Welcome to the Official Website of Walkin' Jim Stoltz ... long-distance hiker, adventurer, author, painter, photographer, poet, wilderness activist, musician, songwriter, and troubadour for the Earth.
Please join Walkin' Jim on his 27,000 miles of wilderness walking!
Come in off the trail and sit down by our campfire for a while and look around. Catch up on Walkin' Jim's latest news by reading his blog. Browse through the Wild Wind catalog of music and books. Listen to some of Jim's wilderness music while you read about the inspiration for his songs and discover the message in his lyrics. You'll find chords and lyrics to every song he's ever recorded. Start your Wild Wind collection now with a secure online purchase.
"So live each day like you mean it, Grab hold of each dawn that comes your way. And if it's blessings you're a-countin' Try a morning in the mountains, There ain't no better way to start the day." --- from "Morning in the Mountains" by Walkin' Jim Stoltz
Join Jim on Kids Korner for songs, art, stories, and fun things for kids to do. If you're a kid, share your favorite animal experience with everyone at Share Your Animal Story!
Part of Walkin' Jim's standard trail gear is a good book. What a luxury to wake up to the sound of rain on the tarp (or tent) and to snuggle in that cozy sleeping bag with a good book! Visit Jim's Bookshelf for reviews and suggested reading of his favorite books for wild places.
Bring the wild to your community gathering with one of Walkin' Jim's award-winning multimedia concerts of music, poetry and slides from his long treks. Check the On Tour page for information about the Forever Wild show, tour schedules and booking information. And don't forget his wonderful school assemblies for your local elementary school. His school visits have touched the lives of children all across America.
"With a rich voice that sounds as deep as some of the canyons he's walked, he's sung of mountain lions, grizzly bears, the coyote, and other critters. Great stories, good songs, and fun sing-a-longs." -- Variety
Get Jim's Wild Wind Newsletter. You'll get cd specials, tour schedules, inspiring quotes, Jim's poems and stories, and more. He promises never to send more than twelve issues a year (it is usually 6 or 7) or to share your email with others. Just click here and send Jim a note asking to be on the Wild Wind list. Tell us what city and state you live in and we'll let you know when Jim is performing in your area.
Visit Jim's "I Walk In Beauty" page for selected moments, images, and words of inspiration, celebration, and thanksgiving.
Hello Everyone...
I got back to Montana today after 2+ months on the road and a wonderful Fall Tour. It was SO nice to cook my own dinner and I'm looking forward to crawling into my own bed after I post this. It's been a long haul but my veggie-oil-fueled van has been running great. How I love cruising along on the smell of french fries!!
Some High Points of the tour (in no particular order)....
Singing for over 6,000 kids in schools from Michigan, to Pennsylvania, to ME, to VA, to GA... Staying with new "friends along the way"
A beautiful fall walk in Wisconsin...
Performing concerts and sharing my love of this planet with several thousand more people over the past few months...
Staying with, and visiting old "friends along the way"
Being surprised by my kidney brother, John, at a show in Kent, OH...
Walking the beach in Rhode Island and taking a nap on the sand in the sun...
Seeing my sister and nephew in Michigan...
Being checked up on by friends (and brought dinners and treats) when I had a terrible cold...
Not missing a single gig, even though I was sick... A lovely Fall walk in Maine...
Hearing a young friend play a wild version of "Old MacDonald" on the cello...
Talking "trail" with long-distance hiker friends...
Wandering over the rocks on Conanicut Island...
Seeing long-time friends show up at a concert where I least expected them...
A rainy walk through a Connecticut forest in full color...
Meeting a famous musician who I respect and admire...
Dinner with an old friend...
Dinner with a new friend...
Walkin' the dogs along the Rivanna River...
Seeing the paintings of a new friend, the reflections of a good soul...
Walkin' the dogs along the Little River...
Hearing Ed sing some of his favorite songs...
Sharing the stage with Earth Mama at a show in VA...
Doing the service at churches in Minnesota and North Carolina...
Walking the Appalachian Trail over McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs with Jack...
