- Tag: Community Stories
Heather Anderson Achieves Triple Crown of Hiking
Altra elite thru-hiker Heather Anderson just set a world record as the first woman to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking—8,000 miles—in a single calendar year. The Triple Crown consists of three thru-hikes across the US: the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. This record also makes her the first female Triple Triple Crowner, meaning she’s completed each trail three times.
“I can’t begin to describe what this year meant for me,” Anderson said. “It was a milestone personally, as well as for the history of thru-hiking. I became the first female Calendar Year Triple Crowner, the first female Triple Triple Crowner and the fastest female Triple Crowner.”
Anderson, known by her trail name “Anish Hikes” started her journey on March 1, 2018, hiking the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail northbound from Georgia to Maine. She then completed the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, and finished on November 8—8.5 months later—with the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail from Montana to New Mexico.
“At this moment, a 15-year-old dream came to fruition,” Anderson said. “Two years of planning and commitment paid off. Eight months of walking ended. Right now, everything can be summed up in two important words: I’m done!”
To receive the title of Triple Triple Crowner, Anderson completed the Appalachian Trail in 2003, 2015 and 2018, the Pacific Crest Trail in 2005, 2013 and 2018, and the Continental Divide Trail in 2006, 2017 and 2018.
To become the fastest female Triple Crowner, Anderson set a new record with a time of 251 days, 20 hours and 10 minutes.
Anderson’s shoe of choice was Altra’s best-selling Lone Peak trail shoe, which is the most popular shoe on the PCT. She also used the Altra Lone Peak Mid RSM for extra protection on the snowy, muddy, wet sections and the Altra Paradigm for extra cushion and comfort on the desert sections.
After hiking nearly 8,000 miles in just 251 days, Anderson’s first order of business was enjoying a nice Texas BBQ meal with friends. She plans to take the winter off and have her first real break from hiking in five years, but is sure the mountains will be calling her back soon.
