This is me…

founder | she/her | Latinx | Musher | photographer | Sailor | fisherwoman | Adventure seeker

Raised on an island in Maine, Amanda grew up hiking trails of Acadia National Park, fishing for stripers, mackerel, trout and bass in the surrounding salt and fresh waters of the island, and working the docks of a lobster Co-op and decks of fishing and sailing boats.

Amanda’s love for animals and the outdoors started off at a young age, receiving monthly WWF packets in the mail, watching nature series on the discovery channel and protesting deforestation of the Amazon outside of local fast food restaurants. Amanda has always had a soft spot for wild places and the animals that reside in them.

Amanda graduated from the University of Maine in 2010 with a B.S. in Biology with a pre-vet concentration. Knowing she wanted more adventure in her life, Amanda sold all of her belongings upon graduating, answered a craigslist ad for a boat delivery crew and flew to Key West to meet the crew of the Appledore, an 86’ two masted traditionally rigged schooner. Four days later they shoved off for a 2,400-mile offshore delivery, North Bound to Maine.

The boat would operate as a passenger sailing vessel, taking guests out for 2-hr day sails while the crew would hoist the sails, point out marine wildlife and share stories of the high seas. In the shoulder seasons, the boat would transit between Key West, Florida and Camden, Maine.

Amanda made three off-shore deliveries aboard the Appledore. Each transit took roughly 2-weeks and was compiled of heavy winds, micro-storms, dolphins, flying fish, fresh mahi-mahi dinners and bucket showers on deck. The crew rotated around the clock with their assigned watch partners for their ‘trick’ at the helm and kept a steady eye on the horizon and one on the radar through the wee hours of the night with the help of strong black coffee and stories of mishaps of a wandering schooner bum.

Amanda worked the decks of a handful of tall ships during her stint as a sailor before switching over to the fisheries—She worked both commercial and as a marine biologist for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. As an at-sea monitor, Amanda covered ground fishing boats from her home state south to New Bedford, Massachusetts. She boarded gill netters and trawlers for 1-10 days fishing coastal waters to the infamous offshore waters of George’s Banks. Her job consisted of identifying and quantifying everything that came on deck, from seabirds, marine mammals, sharks, cod, polluck & haddock, to the occasional deep sea treasure.

After a few years, Amanda transitioned over to the commercial fishing side of things and worked as a mate aboard the F/V Capt’n Lee, a small trawler out of the small working harbor of Port Clyde, Maine. With the instruction of her patient captain, Amanda fished with Buzz for flats—American Plaice & Witch flounders, Monk fish and the occasional halibut. After one season of ground fishing, the boat transitioned over into a scallop dragger and the two would take turns at the helm during the 12-hour steam to the scallop grounds. Once reached, they’d make eight to ten 2-4 hour tows, haul back, sort and shuck until they met their 200-lb quota for the day. Each trip would take them 48-hours.

Finally in 2013, Amanda had grown stale of her marine life and craved something new—She found her new calling in dog mushing. Amanda worked for two different tourism kennels in New Hampshire and Vermont before falling in love with the lifestyle. Her dream of moving to Alaska now seemed tangible and with the encouragement of her mother and with the help from a friend, she applied to every sled dog kennel Google would retrieve for her. She took her first offer and was hired on as a Mushing Guide for Alaska Icefield Expeditions. She packed what she could, sold the rest and bought a one-way ticket for herself and her small husky Maddie. She land in Alaska May 2014.

Dog camp consisted of 6-day stints living on the Denver Glacier in weather ports, surrounded by 240-dogs, glaciers, craggy summits and no service. The only access to the glacier was via helicopter, which would deliver guests every half hour for a dog sled experience. On their 24-hour off-days, the crew flew down to the ground, did laundry, took showers and reconnected with the world for the short time they had.

Amanda met her former partner at Dog Camp and transitioned from Skagway in the summer to Two Rivers in the winter. The two built a long distance racing kennel consisting of 45-dogs, bred, trained and dreamed all things dog. The two went on to win a series of mid-distance races including the hardest 300-mile race in Alaska, the Copper Basin 300 in 2016 and then the following year took the crown home for the Yukon Quest 1-000-mile International sled dog race. Their lead dogs receiving golden harnesses and going down in mushing history. For the next two years, they signed up for two double-headers and competed in both the Yukon Quest & Iditarod, back-to-back. Placing top 5 in the Quest and 11th & 6th in the Iditarod.

Amanda now runs a small dog yard of 16 retired dogs from the core racing team. She no longer competes in races, but has taken a step back to appreciate the beauty of the sport and foster a stronger bond with her dogs. She loves taking them on shorter adventures and now takes time to stop and relish her grandiose surroundings and knows that she is finally home.