Farther: Eight Months on America’s Triple Crown Trails

by Heather Anish Anderson

From the bestselling author of Thirst and Mud, Rocks, Blazes, this compelling memoir chronicles Heather Anderson’s ambitious journey to thru-hike America’s Triple Crown--the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails--in a single calendar year.

Between 2003 and 2017, Anderson hiked more than 20,000 miles, twice completing each of the nation’s three longest trails and setting speed records along the way. But records can be broken--so Anderson set out to accomplish something even more becoming the first woman to hike what’s known as a Calendar Year Triple Crown.

Farther covers Anderson’s gritty and challenging effort across nearly 8,000 miles of backcountry, navigating physical hardship and mental resilience. Juggling logistics and weather, as well as emotional upheaval in her personal relationships, Anderson examines themes of grief, identity, and perseverance with clarity and vulnerability. As months of feral solitude and struggle unfold, Anderson seeks meaning through motion--how walking forward can help us find our way back to ourselves.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Travel, Outdoors

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2026

About the author

National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Heather Anderson is the only woman who has completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide National Scenic Trails each three times. This includes her historic Calendar Year Triple Crown hike in 2018 when she hiked all three of those trails in one March-November season, making her the first female to do so.

She also holds the overall self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Pacific Crest Trail (2013)–hiking it in 60 days, 17 hours, 12 min, which broke the previous men’s record by four days and established the first female record. She also holds the female self-supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail (2015) in a time of 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes, and the Arizona Trail (2016) which she completed in 19 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes.

She has hiked over 40,000 miles since 2003 including 15 thru-hikes. She is also an avid mountaineer and peakbagger working on several ascent lists in the US and abroad.

As a professional speaker, Heather speaks regularly about her adventures and the lessons learned on trail. She is the author of Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home (chronicling her Pacific Crest Trail record) and Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail (2021) about her 2015 AT record.

To stay up-to date on events, book releases and more sign up for Heather's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g_Tt5D

As a welcome bonus you'll receive a deleted chapter from her first book, Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home …available only to newsletter subscribers! 

Reviews

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway.

[Dioscita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anderson continues to be my all-time most favorite athlete EVER, because what she can do is absolutely astonishing. I don’t at all understand her mental (and physical) toughness, but I admire the hell out of it. Wow.

[Mw2019 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The chapter by chapter humble brag got pretty old, and she about lost me when she complained about how well known she is in the ultra community back home but nobody on the east coast knew who she was. It’s hard to view her as this hiker to admire when in all her tales she’s constantly dehydrated, in rhabdo, starving (literally), or injured due to her bad choices. No new hiker should EVER take advice from her.

The second plot line of the book was complaining about the help her fiancée gave her, then complaining again when he thought about quitting helping her. I have a hard time getting on board with someone whose goals eclipse their relationships, including her sister getting sick (I think—she never revisited it after insinuating her sister had cancer and was dying while Heather kept hiking). it felt like that and her dad dying were shoehorned in at the last minute at the request of her editor to add a layer of personal relationships, but all it did was display a level of selfishness that was hard to relate to.

Heather has done some incredible athletic endeavors I’ll never be capable of, but losing time with a dying family member to hike (not work, win a gold medal, etc) as a hobby was hard to swallow. I don’t read memoirs by men bc of their egos, and several parts of this book were unpalatable due to hers. Even the about the author page was 1.5 pages long—even Stephen kings about the author page is a paragraph 😭

[Kalman Tinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a hardcore adventure seeking thru-hiker, a weekend backpacking enthusiast or someone looking for a good story about life, this book has it all. An open and honest look on the struggles and joys of life set to the backdrop of an absolutely epic adventure of a calendar year triple crown. Anderson is not only an amazing athlete but she is also an amazing storyteller. She shares in this memoir a spectrum of life experiences that are relatable to everyone. She draws you into the story from the very start and brings you along on every mile and life changing experience. Absolutely a great read.

[Maria Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride. Whether this is your first Heather Anderson read or 4th, there's a thought provoking adventure to be discovered between these pages. This memoir is filled with adrenaline inducing mishaps and enthralling descriptions of unrelenting terrain that will make you feel grateful to be reading this in your warm living room on a comfortable couch. Anderson's story reminds us all what it truly takes to be great.

The author expertly weaves a story of her ambitious hike with the characters of her life. I highly recommend this book to any nature enthusiast.

[Meg]

Wishing Anderson's skills as a memoirist would increase at the same level as her accomplishments on the trail, but her ability to do real character development remains slim as ever. For those who like reading trail blogs, here with a little personal family dropped in along the way, it's probably fine. But as a book this isn't likely to draw in anyone who isn't already invested in thru-hiking culture.

(Received an ARC via Mountaineers Books)

[Ushani Nanayakkara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great trail memoire by Heather Anderson. This time she races the weather, the seasons and her own timetable to complete the Triple Crown trails in one year. It’s a gripping story about overcoming self-doubt and circumstances beyond the author’s control.

[Molly Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't agree with a lot of things with the author, I appreciated the honesty and grit of Anish and her incredible triple crown undertaking. A good trail book always makes me want to head to the woods and this was no exception!

[lunarlibrarian]

Wonderful 💖

[J Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love.

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything a thru hiking memoir should be. Heather's writing brings this AT veteran back to the trail in the best of ways.

[Jennifer Bieniek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about Heather’s adventures is always fantastic, and this one does not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down.

[Sadie Verville · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic and full of adventure. i never could do anything like this, but it did make me feel like maybe i could do smaller backpacking trips on my own. very inspiring!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long Distance Hiking. Triple Crown Trails. Loss. Evolution.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a badass! Highly recommend.

[Douglas Thiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an honest account of the trials and feelings long distance hiking brings up with yourself and those you love. Great read.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read all of her memoirs and love them all. She’s a great writer and an amazing athlete!