Top of the world: Patton hiker prepares to climb Kilimanjaro | News, sports and jobs

Anderson, a Michigan native who moved to Patton in 2019, is an accomplished thru-hiker. Anderson, known by his trail name “Anish,” has completed three races each, taking his crown on the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. Additionally, she has set her fastest known time (FKT) seven times, including setting her own self-supported overall record on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013 and the Appalachian Trail in 2015. doing.

She is also a motivational speaker and author of four books. Since 2001, Anderson has logged 47,000 foot miles.

Her passion for hiking was ignited in 2001. At the time, she was majoring in religious studies at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, and took a summer job at a hotel on the South Rim of the Grand Her Canyon.

“While I was there, I went hiking with a colleague and fell in love with it. From there, I decided I wanted to do more,” she said. “That was until I started the Appalachian Trail two years later. I realized it along the way.”

Heather Anderson has been enjoying the area since moving to Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania is truly amazingly beautiful in terms of the number of trails and trail access,” she said.Provided photo

The day after graduating from college, she began her first Appalachian Trail trek.

“I gave my parents my diploma, got in the car with a few friends, and drove all night to Georgia. I started walking the next day.”

In 2019, she became the first woman and fifth person to complete the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail, and 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail between March and November. This feat of hers earned her the National Geographic Adventure of the Year Award.

According to the American Long Distance Hiking Association West website, only 521 people have achieved the Triple Crown.

Now, Anderson, 42, is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain.

Heather Anderson celebrates after completing the 4,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail. In 2019, she became the first woman and fifth person to complete the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail from March to November.Provided photo

High-altitude hiking to the seven peaks of the world.

She prepares by running 50 miles a week, strength training five days a week, and doing yoga every day.

“I’m getting myself in shape and getting ready to hit the trails. I mean, there’s nothing you can do to get your body ready to walk for eight to 10 hours a day, every day, but it’s about getting your body to a certain level of fitness. “When you’re in that state, your body can adapt much faster and better than when you’re in that state. You just got off the couch,” she said.

Since moving to Pennsylvania, Anderson has enjoyed the area.

“Pennsylvania is truly amazingly beautiful in terms of the number of trails and trail access,” she said. “When you hike the Appalachian Trail, you get to see just a small part of Pennsylvania. I never realized how much forest, federal land, public land, and trails there were here. Explore all of Pennsylvania’s trails It was really fun.”

She especially enjoys the Allegheny Front Tail, a 42-mile loop, and the Standing Stone Trail, 135 miles north to the Mid-State Trail. Her favorite is her 450-mile Glacier Peak Wilderness Trail, which winds through Washington State’s northern Cascade Mountains.

Hiking has provided Anderson with many benefits, including a professional career as a motivational speaker, and has shaped the way she views herself.

“Making these trips has shown me that I am much stronger and more capable than I thought,” she said. “They taught me how to be independent and trust my decision-making skills. They also taught me a lot about my body and its capabilities and how to listen to it. He gave it to me.”

She has faced hypothermia and high-water crossings during her record-setting adventures, but in the case of Mount Kilimanjaro, she will face an added enemy: high altitude. Hiking at altitudes above 19,000 feet can be dangerous due to the drop in air pressure and changes in air pressure. She plans to participate in an eight-day mountain climbing trip with a guide company. Her Kilimanjaro trip opportunity came about through her role as an ambassador for a water purifier company. In the weeks leading up to the climb, she is participating in a clean water initiative with a nonprofit organization that brings water purifiers and clean water to people in Uganda.

She serves as a product ambassador and performs professional speaking engagements around the world, including as a participant in multi-destination speaking series through the U.S. embassies in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

She recently published a hiking memoir titled “Bonus Miles.” She has previously published Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home in 2019, Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail in 2021, and the how-to guide Adventure Ready: A Hiker’s Guide to Planning,” has been published. Training and Resilience”, co-authored with Katie Gerber, 2022.

Anderson discovered her love for writing in high school, and has combined her two greatest passions by becoming an author of hiking-related books. She also likes her public speaking.

“I really enjoy it. It’s always fun to get up and share your experiences,” she said.

The joy of action is one of the messages she conveys to her audience, new hikers or those learning something new. Often, a lack of knowledge or skills can lead to abandoning a pursuit midway through.

“It’s good to keep getting out and exploring,” she said. “If you really enjoy it, keep going. …When I first tried hiking, I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew it was fun. The more you do things, the better you can become. I know.”

anderson file

Name: Heather Anderson

Age: 42 years old

Place of residence: Patton; from Michigan

Career: Motivational speaker and author

Next big adventure: Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in February