Virtual Event: What Would You Ask the Best Hiker of All Time?

Simply put, there are very few endurance athletes with the stamina and staying power of Heather “Anish” Anderson. Since 2003, she has thru-hiked the Triple Crown three times, netting the overall fastest known time on the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails in the self-supported (thru-hiker) style, and becoming the first woman to complete the Calendar Year Triple Crown—that’s more than 20,000 miles of hiking at daily distances that seem unimaginable to most of us.

This month, Anderson and Mountaineers Books are releasing “Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail,” Anderson’s memoir from her attempt to smash the self-supported record on the AT. It’s a book packed with the powerful emotion and hard-won clarity of pushing one’s body to—and in some cases, beyond—its limits. On the trail, Anderson finds strength to power not only her brutal daily hiking schedule but to confront her past, and she does it bravery, humility, and vulnerability that are extremely rare at the highest levels of sport.

If you’ve ever wondered what drives an athlete to the top of her game, marveled at those operating at the absolute peak of human endurance,  been impressed by the intense mental fortitude thru-hiking demands, or felt first-hand the transformative power of a long hike, then “Mud, Rocks, Blazes” is for you.

On Friday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. MT, Backpacker Executive Editor Casey Lyons will sit down with Anderson for an exclusive virtual interview and Active Pass and Backpacker Pass members are invited. Join us on our members-only Facebook page for the live interview, a chance to ask questions, and a discount code for “Mud, Rocks, Blazes.”

Can’t make the event? Email your questions to Executive Editor Casey Lyons and put “Anish” in the subject line.