfect the art of backpacking. Most of what people carry is unnecessary, he argues, pointing out that staggering under the weight of a 20-kilo backpack ruins the beauty and joy of the overall camping experience and turns off many people.
Cam Honan spent many years living in Ajijic, on the shore of Lake Chapala, where he collected and exported Mexican crafts to Australia. His business left him plenty of free time, which he dedicated to walking. Over the years, he visited exotic countries such as Iceland, Nepal and Pakistan, where he hiked along fabled trails.