Spirit in Action
Wilderness Witness
A visit the music of Walkin' Jim Stoltz, who died last year, guided by Leslie Stoltz, who was his wife, and John Gatchell, Conservation Director of the Montana Wilderness Association. Jim was co-founder of MUSE (Musicians United for a Sustainable Environment) and innumerable other organizations & efforts to preserve the wild places.
- Broadcast on:
- 17 Apr 2011
- Audio Format:
- other
[music] ♪ Let us sing this song for the healing of the world ♪ ♪ That we may hear that as one ♪ ♪ With every voice of every song ♪ ♪ We will move this world along ♪ ♪ And our lives will feel the echo of our healing ♪ ♪ With every voice of every song ♪ Welcome to Spirit in Action. My name is Mark Helpsmeak. Each week, I'll be bringing you stories of people living lives of fruitful service, of peace, community, compassion, creative action, and progressive efforts. I'll be tracing the spiritual roots that support and nourish them in their service. Hoping to inspire and encourage you to sink deep roots and produce sacred fruit in your own life. ♪ Let us sing this song for the dreaming of the world ♪ ♪ That we may dream as one ♪ ♪ With every voice of every song ♪ ♪ We will move this world along ♪ Today's Spirit in Action will focus on the music and work, and they are completely intertwined, of walk and gym stolts. Jim died last September after decades of singing of the invaluable beauty of the wild places in North America. Based on the tens of thousands of miles, he tracked in the wilderness. He was the founding voice of Muse, musicians united to sustain the environment, and a top supporter of so many environmental organizations. For today's Spirit in Action, we'll be speaking with Jim's wife, Leslie Stolts, and his friend and co-worker for the Earth, John Gachel, who is also Conservation Director for Montana Wilderness Association. We're fast approaching Earth Day and what better way to focus on that gift and the work it calls from us than to be reminded of some ballads by Wilderness minstrel, Walk and Gym Stolts. Leslie Stolts and John Gachel join us by phone from Montana. John and Leslie, thanks so much for joining me for Spirit in Action. Thanks, Mark, for having us. Hey, Mark. Hey, John. It's Leslie. It's an honor to have you back Leslie. Of course, we did Song the Soul regarding your husband, Walk and Gym Stolts a couple months ago. But with Earth Day coming up, it seemed important to share some of his music and some of the causes that he worked for for today's Spirit in Action. Is there any crowning jewel that you think of that was part of Jim's work? Well, the number of different grassroots nonprofit organizations who focused on environmental awareness and actions were many, many organizations. One is an organization that I met John through actually. He's called Montana Wilderness Association. But there was an organization that Jim helped co-found a nonprofit called Musicians United to Sustain the Environment. Jim put his heart and soul into the growth of Muse and much of Muse's work, which was primarily given grants to different nonprofits around the country who were working on different efforts. A lot of Muse's growth was the result of Jim's touring and selling some of the music that Muse organized. So, Muse certainly was one of the crown jewelings of his work. And John? Well, for our members, the many times that Jim toured and played at our meetings or our many friends, like Friends of the Scotsman Peaks just recently, who work for wild places. The more people heard Jim, the more people wanted to. So, there was a ripple effect in the sense that, as Leslie pointed out, Jim, has done so many tours with so many different crooks. I don't know if I would pick any one out. Well, what does Montana Wilderness Association do and what's your role there? Our job is to preserve the wild public lands in Montana in our outdoor traditions and quiet trails. So, I work with our members around the state to do just that. And that is to preserve wilderness in Montana and wild places that are free of road and traffic and development. Is there a lot of it? I'm kind of thinking there is. It's Montana, after all. There is quite a bit, but very little of it is actually legally protected. And so, we're challenged to see that those wild places that aren't protected, that is, there's not a commitment from our government, the strongest form of commitment that we as people can get in our democracy is designation as a wilderness area. And that guarantees that there won't be development and that the Earth and its community of life will continue as they are today. We're challenged to do that for all of Montana's wilderness. And right now, only about a quarter of it is actually legally protected. So, many other places that people experience, for example, in the crazy mountains or the gallon range, are not yet protected with strong enough protection to ensure that it will last from generation to generation, like wilderness designation does. And when they get wilderness designation, does that mean that it's going to be forever? It is forever. Wilderness areas are established. It takes an act of Congress and the support of the President. So, that's not an easy thing to get. It's a tough thing to get. But the reason it's the gold standard is because it means it's a secure commitment that is strong enough to pass on from generation