Defining Her Own American Dream

Heather "Anish" Anderson takes her own path through life via thru-hikes on America's longest trails.

By Cameron Branch

Merely days after walking across the stage and receiving her diploma from Anderson University in 2003, Heather “Anish” Anderson set out on a backpacking journey with a $20 backpack, minimal training, and a heart that yearned for adventure. The result: a spiritual journey she would never forget. Somewhere along those 2,190 miles on the Appalachian Trail she discovered that her faith and overall happiness were enhanced when immersed in the elements, a turning point that marked the beginning of her thru-hiking escapades. Since 2013, Anderson has speed-hiked over 28,000 miles and made history on America's most iconic trails, becoming the first woman to complete the Triple Crown—hiking roughly 8,000 total miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in one calendar year.

Her many accomplishments and world records are indicative of the top tier athlete she has become, but her goals were not always so elite. Throughout her youth, she was never particularly athletic, but her love for adventure and nature prompted her to take a summer job at the Grand Canyon after her freshman year of college. It was there that she got her first taste of life on the trail, and after just a few short day hikes into the vast canyon, she knew where she belonged. She explains that something about being on the trail “just feels right and innately human.” Anderson says, “I wanted to maximize the amount of time I get to spend in nature. Nothing else is as important.”

After spending many years dodging the pressures of conformity, she eventually caved, getting married and taking an office job in Seattle. Unsurprisingly, the new lifestyle left her unsatisfied. She yearned for something deeper and more spiritually fulfilling—life on the trail. “I was following a blueprint for life that was demonstrated to me by our entire culture,” says Anderson. “As I grew older, I rejected that blueprint to do what was right for me personally.”

She quit her job, got divorced, laced up her hiking boots, and set a new, seemingly impossible goal: hike the 2,650- mile PCT faster than anyone else.

Adopting the trail name “Anish” after her great grandmother, who was of Native American Anishinaabe heritage, Anderson developed into one of the most accomplished athletes in the nation. In 2013, Anderson set the overall self-supported fastest known time for the PCT.

After two months of averaging 40 miles per day and sleeping very few hours per night, she finished, beating Scott Williamson’s previous time by almost four days, making her the fastest person of any gender to complete the trail in that style. This accomplishment drew more national attention than Anderson could have ever dreamed, yet she remained true to her lifestyle despite the flurry of magazine articles and online chatter, shying away from social media in an age of bragging and branding.

In January 2019, she published a memoir, Thirst: 2,600 Miles to Home. Anderson explained that her love for the trail, and the associated challenge, stems from her love for nature, desire for a deeper spiritual connection, and urgency to heal the emotional wounds inflicted by societal expectations and ideals. Anderson writes, “I’d chosen this challenge for many reasons, and one of the greatest was to face the darkness, both without and within.”

The book draws from Anderson’s personal insight and extensive journal entries logged along her record-setting PCT hike, describing in immaculate detail close encounters with death and the physical pain associated with hiking over 40 miles per day, while also capturing her seemingly impossible level of grit and determination.

The message that seems to resonate most is Anderson’s balance between superhuman athleticism and her ability to be vulnerable, showcasing a broader definition of success and suggesting that every dream is within reach. “I hated myself for not being able to conform happily,” writes Anderson. “I hated myself for trying and failing. I loved myself for choosing to do what was right for me, no matter the cost. I forgave myself for trying to please others when I knew it wasn’t right for me.”

Anderson’s accomplishments pave the path for many aspiring thru-hikers to follow and serve as inspiration for people all over the world. For her, life on the trail is about the overarching journey for enlightenment. “I believe that we are all connected and part of something much greater than ourselves,” says Anderson. “I've always felt this and the more time I spend in nature, the more certain I am.” Her writing proves poetic and places her in good company with other nature writers, as she grapples with something beyond her own experience. “Daily, my body preferred to quit hours before I did,” she writes. “Instead I continued because of my stubbornness, yes, but also to allow scars to form when I wrestled with grief, memories, and destiny on a sliver of trail in the moonlight.”

Her accomplishments seem impossible to most. Her petite appearance and lack of bulging muscles don’t fit the elite endurance athlete mold. But it's what's behind the facade of thriftstore sundresses, past physical and emotional scars, and utter ordinariness that makes these incredible feats possible: Anderson’s ability to just keep walking. To anyone seeking out the secret to success or wondering what it takes to accomplish great things, Anderson offers simple advice: “Be all in.”