He’s an Army veteran who walks the streets of Craig with purpose, but he’s not going anywhere in particular. His bushy beard sits atop long legs adorned with colorful walking shoes on his feet.

He grew up in Carbondale, moved here to get sober in 1991, got his commercial driver’s license about a year later, and has been in Craig ever since.

“I’m 40 percent disabled, but it doesn’t slow me down,” said Walt “The Walker,” who declined to give the Craig Press his last name. “I make the best out of everything … I’m pretty reserved. I don’t like people in my private life. My private life is my private life.”

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Walt said he’s been walking the streets of Craig to help him stay healthy and to heal from a recent shoulder surgery.

“It keeps you healthy, man,” Walt said of walking in Craig. “Cardiovascular exercise beats sitting in front of the TV all day long… I’m in pretty good shape for 66.”

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Walt said he visits people he knows around town.

“I just walk,” Walt said. “I have 
a lot of acquaintances in town, people that I know and stop and say hi to … everybody, friends at the oil service, friends that cut hair, friends at the bank, friends that clean carpets, friends that are repurposing the theater. That will sure be nice when it’s done … I just walk because of the boredom. I don’t work in the wintertime.”

Walt loves music, especially classic rock like the Doobie Brothers, Foghat, Kansas, Journey, and The Pretenders.

“I’m a concert junkie,” Walt said. “I spend all my money on concerts … It’s all old music, stuff that has soul and heart.”

Walt’s walking has truly helped his ailing shoulder, now on its fourth surgery over the years.

“It gets blood flow up into the tissue,” Walt said. “I’m not lazy. I’m not a lazy person.”

Now that his shoulder is healing well, Walt hopes to find another job putting his CDL license to good use. He said he’s also a certified scaler.

“Hopefully I’ll get back to driving in March,” Walt said. “I was working for Redi Services hauling coal. We’ll see what happens. I enjoy working. I enjoy driving. I’m in my element.”

Walt said his former life of drugs and alcohol is behind him.

“You make life what it is,” Walt said. “You make your own destiny. If I wouldn’ta gone 
to jail, I’d probably be dead. Somebody upstairs was looking out for me and told me I could do better with my life … I’ve had a good life. Since I got clean, my life has been good. It’s had its ups and downs. It’s had its trials. But it’s been good. I can’t complain.

Walt attributes his success to hard work.

“Hard work pays off, man,” Walt said.