Brandon Wilson is an American explorer and author of non-fiction travel narratives. A fellow of the Explorers Club, he has written books and essays about his extensive travels on foot as a pilgrim. In 2006, he pioneered the Templar Trail, recreating the route of the First Crusade from France to Jerusalem, as a pilgrimage path of peace. He has explored nearly 100 countries, including making an African transect from London to Cape Town. Over decades, he's been especially passionate about hiking historic long-distance pilgrim trails. In 1992, Brandon and his wife Cheryl became the first Western couple to trek the 1100-kilometer trail from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu. Then he focused on Europe, trekking the Camino de Santiago Francés (twice) across northern Spain, then the Via de la Plata from Seville, and the Camino Catalan and Camino Aragonés from Barcelona. Brandon was the first American to traverse the 1850-kilometer Via Francigena from Canterbury, England to Rome. In 2006, he hiked and founded the 4500-kilometer Templar Trail, recreating the route of the First Crusades as a path of peace from France to Jerusalem. Later, in 2009, Brandon and Cheryl trekked the Via Alpina along the backbone of the Alps across eight countries from Trieste to Monaco, climbing the equivalent of 12 Mt. Everests. In 2015, he hiked the ancient St. Olav's Way for the second time across Norway and Sweden on an Explorers Club Flag expedition. Most recently, he trekked the Alta Via 1 across the Italian Dolomites and the Tour de Mt. Blanc in France, Italy and Switzerland.