Shawn Lyons, an avid hiker and hill scrambler, grew up in the Boston area, and spent his early years wandering the White Mountains. At the age of 17, he hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and at 18 hiked the Long Trail from Massachusetts to Canada. Since moving to Alaska, he has continued to hike and climb extensively. So much that after countless long hikes through innumerable valleys and over many summits, Shawn is the Acknowledged Alaska Hiking Authority. As an ultra-athlete, he is a nine-time winner of the Iditashoe wilderness snowshoe race, and three-time winner of the 100-mile Coldfoot Classic held each year on Halloween above the Arctic Circle. Shawn's narratives about his hikes and races often appear in hiking and climbing publications. 

Shawn, by vocation and avocation, lives a life of many parts. As a professional classical guitarist, he plays dinner music every Thursday through Saturday at Villa Nova Restaurant in Anchorage. When not playing guitar at Villa Nova, Shawn gives private guitar lessons at the University of Alaska in Anchorage.