to generation. You know, I think that with the legal protection of wilderness, then what you have is a guarantee from generation to generation that these lands, these wild places will stay forever while. There's a magic in the air that I feel when I am there. It plays straight into my heart and lays it on and there. It's in the cry of the eagle and the deer so meek and mild. It's in the rise of the mountain. But it's day forever wild. Forever wild. Forever wild. But it's day forever wild. It's in all that is not tame and some that can't be named. It's in the mist upon the mountain and the set of summer rain. It's in the scream of a lion when she's out and like a child. It's in the song of the river. Let it stay forever wild. Forever wild. Forever wild. Let it stay forever wild. Now the earth holds a key to all that shall be free. It's in the peace of the desert and the wisdom of the trees. It's in the grace of a swab's wing and the grisly when she's riled. It's in all the love I bear it. Let it stay forever wild. There are those of my own kind running fast but running plain and the only thing they worship is their god the dollar sign. We must cheat them with our spirit with our might and with our guile. We must show them that the end to it must be forever wild. Forever wild. Forever wild. Let it stay forever wild. Forever wild. Forever wild. Let it stay forever wild. Let it stay forever wild. Let it stay forever wild. ♪ ♪ Song by Walk and Jim Stoltz forever wild. Of course he was working for places not only in Montana to stay forever wild but across the country. Are there any significant stretches of the wild places in the USA that he didn't get to and his number of years on this planet and having died last September was there one last area that he felt like he should get to? Well, Mark, you know, in 2003 Jim and I did an amazing wilderness canoe trip up in Alaska which was on the Sheenjack River. That river starts up in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and flows south out of the Brooks Range eventually hits the Porcupine River and then the Yukon River. After we did that canoe trip with two friends Jim always wanted to go back and hike through the Brooks Range and some of the other wild parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He did return and do one more river trip but he was never able to do the long walking kind of excursion that he wanted to up in the Arctic Refuge. That river, the canoe trip that you did is that the one that he based the song the River calls on? Yes. Did you make that up with him since you did the travel together? Did he let you put in lyrics ever, Leslie? Yes, he did. Sometimes when we were maybe driving along or even if we were in a boat or something like that and he would be thinking about a song he might try out a verse and he occasionally asked me if I had any ideas and I might add a little something here and there. Most of the songs I didn't add very much to but yeah sometimes I did help add verses especially with the kids songs I have to admit. It's a beautiful song so let's listen to it now especially thinking with Earth Day coming up shortly the river calls. Born of the mountain and the Arctic wind, oh, the river calls, northern lights and the glaciers kin. Oh how the muddy river calls, the river's a tragedy that you cannot buy, oh, the river calls, she's a glimpse in an eagle's eye, oh how the muddy river calls, the river's a promise of things to come, a ribbon of hope shining in the sun, the river in life for the great and small. Oh it's a call of the wild that the mighty river calls, the river's a spirit flowing sweet and strong, oh, the river calls, she's a failure deep, with an endless song. Oh how the muddy river calls, the river's a lifeline, flowing bean and true, oh, the river calls, to the heart of the land, for the caribou, oh how the muddy river calls, the river calls, the river's a promise of things to come, a ribbon of hope shining in the sun, the river in life for the great and small. Oh, it's a call of the wild that the mighty river calls, the rivers a journey. Born by some, oh, the river calls, she's a wave that gets me to come, oh how the muddy river calls, the rivers a promise of things to come, a ribbon of hope shining in the sun, the river in life for the great and small. Oh, it's a call of the wild that the mighty river calls, the river's a promise of things to come, a ribbon of hope shining in the sun, the river in life for the great and small. Oh, it's a call of the wild that the mighty river calls, the river's a call of the wild that the mighty river calls. Oh, it's a call of the wild that the mighty river calls. The river calls by Walk and Jim Stoltz, little piece of time is the CD it's from. You know, the first words in the song there were born of the mountain narrative wind. Is it cold up there? What's it like traveling on that river? Well, we started on August 2, 2003, which of course in much of the country is mid-summer, but in the Arctic regions you're moving toward fall and it was really an amazing adventure because when we started we drove to Fairbanks where Jim's sister Susan lives, flew up to Arctic Village and took a bush plane to the headwaters of the Gene Jack. And we used a fold up canoe with an island canoe that folded up into this big tarp basically. And one of the sort of grand doms of Ralph Wilderness, his