The great singing audience in Independence, VA
Seeing various kid friends, in various places, growing up...
Time with the Douglas Family...
Paddling the Etowah River with my Coosa River Basin Initiative friends...
Fall walks in Georgia...
Hearing "Hey, Jude" played by another young friend...
Paddling the Santa Fe River...
Telling stories on Front Porch Radio (WPRK)...
Watching manatees at Blue Springs State Park...
Yes, and a hundred other things that I'm sure I left out. I really appreciate all the kindness directed my way when I'm traveling for such long periods. And the little glimpses of the natural world keep me going during those stretches when all I see are highways and strip malls. Thank you all for your support.
I have a new product to sell at my concerts. They're called Download Cards . They're very low impact. In fact, after using them you can plant and water them, and wildflowers will grow!! We also have a couple new Holiday CD Specials and I sure hope you'll take advantage of the lower prices. CD sales have been way off the past two years. Oucchh! Click here for the specials.
My office manager, Adam, is starting to work on my Spring Tour schedule. I plan on being in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon and Washington in March, April, and a little into May. Can you help us get a show in your area? It's simple...Adam can send you information about our school visits to take to your local elementary. It's amazing how helpful it is when a local person talks to the school and recommends the show. Otherwise, Adam spends hours just trying to get calls answered and a response. Also, if there is a local non-profit or community concert series in your area, Adam can send them information about the Forever Wild concerts. Thanks for all your support.
Adam is recording his own, all-original album through a Community Supported Music initiative. Click here to listen to a few “draft tracks” in the hopper for the album and email him at adam.nordell@gmail.com to pre-purchase a CD of Montana-based songwriting and help him finish recording and mastering.
I'll be singing at Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky again for the winter months...3 nights a week on the sleighride dinners. This is my 25th winter driving those horses and singing in the cabin...my "home" gig.
Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. We all have SO much to be thankful for in this life. This is a great opportunity to celebrate that. How I love this holiday! I truly hope that each and every one of you has a very special day on Thursday and can take some time to reflect on the beauty of this Earth, and the sacred path we all walk.
-Jim
August 23, 2009 Home From the Trail
Hello Friends –
I’ve been home about a week and a half from a wonderful 515-mile trek in Eastern Nevada. This was my 3rd long-distance walk across that grand state and was inspired by the first trek back in 1986. Back then I was on a thru hike from the Grand Canyon back to my home in Montana. I walked up the eastern side of Nevada, across Idaho, and back to Big Sky where I was living at the time. On the trip I did a wonderful high-route through a small portion of the Schell Creek Range. I loved it! Often above 10,000 feet with bristlecone and limber pines, and none-stop views. It was incredible. But it was also in May so the presence of snow made it difficult. I’ve always wanted to go back and hike the length of the entire range. This summer I did just that.
I started on the north end of the Schell Creek Range and walked it all the way south to Patterson Pass. Then I cut over through the Egan Range, crossed the desert White River Valley up into the Horse Range, and then walked north through the White Pine Range and into the Ruby Mountains and the East Humboldt Range.
Trek Stats: 33 days on the trail --- twenty of those days I never saw a soul.
There was no trail at all for 110 miles (mostly as I walked the ridgetops)
Shortest Day: 3 miles
Longest Day: 33 miles
I completed 3 new songs, and started two others.
8 food caches that I put out ahead of time
1 food cache broken into (by people)
No town stops (unless you count the ghost town of Hamilton)
I wish I could send you all the scent of sage, juniper, and mountain mahogany. Sometimes I'd just stop in mid-stride and just soak it in. These are special places. And it is big country. Vast country .I'd often feel like an ant crossing a vast universe as I trekked across a big desert valley, or watched the sun set slowly into rosy clouds over a skyline as wide as the world. Unfortunately, several times I got to springs I was counting on for water and found them bone dry, forcing me to march on. That's how I got my longest days of the trip. And some of the high routes were pretty challenging for these ol' legs of mine, but after I did them I was very proud of myself. I saw lots of deer and elk, coyotes, mountain goats, wild horses, and many birds of prey. Pikas were conspicuously missing from some of the ranges (their populations are plummeting due to climate change) so I was delighted when I started seeing them the last couple weeks in the Ruby Mountains. All in all it was a great journey. I feel so blessed that I’m able to still get out there and do it!
