Lo Phong La Kiatoukaysy, known on trail as "Lil’ Buddha", is a Hmong-American adventurer, thru-hiker, speaker, and outdoor advocate.
He is best known for his 2010 calendar year Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) thru-hike that included Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, a route of over 6,000 miles, which is considered a long-distance hiking first.
Since 1995, Lil' Buddha has hiked North America's longest trails including the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail (as part of the ECT) three times each.
This remarkable feat has earned Lil' Buddha the prestigious title of the First Known Asian and Hmong-American to achieve Triple Triple Crown Thru-hiker status. He is also the First and Only Known Triple Triple Crown Thru-hiker to include three ECT hikes.
In 2021, Outside Magazine named Lil' Buddha one of the top 23 Outsiders of the Year.
Presently, Lil' Buddha is pioneering a new hiking route called the Pangea Traverse.