Wilderness Guide
Amy Freeman is an experienced canoe, kayak, and dogsled guide. She is one of the foremost wilderness expeditioners and educators of this era. She and her husband, Dave, were named National Geographic Adventurers of the year 2014. Amy’s genuine and welcoming smile is an immediate icebreaker. Her heart is very close to the Boundary Waters, and she is passionate about sharing this place with people today, as well as protecting the BWCA for future generations.
Amy’s expeditions have taken her to remote parts of the globe. In 2013, she and Dave completed an 11,700 mile expedition across North America by canoe, sea kayak, and dogsled. Before that, she participated in a Trans-Amazon expedition through South America
Closer to home, Amy has circumnavigated Lake Superior by sea kayak as well as paddled and sailed 2,000 miles from Ely, MN to Washington, DC to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and while raising awareness for protection of the BWCA.
In 2015/2016, Amy and Dave spent 366 consecutive days in the BWCAW bearing witness to this unique region while highlighting its fragility and beauty, and wrote “A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters,” which was published by Milkweed Editions in 2017. Click here to learn more about their year in the Wilderness. Signed copies are available for purchase in our retail shop.
Amy also serves as Development Director for the Wilderness Classroom Organization, a nonprofit that introduces thousands of students to the world’s wild places with interactive online learning experiences connected with his expeditions.
When the Freemans aren’t in the Boundary Waters they live on their 35-foot sailboat, Iron Bark, which they have sailed from the Caribbean to Labrador and back over the past couple years.
Originally from St. Paul, MN, Amy has a Bachelor’s Degree from Macalester College in Studio Art and Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
