By Heather “Anish” Anderson
I fought this book even as I found myself reluctant to put it down. I said to Gill, a number of times, “This journey sounds depressing.” I’d like to amend that statement, Gill. “This journey sounds incredibly difficult and transformative.
Heather “Anish” (her trail name) has set Fastest Known Time (FKT) records on three long distance thru-hikes, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail and the Arizona Trail. Self-supported, she set these records with no outside assistance. She hiked the PCT (2,653 miles) in 60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes and the AT (2,192) in 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes.
20 hours of hiking a day which in turn means four hours of sleep a night—for two months. It’s really unbelievable.
This book is the accounting of her Appalachian Trail hike which she set out to do to prove to herself that her record on the Pacific Crest Trail was not a fluke. Anderson suffered from imposter syndrome after the PCT. Her athleticism is undeniable, but the tale is really one of inner transformation—from a woman who is self-critical with acknowledged low self-esteem, to one who accepts herself just as she is.
I can see the draw of a thru-hike. I’ve contemplated one myself. Gill hiked Vermont’s Long Trail, and she describes the clarity, the pared down quality of hiking and eating and sleeping one day after the next.
I wonder if perhaps some envy factored into my initial reaction to reading Anderson’s book. She set about to do something most people couldn’t understand and she did it—for herself. That’s strength of character.
I engaged with this book on many levels and that means it was a story worth reading. Her story is changing mine.