ABOUT

Oh hey!  I’m Trail Dancer … also known as Amanda … also known as that crazy, plant-based, dog mom.

I’m just a slightly taller-than-average, black-coffee-drinking, tan girl. The kind that has to take a million photos. Hiking and dogs have always been my two loves. 

Hiking constantly reminds me that we are all just lucky to be alive.

My main objective of hiking is so much deeper than a workout. It’s connecting with nature. It’s spiritual. It’s decompressing from work and stress. It’s bonding with my dog. And so much more.

I started hiking when I was eight years old in the woods by my house with friends and neighbors. I hiked year-round. In the summer, I splashed in the creek with friends. During the fall, we launched from rope swings into massive piles of leaves. Wintertime was about sledding down hills and crashing into trees. And spring included playing games on melting ice in the stream. My obsession and love of the outdoors turned into full days of adventures in the woods. My friends and I found a secret waterfall hidden off an old river road and would bring floaty rafts and occasionally catch panfish. Coming home at dark covered in bug bites, clay and scratches was the least of my problems.  By the time I hit my high school, hiking was my teenage dream.  It was life. It helped get me through a lot of tough times and teenage drama. It helped me redirect my focus. I didn’t care about my hair, nails, pant size or clothing. And these ideas of hiking have never changed.