name is Jenny Wood. She's still living, she's in her 90s, but she lent us her canoe. And the first couple of days we had fairly moderate weather. Then we had a stretch of rain and snow, and we were on the river paddling at times when it was snowing. And then we had a stretch when it was 90 degrees. So we had all extremes of weather, which I think is pretty typical up there. It's an amazing part of the Arctic. Of course that's in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. There's been discussion now for, I don't know, 10 plus years about whether we should open it up to get some oil out of there. How did you, how did Jim, and how did you, John, react to that idea? I think we all could want to keep a wild. And I think that part of Jim's music was that we needed to dedicate our lives to that purpose as long as it takes to convince them that it needs to stay forever wild. Yeah, the whole threat to that part of Alaska, to the Arctic Refuge and the lands that extend from the Arctic Refuge is real. Certainly there is a lot of economic interest, and the state of Alaska has for many years, depended on the money that comes from oil reserves, and fortunately that area was protected, but now the renewed interest in oil from our own country. Prudhoe Bay, of course, there's been continual drilling, but this is an area that was protected. And there's a number of different organizations, the Alaska Wilderness League, Alaska Environmental Fund. We have done quite a bit of work trying to bring attention to the fact that this is such a fragile ecosystem. And these are some of our last wild places where we'll have this kind of habitat, these type of intact ecosystems are harder and harder to find. And the amount of wilderness that we have now is all we'll ever have. You can't get any more of what we've got. So the concept of protecting this is really important. How much land is protected in the U.S.? All told, there's about 108 million acres in the United States that's preserved as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. And I think that for those wild lands, those lands are very well protected, and they have the assurance that they'll stay forever wild. The lands that Leslie was talking about in the Arctic coastal plain, though, in many wild places in Montana and perhaps many other states are not yet protected. So they're vulnerable, and it only takes one loss, one development, one road, one oil field to lose these wild places and lose their wild character and the spirit of these places and the great value that they have. If you just tuned in, you're listening to Spirit in Action. My name is Mark Helpsmeet, and this is a Northern Spirit Radio Production website, northernspiritradio.org. Come to the site, find all kinds of links to our guests, like to walk in Jim Stoltz, and we'll connect up to the organizations he worked for, Muse, which is Musicians United to Sustain the Environment. We're also going to put a link on you there, John, for Montana Wilderness Association. Please leave us comments when you visit. You can listen to any of our programs in the last five and a half years, as well as finding the stations which carry our program. We're speaking today to Leslie Stoltz, wife of Walk in Jim Stoltz, who left this world back in September 3 of last year. We're also speaking with John Gaggle, and he is of Montana Wilderness Association. He's Conservation Director there, long time friend, of course, of Walk in Jim Stoltz. And with Earth Day coming up, it felt appropriate to me to visit the musical legacy and also the organizational legacy of Walk in Jim Stoltz, such a gift to our world. John, since you're Conservation Director for Montana Wilderness Association, clearly you've had to and you probably want to make the case for why wilderness is important. A lot of people are thinking, "Look at our oil prices are going up if only we could grab this oil out of the refuge." Things would be better for us, and it would improve our lives in the U.S. How do you make the counter-argument? Well, I think these wild places are increasingly rare. You know, once upon a time, most of Montana, most of the United States, most of the world was wild. But as every year goes on, there's less and less of that. So it's a shrinking resource that is wild country. The loss of these wild lands is a permanent and irreplaceable loss, because wilderness isn't something that we created. It's something that we inherit. It's a gift, and the best that we can do is to preserve it and pass it on. In the case of energy resources and other things, there's some trade-offs. But I think that in so many cases, what you find is that there are so many other options for those economic benefits that we as creative people can come up with where almost very, very rarely faced with a sort of either-or situation, at least in North America. It's rarely a choice between jobs and preserving wild places. And secondly, the value that they have to give us, and this is part of the challenge, I guess, is that it revolves around things that are sometimes less tangible. They're values as a place that we enter, and its value in itself. The earth and its community of life that wilderness acts speaks to. But it's also the source of our clean water, it's the source of our fish and wildlife populations in areas like Montana. I think that there are a great deal of