Back here in Helena, my office person, Terri Davis, moved back to New Mexico in June. Adam Nordell has stepped in and is doing a great job with the scheduling and keeping things going when I’m gone. Adam is a fine singer/songwriter in his own right, and is working on a new cd of his songs.
My Fall Tour schedule is shaping up well. I’ve posted what we have of it so far. Take a look. We’re still trying to fill in dates so if your local school or community group is interested in a performance please contact Adam soon to schedule a date. I’m looking forward to sharing my new songs. I’ll also have some new paintings with me.
We’re still running the Summer CD Special. Check out the Walkin’ Jim Music page for that. A Fall Special will be announced in September some time.
We’d love to have your thoughts on what wilderness means to you. Check out What is Wilderness .
I hope you all have had a good summer. Wishing you many Happy Trails.
-Jim
May 20, 2009 Home Again!
Hi Folks --
Home at last! After 3 and a half months on the road I'm back in Montana. I can't tell you how good it feels to cook my own food, sleep in my own bed, and walk those neighborhood trails up on Mt Helena! It was a wonderful tour. I met such great folks along the way, and the school visits and evening concerts went well for the most part. The van had a few challenges, but I'm still excited about running it on used vegetable oil. I also managed to get a few great dayhikes in here and there along the way. My last show was here in Helena playing to a full house and appreciative crowd....a great way to finish up things for the season. I always feel so honored when people let me share those things I love so much. Thank you to all of you who attended the shows.
Speaking of feeling honored....two events happened recently that have touched me deeply. After the show near Bigfork, MT last week (another wonderful turnout) I met luthier, Rick McCollum , from Montana Guitar Shop . Rick makes a wonderful travel guitar called The Snail (among other models) and brought one in for me to see. It's a beautiful instrument and feels wonderful to play. Imagine my surprise when he offered to give it to me! I am blown away by this gift and urge all of you guitar players to check out his website. Thanks, Rick, for such a lovely gift.
And then I got an e-mail from Bob Gregg in Arizona informing me that a new trail has been named after me, The Walkin' Jim Trail!!! He had mentioned the possibility in an email a while back, but seeing a picture of the actual trail sign and pictures from the trail got me all choked up. The Walkin' Jim Trail is north of Phoenix about 25 miles and close to Arizona's Hells Canyon Wilderness. Thank you, Bob, for such an honor.
Oh, and here is another good thing that happened....while on the road I was honored to be featured on the Center for Biological Diversity website Activist Spotlight page . The Center is working hard to get protection for the American Pika and mentions my Pika, Pika song and work.
One of my shows in early May was in Michigan. My niece, Randi Lyn, did a wonderful job and organized a wonderful event. Randi shares a love for words and sent me this quote that really sat well with me...“Of all those people who went before to prepare the way for us, most of those people will not ask us to pay them back. But what they do ask of us is to pay it forward – that we make this world a better place for those who come after us in just the way that they made this a better place for us.”--- Naomi Tutu
In that spirit I hope you'll go to my Keeping it Wild page and take a few minutes to let your own voice be heard for bettering the world. We sometimes forget that this is how a democracy works...using our voice to let our leaders know our own vision for America.
On March 30th, when President Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 it was a landmark bill that will protect millions of acres of Federal land as wilderness, protect more than 1,000 miles of rivers through the National Wild and Scenic River System, and designate thousands of miles of trails for the National Trails System. It also will authorize the 26 million-acre National Landscape Conservation System within the Department of the Interior. Two of the new trails in the National Scenic Trails System are the Pacific Northwest Trail and the Arizona Trail. This is wonderful news. Back in '75 and '76 as I walked from ocean to ocean I learned that the backcountry route I designed from Glacier National Park to the Pacific was much of what would someday be the PNWT. In 1981 I walked the length of Arizona and planned out my own route (Rainbow Trail) from Mexico to Canada. Years later I learned that a new trail called the Arizona Trail used much of the same route. So I feel great connection to these routes and designations. Let's celebrate....go for a hike!!
