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Welcome! We are a community of women passionate about empowering each other to explore the great outdoors and conquer the mountains. Our mission is to create an inclusive, safe, and inspiring space that encourages all women to embrace adventure and challenge themselves in nature. Join us on our journey-- let's explore, grow and adventure together!
Who We Are
Owner & Lead Guide
Wandering Wild was started by Amy Long—a mother of six, guide, naturalist, and lifelong adventurer—with a vision to make the outdoors a space where all women feel empowered, capable, and truly welcomed. Amy's passion for nature was ignited during childhood family vacations to National Parks and summers at Girl Scout camp. At just 12 years old, she learned to backpack on a segment of the Appalachian Trail, developing a deep appreciation for wildlife and adventure. After living in various states across the U.S., Amy and her children spent time traveling full-time in an RV before settling in Buffalo, NY, in 2017.
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Following her divorce in 2019, Amy began a journey of self-discovery in the wilderness, finding strength and healing in the mountains. She took extensive camping trips with her children throughout the U.S. and Canada, solo backpacked, and adventured with friends—embracing the mantra "we do hard things."
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In 2020, she returned to school to study Environmental Studies, earning her Bachelor of Science in 2024 from the University at Buffalo. Along the way, she earned certifications in Wilderness First Aid, became a certified Wilderness First Responder, achieved professional Lifeguarding certification, and became a licensed New York State DEC Guide (#9756).
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In her spare time, Amy seeks adventure in various forms with her six wild and wonderful kids.
Assistant Trip Leader
Emily, a 14-year professional photographer, discovered her love for travel in 2020 when her sister went missing in California during a mental health crisis. After a cross-country search and her sister's recovery, Emily, her sister and their mother celebrated with a road trip from California to Buffalo. Until then, family vacations had been limited to East Coast beaches, but this journey introduced Emily to the vast beauty of the West---from the Arizona heat and Utah's red rocks to Colorado's majestic mountain peaks and pines. That trip sparked a deep love for exploration, and she's been traveling the country ever since. Though her sister passed away in 2023 from her addiction, Emily credits her for inspiring a lifelong passion for adventure and feels her presence on every journey.
Mission
We're on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower women through experiences in nature. We believe that outdoor recreation should be accessible to all women, which is why many of our events are kid-inclusive, affordable, and intentionally designed to welcome women of all backgrounds and abilities.
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We are especially committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive community for neurodivergent women—those with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence. Here, you are not only welcome—you are wanted. Your unique ways of experiencing the world are celebrated, and we strive to make nature-based experiences feel empowering, grounding, and joyful.
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Our goal is to teach women the skills of wilderness survival, backpacking, camping, and local ecology so that they can feel capable, strong, and amazing. We're building a community of like-minded women who support each other, because we know we're not meant to do life alone—it truly takes a village.
Join us, just as you are, and let’s explore the great outdoors together!
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