PDA

View Full Version : Most amount of completions??



insider2185
02-07-2019, 09:09
Just curious: Anyone knows what is the most number of times the AT has been completed in one year by one person? What's the name of said hiker?

Is there an unofficial list of other "records" for the AT anywhere? I understand the ATC does not officially recognize any such records.

Thanks!
U.B.

MuddyWaters
02-07-2019, 09:26
Ward Leonard, 3 times i believe, sobo, nobo, flip flop.
Done in 8 mo, unsupported too.

Emerson Bigills
02-07-2019, 20:26
The legend of Ward Leonard. I suspect some of the stories about him are a bit embellished, but the guy was clearly a dynamo on the trail and also an unsettling hiker for many. One of the true "characters" of AT lore.

MuddyWaters
02-07-2019, 22:18
Some who were on trail vouched for Ward passing them twice during their thruhikes. Thats humbling .

WhiteBlazin
02-09-2019, 15:08
Some who were on trail vouched for Ward passing them twice during their thruhikes. Thats humbling .

damn lol. never heard of this guy, must be a legend

Emerson Bigills
02-09-2019, 22:10
Just a piece of the legend in the story below. His trail name, not by his liking, was "Spooky Boy".

https://www.wickedlocal.com/x1980198496/Concord-resident-reflects-on-backpacking-Appalachian-Trail

MuddyWaters
02-09-2019, 22:24
damn lol. never heard of this guy, must be a legend

A legend for hiking ability
A legend for dickish behavior

He had emotional issues apparently when not on meds. And he wasnt on meds.

TNhiker
02-10-2019, 02:14
Just a piece of the legend in the story below. His trail name, not by his liking, was "Spooky Boy".

https://www.wickedlocal.com/x1980198496/Concord-resident-reflects-on-backpacking-Appalachian-Trail






that is one bizarre article.......

how does one get banned from the trail? and not twice, but banned 3 times?

Traveler
02-10-2019, 07:43
I don't see how anyone can be banned from a 2000 mile long trail with hundreds of access points along its route. The "banned" reference could have been National or State parks were some type of disturbance or legal complaint was filed. Or, (likely) its just some bunkum mixed with a few facts to make a story more glamorous.

4eyedbuzzard
02-10-2019, 13:23
I don't see how anyone can be banned from a 2000 mile long trail with hundreds of access points along its route. The "banned" reference could have been National or State parks were some type of disturbance or legal complaint was filed. Or, (likely) its just some bunkum mixed with a few facts to make a story more glamorous.A judge can order people to do/not do lots of things as part of a sentence or plea agreement or pre-trial diversion. A judge can also order people to obtain mental health treatment, and take meds as prescribed, and stay away from geographic areas and certain activities. The bans weren't urban legends, they were real. The AT, for threatening behavior towards hikers and an ATC employee; Baxter for physically pushing someone off the trail. But all this happened almost 20 years ago.

Emerson Bigills
02-10-2019, 23:30
If Dos Equis ever did a "Most Interesting Man" of the AT, it would have to be WL. The guy's physical, unsupported feats take no backseat to the FKT's of the last ten years. Couple that with his polarizing personality and he is a clear winner. I have read some disturbing accounts of his bizarre behavior, but others told of times he was friendly and supportive on the trail. I find him a complex figure, but a tremendously compelling legend.

Traveler
02-11-2019, 07:53
A judge can order people to do/not do lots of things as part of a sentence or plea agreement or pre-trial diversion. A judge can also order people to obtain mental health treatment, and take meds as prescribed, and stay away from geographic areas and certain activities. The bans weren't urban legends, they were real. The AT, for threatening behavior towards hikers and an ATC employee; Baxter for physically pushing someone off the trail. But all this happened almost 20 years ago.
Thanks for the detail. I had heard the tales but wasn't sure how true they were given the "character" nature of the individual.