benefits. And now we're finding that there are also economic benefits associated with that. But I think first and foremost, it's the fact that it's an irreplaceable part, the gift that we've been given that has an incredible amount of value, because really it's where we came from, the wilderness. That's why it feels so much like coming home when you spend time in the wilderness, and especially on a trip like Leslie described, where you can spend a great deal of time and reconnect with our roots. And it's impossible to put a dollar figure on the value of that, but its loss is a great loss. It's not really even about what's in it for me today. It's really what's going to be left in the future, in a much more crowded world. And I think the value of these wild places left intact, they'll be worth their weight in gold. Have you seen reactions a real turnabout by people who haven't been connected to the wilderness and who've gone out there, and all of a sudden they get it? I think they're talking increasingly about nature deficit disorder, kids and adults don't get out and touch with nature. I mean, we live our entire life between four walls, and so the specialness, the spiritual depth, that sense of being at home, a lot of people don't experience. Have you seen somebody turn around when they finally got it by being in the real position of seeing this stuff? I think there's been a blossoming of wilderness treatment for young men and women that have drug and alcohol problems. The core of the treatment is time spent often alone in the wilderness. These programs don't thrive in a roaded area or along an interstate. It's these what last wild places in our mountain. And I've had people tell me about how it turned their lives around. So this land, this geography, this place of hope and spiritual power, the value of that to turn around a young person's life to our society, to our family, to their parents, how can you put a price on that? And I think that returns us to Jim's music that recognized so powerfully the spiritual power of these places, that these are healing places. These are places we need contact with that I have so much to give us back. And I think that's an example of turning people's lives around that are really messed up. What were some of the influences that got him out there? Because certainly our society, so much of us is being led indoors and into a place of disconnection. Who are his heroes that inspired him in that direction? We talked a little bit in our last interview about how Jim was such a reader as a young man. And one of the books he read when he was very young was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. She was passionately dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. She was a biologist who worked with a federal agency and started to see more and more evidence about pesticides and the impact that pesticides had on human health. She was very forthright in her writing, probably went against what the agency was comfortable with. Her writing reflects the power of nature. It motivates people. It brings people to a place of comfort in their life. And that the natural world can your essence sustain us. And that was something that Jim really related to with the book Silent Spring. There was a song that Jim wrote thinking about many of his wilderness heroes. He called him his Earth Heroes. This song he actually wrote to include in a compilation of music that was put together to honor Rachel Carson with a nonprofit called Musicians United to sustain this environment and the Rachel Carson Council. And this song is called Song for Rachel. I grew up in love over the forest in the wild old things. When I was just a lot of twelve, I ran a book called Silent Spring. Even through the eyes of a child that wisdom would bring true. We're all part of this web of life, that's what it all comes down to. I'm singing this song for Rachel and for the others of my tribe. I'm singing it for the children in the Son Earth on which we ride. There won't be no sign in the spring and there will come a better day. If we keep singing this song for Rachel and remember what she had to say. She loved this planet and all the faces a good show. She loved all the life from the birds on the wing of the insects down below. She showed us how all things in life are all rolled into one. We're all drinking from the saying well, sustained by the same old song. I'm singing this song for Rachel and for the others of my tribe. I'm singing it for the children in the Son Earth on which we ride. There won't be no sign in the spring and there will come a better day. If we keep singing this song for Rachel and remember what she had to say. [Music] One voice raised in love. Here's a seed sold in the dust. That one voice makes a difference. Rachel showed that all to us. I don't sing in the song for Rachel and for John, your Emily, your old. I'm singing for William, old Douglas, for Brownware and Cousteau. I'm singing it for an Emmy to Bob Marshall and Thoreau. I'm singing for Marty Newery and all my Earth heroes. I'm singing this song for Rachel for Jane Goodall and out upon. I'm singing for a second of the roots and all their currents that lives on. There will be no sign in the spring and there will come a better day. If we keep singing this song for Rachel and remember what she had to say. I'm singing this song for Rachel and for the