Brandon Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson in Santiago de Compostela, 2007 | |
| Born | October 2, 1953 Sewickley, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | writer, explorer, peace walker |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NYC, 1974 |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, B.A., 1973 |
| Genre | travel writing |
Brandon Wilson (born October 2, 1953) 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.
Wilson was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania on October 2, 1953.[1] He grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he was 14, he began contributing articles to two local newspapers (Coraopolis Record and Moon Bulletin).[2]
He attended Sewickley Academy, graduated Moon Area High School (1971) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Carolina Playmakers, matriculating with a Bachelor of Arts in communications and dramatic arts in 1973. Wilson then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York City (1974).[2]
Wilson began his career with the Seattle Repertory Theatre as video director for the play Made for TV (1975).[3] In 1981, Wilson moved to Utqiaġvik, Alaska (formerly Barrow), as the assistant to the Iñupiat mayor,[4] where he reported on Arctic life for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner[5] among others. After relocating to Anchorage, Alaska, Wilson continued writing news and cultural articles for statewide newspapers while managing promotions with the Anchorage Convention & Visitor's Bureau.[6] Wilson relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1986, where he was a senior copywriter at an ad agency until 1989 when he began a creative consultancy specializing in the travel industry, while writing adventure articles for national media.[7]
In 1990, after having lived in Hawaii for several years, Wilson and his wife, Cheryl Keefe, began a 17-country African transect from London to Cape Town. Their seven-month safari is recounted in their 2005 non-fiction travelogue, Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa. The book received positive reviews from Midwest Book Review[8] and The Maui News.[9]
In 1992, after training at high elevations in Vail, Colorado, Wilson and his wife set off to walk a 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) pilgrimage path from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, the Wilsons presented Tibetan prayer flags carried from Lhasa to the King of Nepal's private secretary at the Royal Palace.[10][11][12][13] Wilson wrote a travelogue, Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith, which describes the trek and struggle of the Tibetan people to survive cultural genocide. The book received positive reviews from Library Journal,[14] Midwest Book Review,[15] and The Honolulu Advertiser.[16] It won a 2005 IPPY Award in the travel essay category.[15]
In 1999, Wilson learned of the Camino de Santiago, a Spanish pilgrimage trail and continued his walks for peace in the historic tradition.[17][18] Over the following fifteen years, he walked several pilgrim paths throughout Europe, and in 2014 was named a Knight Hospitaller-Knight of Malta.[19][20][21]
In April 2006, with the goal of establishing a modern-day pilgrimage route from Europe to Jerusalem, Wilson set off with 68-year-old Frenchman "Émile" on a 4,223 kilometres (2,624 mi), six-month from Dijon, France to Jerusalem approximating the route of Godfrey of Bouillon during the First Crusades.[22] With the 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid and outbreak of the 2006 Lebanon War, walking on what they named the Templar Trail became more difficult and its success uncertain. They persevered, due in part to the newspaper and television coverage they received along the way, which helped spread their message of peace.[23][24][25][26] Although "Émile" fell ill and was forced to return home from Istanbul, Wilson continued,[27] arriving in Jerusalem on September 29, 2006.[28]
A non-fiction book recounting his journey, Along the Templar Trail: Seven Million Steps for Peace, was published in 2008. The book received positive reviews from Midwest Book Review[29] and ForeWord Magazine.[30] It won the "Best Travel Book" Gold Award at the 2009 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards.[31]
From June–September 2009, Wilson and his wife traversed the high Alps for 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) across eight countries from Trieste to Monaco while researching a book about the Via Alpina, a new trans-European hiking network.[32][33][34] Wilson's book about their journey, Over the Top & Back Again: Hiking X the Alps, the first book in English about a Via Alpina thru-hike (per Assoc. Via Alpina), was published in October 2010, featuring illustrations by Ken Plumb. The book received positive reviews from Library Journal,[35] The Denver Post,[36] and Midwest Book Review.[37]
Wilson has written extensively in long and short form. His publications include the following:[38]
Pilgrimage/Peace Walks:
