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Mud, Rocks, Blazes

Letting Go on the Applachian Trail

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About this listen

Following her best-selling memoir, Thirst, here is the next step in Heather “Anish” Anderson’s adventurous life journey - one of deep emotion and self-discovery

Despite her success setting a self-supported Fastest Known Time record on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013, Heather “Anish” Anderson still had such deep-seated insecurities that she became convinced her feat had been a fluke. So two years later she set out again, this time hiking through mud, rocks, and mountain blazes to crush her constant self-doubt and seek the true source of her strength and purpose.

The 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Maine to Georgia, did not make it easy. Anderson struggled with its infamous rain, humidity, insects, and steep grades for 54 days. But because she had to fight for every step, she knew when she reached the summit of Springer Mountain, the AT’s southern terminus, that she had fully earned the trail. Of greater value, she learned to love herself and her body, and to feel the depth of her power. Examining emotional scars as well as her relationship with her mother, Anderson’s deeply internal yet highly physical journey in Mud, Rocks, Blazes is an essential story.

©2021 Heather Anderson (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing Adventure Travel North America Travel Writing & Commentary United States Walking Adventure Hiking Inspiring Emotions Heartfelt Travel Memoir
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awesome and lively narrative of a journey to find ones limit. so good to consume (not 4k calories worth) in the car via audio.

love the route..

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There is a certain repetition in the description of the constant challenges and mental battles Heather faces throughout the hike. However, this does suit the nature of the undertaking , and it's a compelling story of obsession and determination in pursuit of a big goal.

Relentless

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loved this honest account of how even when we push through our limits and achieve our heads can give us a hard time accepting we are good enough. a great read and an amazing story. 👏

Inspiring and comforting

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The author is obviously an extraordinary and very driven person although seems to be driven by an unfounded inferiority complex. As a few other reviews have mentioned, it's very heavy on the introspection and repeatedly hammers home the same narrative time and time again. Also if you want a drinking game, take a swing every time she says 'my body'. Much like her experience of the trail, it's enjoyable in parts but a struggle to finish.

Decent but could have done with a heavy edit

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I love this book. Anish is hard.core! the opening is mind blowing. you ain't never walked like this girl. what a legend. and it brought all my memories back of the AT '12 and the JMT as well. loved it. she writes so well. it's utterly inspiring and I've been doing 10 miles a day and losing weight since I read it... going to do some thru hiking this summer as a direct result of this book

the best thru hiking book of all time?

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