Terri, my office manager, is working on scheduling for the Fall Tour. So far we have shows in MN, WI, PA and CT. Please drop her a note if you'd like to bring the show to your local schools or to do a fundraiser for your community group. I'll be in the Midwest, East Coast and into the South in September, October, and November.
I'm looking forward to spending some time at home, doing some painting and writing, and also some time looking at maps! I'm tentatively planning on walking in Nevada this summer, with maybe a shorter, week or two long trek here in Montana. We'll see.
Many of you have asked about my health. It's been 15 months cancer free!! I'm going full tilt and singing strong. "Live each day like you mean it, grab hold of each dawn that comes your way. And if its blessings you're a- counting, try a morning in the mountains, there ain't no better way to start the day." A big, sincere THANK YOU to all who have contributed to, and continue to support, my medical fund that helps me with my on-going medical bills. This has been a life-safer for the financial side of my life.
Thanks for all your support. Happy Trails to All of You!!!
-Jim
March 1, 2009 Back on the Road
Hi Friends –
It was hard to leave the Lone Mountain Ranch season half way through, but I sure have enjoyed being on the road. The shows have gone well and it’s been great seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
My school concerts in Nevada were a blast. And how I love those wind open spaces! Nice to see my friends in Baker, Nevada and play for the two schools totaling 18 kids!!
On my way to Colorado I had a few days to take some day hikes into some of my favorite places. There is no place like the canyon country. And February was the perfect time to be there. The backcountry was empty and the roads silent. I drove 40 miles one day on a state highway without seeing another vehicle! And the hiking was great with cool but sunny days.
The show in Colorado Springs went well (thanks to Pat Musick and friends). And I enjoyed seeing more old friends and new, including a couple whose wedding I sang at 20 years ago. Then it was up to Denver to fill up my 150-gallon tanks in the van with used vegetable oil. My kidney brother, John, joined me for a few hours. What a nice coincidence that we were both in Denver at the same time! The next day it was nice to play in Wichita again, too. I got to see an old friend from Junior High who I hadn’t seen in close to 40 years!
Now I’ve started doing the school shows for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy , 20 schools from Georgia to Maine as part of their Trails to Every Classroom project. I'll be visiting schools that are close to the Appalachian Trail from late February to mid-April. We’ve added several evening shows (Forever Wild concerts) for the grown-ups, too. See our Spring Tour schedule .
I’ll be back in the Midwest, East Coast, and Southern regions in September, October, and November, too. Please contact us if you have an organization in your community in need of a fundraiser, or a school that you'd like me to visit.
I finally got all the Tour Photos from last Fall onto the site. I’ll be adding some pictures from this Spring Tour, too, in the days ahead.
Finally, I strongly urge you to contact your leaders in Washington. Take the time to let your voice be heard. We need effective legislation to stop climate change now!
Happy Wandering…
Walkin' Jim
January 10, 2009 The New Year
Hello Folks --
Another new year, and SO much to be thankful for. I feel so fortunate to be alive and kickin' and still doing the things I love...the long treks and the singing for the wild places.
It's been a great winter in Montana so far. We're getting good snow, and it's cold enough that the mountains are holding onto it. With my illness last winter I feel like I missed the entire season. So it's been wonderful to be back at my winter gig down in Big Sky (I spend three days there each week) at Lone Mountain Ranch. This is my 23rd winter driving horse drawn sleighs and taking people up to the North Fork Cabin. We take 50 people each night, feed them a dinner cooked on a 120-year-old woodstove, and then I sing and tell stories. How fun to be back with all my friends on the crew....AND being around those huge, friendly horses.
Unlike most seasons when I would perform in Big Sky until April 1st, this year I'll be hitting the road in February. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is hosting me in a number of schools from Georgia to Maine as part of their Trails to Every Classroom project. I'll be visiting schools that are close to the Appalachian Trail from late February to mid-April. I'm hoping to schedule some of my evening shows for the grown-ups, too. If you have an organization out that way interested in hosting a concert, please contact us soon.
