Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home

Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home
Heather "Anish" Anderson, 2019

Premise: A memoir about losing and finding yourself on the trail.

I think parts of this book will be with me for a while. A popular suggestion on lists of "books like Wild" or "memoirs about hiking" or "memoirs from outdoorswomen" (all lists that pique my interest), Thirst follows Heather Anderson (trail name Anish) on her attempt to set a record for hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the fastest known time. 

The story of that hike is beautifully interwoven with scenes from her life that lead up to it and reflections on her experience. At times Anish seems impossibly strong, at others foolish. Average people don't feel driven to run ultramarathons and walk for days on end. Her account feels honest, searching, vital. 

She mentions a few times that she was chronicling her journey online in real time at the time, and sometimes I wished for a few more of those in-the-moment snippets. The narrative, however, is as unrelenting as her pace.

Some parts of the book come up and fade with little explanation or elaboration because it's not fiction. So we never find out, for example, whether the man who spooked her on the trail at one point was actually up to no good because she doesn't know. The important part was her experience of the moment. 

Similarly, the very ending is... real. It's somewhat unsatisfying in the way that real life often is. We may be transformed in a moment, but then we have to pay bills and relate to other people, and holding onto those transcendental moments can be a terrible challenge.

I can't say that it's immediately become one of my absolute favorites, although this feels like a book that may have a delayed impact. A wonderful read overall. 

4 Stars - A Very Good Book