Heather Anderson's "Farther: Eight Months on America's Triple Crown Trails" Excerpt

Heather Anderson's "Farther: Eight Months on America's Triple Crown Trails" Excerpt

 

My breath came out in little huffs as I struggled to simultaneously climb the mountain and punch tracks into ever-deepening snow. Now that the entire slope was a swath of untracked white, I focused on locating the blazes on the trees and walking from one to the next. Without a visible trail, my route was undefined, merely point to point. As I climbed, the air temperature dropped, firming the snow, and I sank in less. I was grateful for that slight reprieve as I worked incredibly hard to plow my way upward. 

I floundered around in a surprisingly soft area of snow, searching for the next blaze. Tree branches smacked me in the face, and I felt for a moment as though I were drowning in them—disoriented. Something is wrong! I felt panic rising. Where is the next blaze? Am I lost? Then one leg plunged even deeper into the snow, leaving my other leg suspended and twisted sideways. I flailed my arms; my buried foot was not touching dirt. Calm down!

I took a deep breath to quell the fear enlivening my limbs. Stop fighting and distribute! I flopped backward, like a drunken snow angel, and gripped the snow with my outstretched hands. I wiggled my hips until I managed to straighten my surface leg enough to push, resurrecting my buried leg from its snow grave. Free of the hip-deep posthole I lay still, starfished across the surface of the snow in the midst of a silent forest. The sun broke free from its cloudy prison and dazzled my surroundings. On a tree ten feet from my face—at snow level—was what looked like half of a white blaze. Is that really a blaze? It has to be. It’s too rectangular to be natural.

Holy shit. The snow is six feet deep here. No wonder branches are smacking me in the face.

I pulled my sunglasses out of my pocket and slid them on before army crawling forward a few feet. Carefully I got up and stood still. The snow held my weight. Thank God. I pulled out my phone and looked at it. Another thousand vertical. And the sun is going to soften this snow fast.

I took a few tentative steps and pitched forward as my left foot broke through, although only half as far as before. I repeated my extrication maneuvers and panted for a few moments on hands and knees.

I’m going to have to crawl up this damn mountain, aren’t I?

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Q&A With the Author and Gossamer Gear Ambassador, Heather Anderson

What has extended solitude taught you about other people? 

It's taught me that we are all interdependent, even when we are alone.

 

Has exploring much of the country on foot changed your perspective on America? 

Absolutely. Our commonalities far outweigh our differences. 

Who makes a good candidate to embark on a Calendar Year Triple Crown?  

Anyone who has a high level of tenacity and resilience can take it on.

 

For those planning a thru-hike, what’s your best advice for preparing physically?

Maintain a base level of fitness year round. It's much easier to adapt to the trail when you've been regularly exercising, even at a low intensity, for many months.

What about mentally?

Meditation can greatly help your mental resiliency in the face of hardships. Additionally, visualization techniques can help you prepare for some of the more challenging aspects of living outdoors for months on end.

Read more from Anderson: 

 

 

 

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