We're also starting to schedule for the Fall Tour, too. As usual I'll be in the Midwest, East Coast, and Southern regions in September, October, and November. Please contact us if you have an organization in your community in need of a fundraiser, or a school that you'd like me to visit.
I have a new employee who will be handling my scheduling, orders, and office duties. Her name is Terri Davis and I'm so glad to have her working with me.
Thank you to all of you who purchased the holiday "Kid's Pack" special. Thank you also to all those who have donated to my Medical Fund since its inception. I can't tell you enough how much this has helped me deal with the financial side of my medical challenges that I've faced these past several years.
I haven't decided on where I'll walk this year. I've got a few ideas, but we'll see as the Spring Tour winds down. There are so many places I want to return to, but even more places that I want to explore. Here's wishing you all a wonderful New Year full of good health, good living, and good music!
Happy Trails!
Walkin' Jim
November 20, 2008 The Final Stretch
Hi Folks -
Well, I'm coming into the home stretch of the fall tour. Yesterday I had a wonderful day at a school here in Greensboro, NC and it sounds like a full house for tomorrow night's concert. Then I'll head back to Virginia for a Sunday afternoon kid's concert hosted by the Appalachian Trail Concervancy. They're doing some neat things to get kid's outside and back to nature. I'll then be heading back to Montana for a couple months and can't wait to get on my cross-country skiis!!!
I've added another page to my website that you might find interesting, and hopefully inspiring. It's called "I Walk In Beauty" . It's a collection of special moments, sights, feelings, experiences, stories, that add beauty to my life. I feel so fortunate to be able to share them.
I'm still having troubles with the van, but so far it's still getting me from point A to point B. I guess I just need to work the kinks out. If it'll get me home in one piece I'll be happy. I shouldn't say that...because I'm happy already. This has been a wonderful tour. In the past month I've had wonderful visits with friends in NY, CT, VT, PA, VA, TN, and NC. And the shows have been great, too.
Let's see...since the last update I got to revisit my nephew's, Robert and Brian's, school in Bennington, vT (Sacred Heart) and had a great time there. Wonderful seeing them. Then stopped for a night in Ithaca with friend, Rick, from the Cornell Lab, on my way to State college, PA. What a wonderful time I had staying my friends Gary and Paula. Gary was my roadie all week as we did school shows for 8 or 9 elementary schools in the area. We did a few fun dayhikes as well and went over to Cook Forest State Park where Ed and Dale took us to see the big trees...amazing old hemlocks and white pines that truly were beautiful giants! The evening show hosted by the Sierra Club was wonderful. Third time they're brought me in, and they always have a full house and a very receptive audience. I love singing there. Of course, the big event that week was going to an all-you-can-eat ham potpie church dinner!! Those Pennsylvania Dutch folks know how to eat!
My show in Carlisle, PA for the Appalachian Trail Museum was fun, too. Lots of long-distance hikers in the audience and saw many friends. The next day while having lunch in Boiling Springs we met an AT thru-hiker, Just Jill, who was getting close to finishing her flip-flop trek of the trail. I always love meeting those new long-distance hikers!
My visit to Knoxville was fun, too. I stayed with my friends Kevin and Sandie, and their kids Eric and Julie. Wonderful to see them again after several years and we had some good time together. The appearance on the Blue Plate Special radio show was fun and the concert at the U.U. was wonderful. NICE people. Kevin is a fantastic photographer and avid hiker. He took me out to the Smokies one day to revisit a stretch of the AT that I hadn't hiked since I walked Georgia to Maine 34 years ago. We hiked up to Low Gap and then walked the Appalachian Trail over to Mount Cammerer . There was a couple inches of snow on the ground and every tree limb and branch was coated in crystals of hoarer frost. It was like walking in a fairy land. What a day!!
I have so much to be thankful for. It is a good life on this beautiful Earth. Here's wishing you all a fun, memorable Thanksgiving day.
