Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home

Written by Heather Anderson

Narrated by Heather Costa

By age twenty-five, Heather Anderson had hiked what is known as the "Triple Crown" of backpacking: the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail—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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541405400

Heather Anderson

Heather Anderson is a certified personal trainer, through-hiker, ultrarunner, mountaineer, climber, endurance adventurer, and wilderness lover. She is the first female to complete the Triple Crown in a calendar year. When she is not on the trail, she lives in Washington State. Follow her adventures at anishhikes.wordpress.com and @AnishHikes.

Reviews for Thirst

[Beth McGowan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book discusses the journey physically and emotionally that drove a woman to compete against herself as well as the elements on the PCT. Very Inspirational!

[Chantal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully and intensely written. Perfect for listening to while walking.

[Ben · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Somehow the author manages to miss the point of her own story. Rather than grasping the wisdom that's staring her straight in the face, she is more lost at the end of her journey than before she began. So this just ends up being a pointless story about suffering.

[Baruch Roter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Raw, gritty, real. Anish’s vulnerability is even more amazing and powerful as her incredible residence and determination.

Very compelling!

[Lani Adams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hiked the PCT through her. I will never get to do it myself. It’s a must read!!

[mapg.genie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable page turner. I always enjoy reading books written by female long-distance hikers. In this case "Anish" was hiking an unbelievable 40+ miles a day to break the time record for hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). She was an experienced hiker and had hiked the PCT previously, but still ran into unexpected challenges. As is often the case, this is also a story about self-worthiness and fulfillment and setting goals.

[brewbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thirst is a remarkable book, a great memoir of a talented hiker who decides she will tackle one of the hardest hiking challenges on her own. Anish takes us through her journey of self-discovery as she struggles to achieve the Fastest Known time as a self-supported hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail. She does learn much about herself, as she says: “At least now I knew that my heart was wedded to the mountains- to the wild places.”

Why did she choose to hike 2600 miles in 60 days? “I’d chosen this challenge for many reasons, and one of the greatest is to face the darkness, both without and within.” She explains her personal darkness as well as her path to defeat her inner demons and fears throughout her life.