others of my tribe. I'm singing for the children and this on Earth on which we ride. There will be no sign in the spring and there will come a better day. If we keep singing this song for Rachel and remember what she had to say. I'm singing this song for Rachel and for the others of my tribe. I'm singing it for the children and this on Earth on which we ride. There will be no sign in the spring and there will come a better day. If we keep singing this song for Rachel and remember what she had to say. I remember Walkin' Jim Stoltz's song for Rachel. Of course, part of the heroes that he carried with him, Rachel Carson being one. He mentions all kinds of other folks in there, John Muir, Jane Goodall, Jacusto. Leslie, you can probably tell me this. You said he was quite a reader as a youth in that song. He mentions, I think, at age of 12 reading Silent Spring. When he went hiking out in the wilderness and he's packing all this stuff along, books with him to read to. Oh, all the time, he always had a book. Every stretch of a long hike, he always had a book. He was also really interested in history. Oftentimes, when we would travel, we'd go to some of these historical monuments. He, of course, was interested in the history of the song, but he was also interested in the history of the environment and a lot of social history. There is a song that Jim wrote called "Power in the Earth," which it was originally written as a Christian hymn, and then it was changed to a union song. So it was a guy named Joe Hill that changed the "Power in the Blood" song to "Power in the Union." And then when Jim became involved in environmental demonstrations and was trying to rally people and help stir up interest in rallies and meetings and demonstrations, he started singing "Power in the Earth" into the tune of the song. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. Come all you folks, from all over the land, sing out for the Earth. Come on, make a stand, no more love canals, no more diancy's. Come on, do your share, sing with me. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. What gives us the right to soil and destroy? The Earth is our home, it isn't a toy. Life has no place in a stripped over land. Come on, do your share, land a hand. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. Have you had enough destruction and rape of the corporate greed, there ain't no escape? Quality of life means a world that is clean. Come on, help us now, keep it green. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. Have you heard enough of this century's roar, drown out the sounds that she once heard before? The greebles, how, and the grizzlies track? Come on, help us now, bring 'em back. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. You'll rule forth, they're falling so fast, with a wisdom and glory, be a thing of the past. We'll stand by while the old giants die. Come on, raise your voice, give a cry. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. There is power, there is power in the band, folks that care when they stand, hand in hand. That's a power, that's a power, must be heard throughout this land. For the Earth now, we must stand. There is power, there is power in the band. Beautiful new lyrics to an older tune, "Power in the Earth", this one's by Walken Jim Stoltz. Leslie, who was joining him on that song? Well, that was really a very powerful group of people, actually, and one of the women in that song is Jim's sister, Susan Grace. Susan was part of our first interview, Jim, and Susan oftentimes sang together when they were growing up, and Susan is a singer-songwriter in Alaska now, and another friend of Jim's, who he toured with a couple of different times, Dakota Sid Clifford, who's also, you could categorize as an eco-musician. The third person is Biff Schlossman, and that was the fourth verse that Biff sang along with, and he died much too young, he died in 1991. I think this recording was released just after that time, so the fact that Biff's voice is on this recording is really a very strong memory of Biff, and it was a really important part of this recording. You mentioned that last song. It started from a Christian song, "Power in the Blood", and I was wondering what kind of background Jim had with respect to religion, or would you do, or you too, John? Some people, I think, imagine that if you're devoted to the wilderness, you must be anti-religion or something like that. It's like you can't serve God in the wilderness or something, I don't know. You want to comment about that with respect to Jim or yourselves? John touched on that a little earlier in the interview, just the intangible importance of the natural world, and there were oftentimes when Jim would introduce his song "Forever Wild" as more than just a song, but a prayer. It was part of the essence of who Jim was, the connection he had with the natural world. Jim did belong to an organized community. It was the UU community, and he oftentimes on his travels would play for service, a humanitarian service, and so the significance of gathering with people and the beauty of sharing your spiritual connections was really important to Jim. This theme, I think, of the spiritual, that Jim's music carried, recognizing the spiritual importance of wilderness places. If many people would relate to that, I think, as this is creation, whatever your