Learn German: Wen auch immer wir treffen, wir trampen bis zum Horizont. - Whoever we meet, we are hitchhiking to the horizon.

Wen is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb treffen (to meet). In the phrase Wen auch immer wir treffen, the subject is wir (we), and the unknown people are the object. If the unknown person were doing the action, you would use Wer, as in Wer auch immer uns trifft (Whoever meets us).

How does auch immer change the meaning of the word wen?

Adding auch immer to a question word like wen, wer, was, or wo turns it into a generalizing relative pronoun meaning "-ever". So wen (whom) becomes wen auch immer (whomever), expressing that the specific identity of the person being met simply does not matter.

Doesn't the first clause take up position 1? Why isn't the main clause inverted to ...trampen wir...?

You have a great eye for word order! According to strict textbook grammar, the first clause occupies position one, so the main clause should invert the subject and verb: ..., trampen wir. However, in modern German, these auch immer clauses are often treated as independent introductory phrases outside the main sentence structure. Because of this, the main clause just uses normal subject-verb order (wir trampen). Both are acceptable, but this version is very natural in everyday speech.

Is the verb trampen related to the English word "tramp"?