Please call me Dani! (Couchsurfing doesn't allow for a nickname, unfortunately)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When traveling, what's better than to meet and make connections with new people that you wouldn't have had the opportunity to otherwise? I want to hear your story and share laughter, smiles, and hugs with you!

Interests

I have a wide range of interests that are mostly outdoors and intellectually focused. One of my favorite aspects of meeting someone new is that I'll usually get to learn about something I don't have much experience with and witnessing the passion it instills in them.

• culture
• coffee
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• piano
• hiking
• backpacking
• skiing
• trail running
• rock climbing
• science
• travel
• nutrition
• canyoneering
• boardgames
• philosphy
• drag shows
• river floating
• cold-water plunging

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Books:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery, Walking to Listen - Andrew Forsethoefel, The Climb - Anatoli Boukreev, Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson, How To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan, Siddartha - Hermann Hesse, Deep - James Nestor, Good Morning, Midnight - Lily Brooks-Dalton, Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens, The Expanse Series - James S.A. Corey, Pachinko - Min Jin Lee, When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi

Favorite Films:
Love Actually, Good Will Hunting, Avatar, Lord of the Rings

Favorite Artists:
Jon Bellion, Christine and the Queens, BUNT., Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, Sol Rising, Thomas Bergersen

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It's difficult to choose one from all of my experiences. A few of my favorites include:

--Standing on the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park. Looking back on this, it was a transformative experience that ignited my awe of the Rocky Mountains and eventually pushed me to move west.

--Moving to Utah. I was living in Boston and felt that I was stagnating. I decided to accept a job in wilderness therapy and moving across country and away from friends was a huge leap of faith.

--Get through an eating disorder that I struggled with for a few years during college and after. I'm passionate about being open about my experience in order to decrease the shame around it and normalize our struggles around body-image issues.

--My first solo backpacking trip of the Teton Crest Trail. I was going through a hard time mentally, and it was the perfect space for me to process things.

Summiting Prusik Peak via the Solid Gold route in Washington. It was my first alpine climb, and it's been one of the hardest yet rewarding things I've ever done.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
- Cooking asian cuisine, rock climbing, canyoneering, skiing.

Learn:
- New boardgames, free diving, Spanish,

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking dinner, active listening to your stories and a genuine interest in getting to know you.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, England, France, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Romania

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Switzerland, United States