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Contributed photo/Walkin’ Jim Stoltz, who will present a free program for children and their parents at the Lincoln Theatre after Marion’s holiday parade, emerges from Stone Donkey Canyon in Utah.

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Lifelong hiker to offer free program for kids at Lincoln Theatre

By DON SIMMONS JR./Correspondent

Walkin’ Jim Stoltz figures he’s walked about 20,000 miles in the past 35 years. He’s walked the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. He’s spent a year-and-a-half walking coast to coast. And he’s trekked from Mexico to Canada three times.
On Nov. 23 Stoltz will be walking down Main Street in Marion, where he will present a free concert/multi-media performance after the holiday parade.
The youth-oriented performance includes songs, sing-a-longs, “howl-a-longs” and slides of past treks and wildlife and is sponsored by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy through a grant from Recreational Equipment Inc., a national outdoor equipment provider.
“We’re hoping to get very involved with Smyth County schools over the next few years,” said Jack Noll, education and outreach specialist with the ATC. The Marion show will kick off a series of 20 concerts in communities along the Appalachian Trail. It’s part of the group’s new AT Classroom Awareness Campaign for youth
“Walkin’ Jim plants seeds,” Noll said. “He gets children to think about the environment and presents a good message in a fun way.”
Stoltz lives by his environmental creed. He’s driving this tour in a Ford van powered by vegetable oil. “One good thing is it smells good,” he laughed.
On a more serious note, Stoltz said medical studies have proven that children who get outside more get into less trouble, are more creative and develop better problem-solving skills than those who spend all their spare time playing computer games or watching television. They also get exercise.
Stoltz lives in Helena, Montana, but he’s hiked all over North America and many other parts of the world. The 55-year-old has played guitar and performed for 38 years. He began doing shows focused on getting children involved in the outdoors about 20 years ago. Along the way, he’s become an accomplished photographer. Children especially seem to like the wildlife photos, he said, which include everything from mountain lions and bears to elk and moose.
“The idea is to show them what’s out there if they get outside and discover it; to get them in tune with nature,” said Stoltz.
Stoltz decided to tackle the AT in 1974 after meeting a hiker in Shenandoah. He’s only hiked the entire 2,175-mile trail once, but has since taken many a day trip on it. He maintains a Web site at: http://www.walkinjim.com.
If you’d like more detailed accounts of hikers’ exploits and impressions as they pass through Smyth County, stop by The Barn Restaurant on U.S. 11 between Groseclose and Atkins. They keep a book in which hikers write impressions or share colorful trail names.