Posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 by » Sandy Compton
http://www.scotchmanpeaks.org/passages-walkin-jim-stoltz-has-left-the-planet

Passages. He made so many. 27,000 miles and still counting, the last
time I talked to him at Wild Idaho in Redfish Lake this past May. He
came and sang his songs, howled his howls and treated us to his
marvelous travelogue show, a uber-wilderness lover among a bunch of
wilderness lovers, who among all of us
might have hiked as far as he.
We have lost a treasure with a gravel voice, a shy smile and an
endless insatiable urge to keep walking and working on behalf of wild
places.
Walkin’ Jim stayed in my back yard a few years ago; deigned sleeping
with a roof over his head for his skimpy tent and wandered off the next
day, as he had wandered in, following whatever it was that kept him
moving. “Whatever,” I suppose, was his absolute, unequivocal,
unconditional love for wild places and the creatures that populate them.
 |
Walkin' Jim Stoltz onstage at the
SandPoint, ID Panida Theater in 2008 |
Wherever he walked he was touched by what he walked
through, and wherever he talked about these experiences, he touched
those who listened to his bass treble voice and looked at his incredible
pictures. Especially the children.
Earlier this year, Jim came to Thompson Falls and Trout Creek schools
to work with the kids in the grade schools.
What pleasure it was to
watch the kids light up, laugh and learn as he encouraged them to squeak
like pikas, howl like wolves, growl like bears and joyously sing with
him, “Come walk with me through the big pine trees, from the mountain
tops to the shining seas . . . ”
Later, he moved into the classrooms, and the kids were mesmerized by
him, a lanky guy who looked as if he had escaped from mountain man
times. He told of kayaking with whales and coyote tales of following and
being followed by them. He gave endless, patient answers to endlessly
enthusiastic questions, and then he drew the kids out, asking for their
own wild stories, some of which, I’m sure, may never had been heard
before.
 |
Daniele Puccinelli (L) entertains Walkin' Jim with
tales of his hikes through the Scotchman Peaks. |
He was just recovered from an earlier bout with cancer when he stayed
in my back yard. I was amazed at by his skinny toughness, his genuine
love for other folks, how much he carried in his heart and how little he
seemed to need in his pack. Perhaps his biggest burden was his guitar.
A few days after he made his school visits to Thompson Falls and
Trout Creek, I talked to one of the teacher from Thompson. “The kids are
still singing that song,” she told me. Yes, and so are some of us
adults. “. . . where the critters roam, free and on their own, in the
wilderness, we’ll be right at home.”
The cancer came back and got him, as if it had forgotten, first time
around. He didn’t want to go, I don’t think. There are too many other
passages he wanted to make. But, we don’t really know what happens after
the passage he did take. I would hope he will find even more beautiful
and exciting spots to wander through in the Great Beyond Wilderness.
Goodby, Mr. Stoltz. Thanks for walkin’ through.
2 Responses
Carolyn says:
I remember several years ago at The Panida, hearing Walkin’ Jim
sing at a Benefit for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. His whole
presence was so Heart-Felt and he had us singing along with him as we
looked at beautiful wilderness slides! Yes, he will be very much missed
by all of us! Bless you on your continuing Journey, Jim!
About The Author:
Sandy Compton is the program coordinator for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.
He grew up on a small farm/woodlot at the south end of the proposed
wilderness and lives there still.
He is a storyteller and author of both fiction and non-fiction books, and the publisher at
bluecreekpress.com.
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Sandy Compton
— Sandy Compton