National Geographic 2019 Adventurer of the Year Beautiful and deftly
written and intimate and searing in its honesty, Anish's is a quest to
conquer the trail and her own inner darkness.-Foreword Reviews
Filled with ruminative self-reflection, soaring natural descriptions and
delightful accounts of the gracious, life-sustaining 'trail magic' of
hiking culture, Thirst is a testament to human endurance, inspiring to
hikers and non-hikers alike.-Shelf Awareness
By age 25, Heather Anderson had hiked what is known as the Triple Crown
of backpacking: the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT),
and Continental Divide Trail (CDT)--a combined distance of 7,900 miles
with a vertical gain of more than one million feet. A few years later,
she left her job, her marriage, and a dissatisfied life and walked back
into those mountains.
In her new memoir, Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, Heather, whose trail
name is Anish, conveys not only her athleticism and wilderness
adventures, but also shares her distinct message of courage--her
willingness to turn away from the predictability of a more traditional
life in an effort to seek out what most fulfills her. Amid the rigors of
the trail--pain, fear, loneliness, and dangers--she discovers the
greater rewards of community and of self, conquering her doubts and
building confidence. Ultimately, she realizes that records are merely a
catalyst, giving her purpose, focus, and a goal to strive toward.
Heather is the second woman to complete the "Double Triple Crown of
Backpacking," completing the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental
Divide National Scenic Trails twice each. She holds overall
self-supported Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on the Pacific Crest Trail
(2013)--hiking it in 60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes, breaking the
previous men's record by four days and becoming the first women to hold
the overall record--and the Arizona Trail (2016), which she completed in
19 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes. She also holds the women's self-supported
FKT on the Appalachian Trail (2015) with a time of 54 days, 7 hours, 48
minutes. Heather has hiked more than twenty thousand miles since 2003,
including ten thru-hikes. An ultramarathon runner, she has completed six
100-mile races since August 2011 as well as dozens of 50 km and 50-mile
events. She has attempted the infamous Barkley Marathons four times,
starting a third loop once. Heather is also an avid mountaineer working
on several ascent lists in the US and abroad.
