Farther: Eight Months on America's Triple Crown Trails

Summary

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 audacious: 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.