spiritual tradition in the history of wilderness, you very commonly see, for example, I can see testimony in the Congressional record from an old cowboy from Montana, Habneil Tom Edwards, who begins by saying, "Into this land of spiritual strength." I took many people, and he talks beautifully about, and quotes the Bible. In my experience working with people from all walks of life, I think that's actually very common that people see the spiritual power and they see it in their own traditions. It was to the wilderness that Jesus turned, and John the Baptist for reflection and for spiritual renewal, and I think there's a common thread here that is very universal about the wilderness as a place of reflection and spiritual healing that transcends maybe or connects many different traditions, I think. But I think there's a strong tradition, certainly, in Christianity. I certainly find that connection myself. I was just wondering about Jim, and it sounds like he had that same thing. I can definitely see so many of his songs as just prayers, fore and about, and recognition of that spirit that just courses through his music and through the natural places where he spent so much of his life. Well, I think you see that spirit in a song that he wrote on an amazing journey that Jim led working with the Montana Wilderness Association to highlight the importance of the unprotected wild lands of the Bob Marshall Continental Divide Country in Montana. We call it the Great Bob Track. He spent an entire summer leading many other people and through the wild lands about a 300-mile trip up the Rocky Mountain Front and along the Swan Range that culminated in an event and later that Jim unveiled a new song. And the song is, "There's a River Running Through It." The title takes its name from a Montana classic. It's actually a short story written by Norman McLean. It's really a beautiful, beautiful story about the power of family and nature. And the spiritual power of both. And so Jim's song, "There's a River Running Through It," is really about the spirit of these wild places and how it's the same spirit that we feel that connects us to the sleeping moment. So sit yourself down and let's listen to another Jim from Walk and Jim Stoltz. There's a river running through it. There's a wild wind blowing all the mountains. I'll touch the land as far as I can see. And it's touching deep inside a stream swallowed deep with pride. It's a feeling drawn wild that's here at me. It's a feeling that's flowing like a river. Hard to say exactly what that means. It's a time that really binds to the earth and all its kind. Time has walked and dollar signs for dreams. There's a river running through it and it blows through you and me. Through the wild and our song, stretching far as I can see. There's a river running through it and it's flowing sweet and strong. It's the feeling and our souls that the sleeping moment knows. It's a freedom, it's a spirit, it's a song. In the wild there's a spirit still alive. Each crimson sunset serves to make it strong. It's from that ever owned and the magic I have known. And I dare to say it's been there all along. There's a river running through it and it blows through you and me. Through the wild and our song, stretching far as I can see. There's a river running through it and it's flowing sweet and strong. It's the feeling and our souls that the sleeping moment knows. It's a freedom, it's a spirit, it's a song. There's a song for you if you listen. There's a song for you if you listen. In the river along the mountain or the plain. It's a song for the heart and it's a spirit from the stars. Singing through the sunshine and the rain. There's a river running through it and it blows through you and me. Through the wild and our song, stretching far as I can see. There's a river running through it and it's flowing sweet and strong. It's the feeling and our souls that the sleeping moment knows. That man had such power and vision in his music. Walking Jim Stoltz, there's a river running through it. So the great Bob Trek, how many miles are we talking? How many people is this just five people, a hundred people, a thousand people tramping through the wilderness of Montana? Not a thousand. We organized it so small groups of people could walk with Jim for a day or a week at a time and then we had events along the way. For example, it's on the edge of the wilderness like at a guest ranch like the Seven Lazy P where many people sort of joined Jim in camp, essentially. And Jim would sing and talk about what the experience of the wild places that he was walking through. And then he also kept journal entries that were sent to big newspapers and small and reprinted to talk about the great Bob Trek. I actually have some of those journals. And there's a couple of different passages I'd like to read. One of them was Mid Trek. This was a time when everyone had walked away and he was on his own and he had some time to himself. And he talked about the song that was his prayer. And it was a prayer for the earth, a prayer for wild places and the prayer for a vision to carry everyone through these troubled times. But the very last journal entry from this great Bob Trek, he thought to himself, "He'll never be able to really convey what happened on that track with a group of people." He said, "You can't explain a true wilderness experience in words. It