Long Walks and Rabid Dogs - Cam "Swami" Honan (Part II)

In Part 2, Cam and Doc get into what he's built and what he believes. The Hiking Life: a free resource started in 2010 while he was building the website and scanning pre-digital photos; now covering everything from Patagonia to Siberia, a mix of trip reports, skills articles, and what he calls random musings, including "Practical but Crappy Christmas Gifts for Hikers" (starts with Ziploc bags) and "50 Reasons You've Taken Ultralight Backpacking Too Far" (ends with trimming the bristles of your toothbrush). The Wanderlust series: approached by a publisher 10–11 years ago, six books so far, a seventh on the world's best day hikes coming early next year - more inspiration than education. Hiking and Backpacking for Dummies: the education complement, covering everything from thermoregulation in cold wet environments to efficient downhill technique. His hiking philosophy: the decrease in pack weight should balance with the improvement in your backcountry skill set; there's a lot of hyperbole online and you're going to be your own best teacher. And then the closing story about a man named Mark on a mountain pass in Switzerland 30 years ago, with a blue jacket and 33-year-old boots, who taught him that you can tell more about a hiker's love of the wilderness by the effort they put into their regular short walks than by any big-name expedition.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there — it dropped 10 minutes ago.