Roaring Fork author, credited thru-hiker, tells story to inspire others

Roaring Fork Valley’s Shayla Paradeis, known on the trail as “Kiddo,” has earned her place among long-distance hiking’s most intrepid adventurers.

Paradeis has traversed thousands of miles on foot, often without the aid of digital navigation. She’s relied instead on paper maps, instinct, and a deep reverence for the natural world.

“I really want to spread the message that women are awesome in the woods,” she said.

Her trail name, “Kiddo,” was bestowed during her first long-distance hike at age 24, when fellow hikers were surprised to see someone who appeared too young to be traveling solo. The name stuck, becoming a symbol of her tenacity, independence, and spirited curiosity.

Her list of completed “thru-hikes” — or, hiking a long established trail end-to-end — is now formidable. She first set out on the Appalachian Trail in 2011 and has completed it twice. She followed that journey with the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013, then the Continental Divide Trail in 2015. From there, she moved overseas to hike the Walker’s Haute Route through the Alps, the Te Araroa across New Zealand, and, most recently, the Great Ocean Walk along Australia’s southern coast.

With each trail, she has continued to cultivate a life rooted in wilderness, solitude, and song.

Paradeis was originally trained in musical theater in Manhattan, but everything shifted after her first visit to Glacier National Park at age 14. 

“I saw Glacier National Park for the first time, and I fell in love with it. It always had this pull on me, so I would go there every year from then on out. That is when I walked out of the doors for a musical theater audition a few years later and haven’t looked back. I did a complete 180 and moved to Glacier,” she said. “I got a job waitressing, and I just hiked and hiked. It is a pretty cool way of life.”

She hiked more than 500 miles in her first summer and nearly doubled that mileage the following year. Inspired by Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods,” she decided to pursue the Appalachian Trail herself. 

“I feel like we are made for walking. I used to trail run, and that takes endurance; but with walking, you can slowly build up to it,” she said. “As soon as I found out from ‘A Walk in the Woods’ that the Appalachian Trail existed, I had to go there.”

Now, Paradeis has chronicled her wilderness journeys in a debut book, “Footprint of a Heart,” a lyrical memoir that captures the physical rigor and emotional growth found on the trail. The book is available for $25, including shipping, through her website, where readers can also order signed copies.

An audiobook edition, which includes five original songs written and performed by Paradeis, will soon be released on major platforms including Google Play, Spotify, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble.

She uses her story to encourage other women to venture into the wild alone and reclaim their autonomy through adventure. 

“I highly recommend that women go on solo hikes,” she said. “I feel like you get to really honor and celebrate what and who you are out there. I am a big fan of women walking in the woods.”

This summer, she will return to the Appalachian Trail for her third thru-hike, traveling southbound from Maine to Georgia. 

To help fund the expedition, she has launched a GoFundMe campaign, inviting others to support her next chapter. Trail updates and reflections are shared through her Substack newsletter, written with the same clarity and gratitude found in her book.

Outside of hiking, Paradeis is also a musician. Her upcoming album, “On the Ground,” is expected this fall and will be available on all major streaming platforms. She might also perform locally, including a potential show at the Redstone General Store next week.

To learn more about her story, purchase “Footprint of a Heart,” contribute to her next adventure, or explore her music and writing, visit atkiddo.com.