touches too deeply. Sense, spirit, magic, soul, wild, earth, wisdom. These are words not defined but experienced. Mountains and rivers talk but they don't use words. They need to be heard now more than ever." He says, "Get out there, listen. The wilderness will fill you if you're empty. It will stretch your horizons. It will free you and it will bring you a song." Clearly what Jim wanted for the world and why he organized musicians United to sustain the environment, Muse, why he would have connections with you, John, at the Montana Wilderness Association and all the other groups is because this is work that we have to do together. And I think through his music he was giving us that glimpse so that we would join him on that journey that we would put some of our souls into the work that he was doing. Did you also journey along with him, walk with him, John? I did. I joined him on segments of the Great Bob Trek. I didn't get to go as often as my wife. She spent several weeks traveling and other folks did because I had to organize some of these bands. Years later, Jim began to turn his art in his work to another generation and it was about my wife and I had kids and so I don't know how many times we listened with both my son and daughter to a cassette tape of A Kid for the Wild which is a collection of kids songs. And I think one of the first recordings I have of my son, he and his friend would briefly say it in a little recording device over and over again, "I'm a kid for the wild." And so if I was to pull one song from that collection that I think is so beautiful, really, and simple, it would become walk with me and it is reminiscent to me of the first walks I had in the wild places with my uncle and later my grandfather and many, many walks into wild places with my son and my daughter. I think part of it is an invitation but it's also a call to adults long before the last child in the woods in the research that illustrates about the need to take children into nature and let them play. Hey kids, let's go for a walk. Yeah, let's go for a walk. There's a place that I know where I like to go. The rivers are unso crystal clear and the trees are growing tall and the critters hide at all. And wild birds are all but changed. Come walk with me through the big pine tree, from the mountain top to the shining sea, where the critters roll, free on their own, in the wilderness, we'll be right at home. We'll be right at home. He's where the grisly roads his high mountain home. He's looking for his pine nuts and his berry. Oh, he likes to have his fun. He likes laying in the sand, but to some folks, he's still a bit too scary. Come walk with me through the big pine tree, from the mountain top to the shining sea, where the critters roll, free on their own, in the wilderness, we'll be right at home. He's where life is free to live and breathe and be. Everything just has a special place. Big and small they get by, some eat, some sleep, some die, some even have a smile on their face. Come walk with me through the big pine tree, from the mountain top to the shining sea, where the critters roll, free on their own, in the wilderness, we'll be right at home. She sings a song up to the morning sky, and the sheep and mountain goat, share the rocky, craggy slopes, with the pike on, who's still a bit too shy. Come walk with me through the big pine tree, from the mountain top to the shining sea, where the critters roll, free on their own, in the wilderness, we'll be right at home, come walk with me through the big pine tree, from the mountain top to the shining sea, where the critters roll, free on their own, in the wilderness, we'll be right at home, come walk with me through the big pine tree, from the mountain top to the shining sea, walk in Jim Stoltz, urging us to come walk with me out in the wilderness, where he spent so much of his time, so much of the witness of his life, and the inspiration he was passing on to us, to care for all of this creation, and the glory of it around us. Jim's website is walkandjim.com. You can find a link to it from my northern spirit radio.org. I'll also have links to our guest today, Leslie Stoltz, wife of Walk and Jim Stoltz, who died just last September, and the Conservation Director at Montana Wilderness Association, John Gachel. I thank both of you for joining us, but also for carrying on this vision, this legacy, and this incredible spirit of Walk and Jim Stoltz. He's such a gift to the world in himself, through his music and through the organizations that he helped nurture and start. So thank you very much for joining me for spirit in action. Thank you, Mark, for putting this program together. Thanks, Mark. The theme music for this program is Turning of the World, performed by Sarah Thompson. This spirit in action program is an effort of Northern Spirit Radio. You can listen to our programs and find links and information about us and our guests on our website, northernspiritradio.org. Thank you for listening. I am your host, Mark Helpsmeet, and I welcome your comments and stories of those leading lives of spiritual fruit. May you find deep roots to support you and grow steadily toward the light. This is Spirit in Action. With every voice, with every song, we will move this world along. With every voice, with every song, we will move this world along. And our lives will feel the echo of our healing.