In this moving episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, host Richard Wiese sits down with Shelton Johnson, a longtime Yosemite park ranger and passionate storyteller who has spent decades inspiring visitors to reconnect with the splendors of our natural world.

Shelton shares his journey from growing up in Detroit to becoming one of the National Park Service’s most powerful voices. At the heart of the conversation is his mission to revive the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers, Black cavalrymen who served as some of America’s first park rangers and protectors—and whose stories have long gone untold.

Blending history, identity, and soul, Shelton brings both poetry and power to his vision of the outdoors. This episode is not just about wild places—it’s about who we are, where we come from, and why the wilderness belongs to all of us.

 Tune in for a rich, unforgettable exploration of nature, race, and the American spirit.

This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.

This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.