Happy Trails
-Jim
October 15, 2008 A Break On Tour
Hello Friends -
We've added a few new pages to the website that I want to tell you about. For years I've been telling stories about my interactions with wildlife out there in the backcountry. Some of them were even true! :>) But in the past few years I've been asking my audiences to share their own stories with me. I've really enjoyed hearing all the interesting animal tales. In fact, I've enjoyed it so much that I decided to add a page to the website so you can share those stories with the world. And not only the adults! I have also added a page to the Kid's Korner where the younger folks can share their encounters, too. So if you're an adult go to Animal Tales and tell us your story. If you're a kid please visit Share Your Animal Story .
Please visit the Fall Tour 2008 photos for some pictures from this Fall's tour. I'm adding to these every week so check back often. And it's not just pictures from the concerts, but the things I do in between the shows. I've had a few problems with the veggie oil fueled cargo van, but all in all it is working. I've met some really nice folks thru the veggie oil connection.
Are you a lover of wilderness? Visit another new page, What is Wilderness? , and share your thoughts about what wild country means to you.
I'm currently spending some time off on the beaches of Rhode Island. The weather has been beautiful and the ocean sings to me.
Happy Trails
-Jim
September 29, 2008 On The Road
Hello Folks,
I'm writing this from the road. Life got mighty busy after I finished the summer's trek, but I'm doing well and had another positive check-up with the docs. They gave me a thumb's up and were all glad to hear about the hike I did this summer.
In my spring newsletter I mentioned that the thoughts of being in the wilderness kept me going during my radiation treatments; how I'd picture myself walking the crest of an open ridge. Well, this summer's walk was one of Thanksgiving, in the true sense of the word, and I found that ridge from my imaginings. The last day found me walking the ridge north from Northwestern Peak to the Canadian border. There isn't a trail, but the ridge is easy to walk up to Burke Mountain. I traversed a rocky section and then entered broad open meadows hung over the crest of the mountain. They were full of lupine and the sun started to break thru the clouds setting them all aglow. My steps became light as I realized that this was the place I'd seen myself all those months ago during the radiation treatments. I felt such joy. Such hope. Such gratitude. Tears filled my eyes and I just sobbed in thankfulness as my legs carried me up to that last rock-covered peak. It was an unforgettable moment that I'll carry with me forever.
I'm excited to be out here on the road again, too. It's fun to see old friends at the shows and meet new ones. And I have so much fun with the school concerts, too. I have a new vehicle this fall, a 2000 Cargo diesel cargo van that has been converted to burn used vegetable oil. So if you see me driving by and start smelling french fries you'll know why! I'm excited to be adding miles but not pollution!!
Have a good Fall.
Happy Trails….
- Walkin' Jim
August 14, 2008 Back From The Trail
Hello Friends --
And welcome to my new website! I started this in late June, but then headed out into the mountains for six weeks and left everything undone. I apologize to those of you who have tried to order music or books from the old site. I hope I didn't cause too much of a headache.
I hope you'll all be patient with me as I slowly bring various parts of the new site into operation. Just off the trail and it seems like a wave of "things to do" has crashed upon me. But I'm still riding high from the most spectacular summer hike I just finished. The feelings of joy, gratitude, and general thankfulness will walk with me for many a day, I'm sure.
My journey began July 5th when I started walking north from Nez Perce Pass in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. 458 miles and 37 days laters I followed an elk trail into the boundary cut between the U.S. and Canada at Monument 223. I was 20 pounds lighter, but weighed down with the love I felt for all the beauty I'd been living in. The hike was the ultimate ridge walk, much of it along the Idaho/Montana state line. In the weeks ahead I'll try to get some details onto this website and share with you how special of a trip it really was.
For now, I hope you'll explore the new site and enjoy the new pictures. If you live in the East I'll be touring with my show this fall. Please consider bringing me to your area to perform for your local church, environmental organization, or school. Just connecting me with the PTO of your local elementary schools can be a great help in keeping me going. And believe me, after last winter's cancer treatments and hospital bills, I need all the gigs I can get this fall. Thanks for your help.
