"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 "A refreshingly candid account of how an average person can harness a steadfast determination to achieve the spectacular." ― Outside Named "50 Best Hiking Books of all Time" by BACKPACKER MAGAZINE By age twenty-five, Heather Anderson had hiked the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails--a combined distance of nearly eight thousand miles with a vertical gain of more than one million feet. Then, feeling it was time to settle down, Heather retired from long-distance hiking, married, and started a career. But her urge for wilderness was too strong, and she realized that nothing could replace the comfort she found while hiking. Her marriage crumbled. She quit her job. And she walked back into the mountains. In Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home , Heather, whose trail name is "Anish," explores her motivations in returning to the trail--and to her record-setting success on the PCT when she hiked 40-plus miles a day, often walking late into the night by glow of a headlamp, and facing down rattlesnakes, mountain lions, bears, raging rivers, snow, and lightning. She shares her joy in leaving behind a mundane life, and amid the rigors of the trail--the pain, fear, loneliness, and dangers--she discovers the greater rewards of both community and self-fulfillment. She learns that setting records is merely a catalyst, teaching her how to live a life of courage, confidence, and purpose. With humility and vulnerability, Heather ‘Anish’ Anderson reminds us that the most impressive feats of strength and endurance are entirely human endeavors, achieved one step at a time. Thirst takes the reader to the trail, but also to the heart. -- Ben Montgomery ― author of Grandma Gatewood's Walk Heather Anderson’s book is much like her extraordinary trail accomplishments: extremely personal yet universally inspiring. She exposes the value of following a path apart from the mainstream, and convinces readers of their own ability to unleash personal reserves of endurance to push beyond mental limitations and cultural expectations. -- Jennifer Pharr Davis ― author of The Pursuit of Endurance Just like Heather thru-hikes the PCT from Mexico to Canada, you will thru-read Thirst cover to cover for insight into her impressive accomplishments. -- Gina Lucrezi ― founder of Trail Sisters Thirst is the kind of book that sits in your bones. It makes you want to push harder at whatever it is you do. Anish is possibly the greatest athlete in the world, but she didn’t start that way. This book gives you hope and courage by showing that no matter who you are or where you are at now, you can do more. -- Liz "Snorkel" Thomas ― author of Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike In no uncertain terms, Heather ‘Anish’ Anderson is a legend in the long-distance hiking community. Thirst delivers an emotional, inspiring, and beautifully written narrative about the achievement that first put her on this map. -- Zach Davis ― editor-in-chief of The Trek 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. -- Kristine Morris ― Foreword Reviews, STARRED review How does someone go from an overweight high-schooler to a record-breaking endurance hiker? Certainly not by the conventional route. Averaging 40-plus miles a day, despite dehydration, sleep deprivation, and nighttime encounters with wild animals, Anderson simply never stops walking. Along the trail, she makes peace with her recent divorce and her decision to shuck societal pressure in order to live a non-traditional lifestyle. For her, a purposeful life means to dream big, live courageously, and move in sync with nature. -- Brenda Barrera ― Booklist An exhilarating personal tale of a legendary feat. -- Mary Vermillion ― Cascadia Daily News You don’t need to be a thru-hiker to feel inspired by the grit on every page of this book―part trail log, part redemption story.... Consider yourself warned: Once you pick this one up, you won’t want to put it down. -- Ashley Brown ― REI Co-op Journal The reader is transported onto the trail with her. If you liked Wild, you’ll want to read this one. -- Jaime Herndon ― Book Riot Thirst by Heather “Anish” Anderson is a wonderfully written memoir rich in autobiographical detail of her record-setting fastest known thru-hike (FKT) of the Pacific Crest Trail. For Anish, her Thirst was able to overcome every physical or psychological obstacle in her path and there’s a lesson in that for us all. -- Philip Werner ―