Ward Leonard tales

[DEADRECKON'UN]

Recently I reread Model-T's "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery" (a great read) and Larry Luxenburg's book on the AT. Both mentioned a hiker named Ward Leonard who has completed the trail 10 times. He is described as something of a curmudgeon but interesting nonetheless. He is a strong hiker and at one time held the speed record for completing the trail. Anyone have any run-ins with him? Interesting stories? Is he still hiking? How old a guy is he?

[The Old Fhart]

I believe your request for info is innocent enough but I'm afraid this will degenerate into a thread bashing someone who does have problems and doesn't deserve what may follow. All I'll say is Ward is an amazing hiker.

[Pecan]

I hear he checked hisself into a mental hospital a few years ago.

[Scaper]

I met Ward on September 21,1990 as I had just come through Mahoosic notch northbound and he was southbound. I had been reading about him in the registers for about 4 months . He was not what I expected after reading all the negative journal comments about him. Ward was very critcal about a number of hikers that year. That's just the way he is. He is not afraid about giving his opinions evening if its very critical. He is a very intense person who can do some hiking. Rumor is he has about 10 thru-hikes but i think its more like 13 . I haven't seen any of his register entries in a number of years. I think he is about 50 yeas old. In 1990 I think he started at Harpers ferry and headed to Springer and then turned around and hiked to Katahdin then back to Harpers Ferry. I hope to see Ward out on the trail again. He was born to hike.

[Rocalousas]

Rumor is that he was a vagrant some years ago, and when a sheriff stopped him in north Georgia he said that he liked to walk. The sheriff pointed out the AT to him and told him he could walk all the way to Maine on that trail. Don't know if this is true.

[The Old Fhart]

Post #5 is not true. I believe I did meet the person you just described at Vanderventer shelter in 2000 but that's another story.

[Skyline]

He's one of the strongest hikers, maybe THE strongest, I've ever met. So long as he stayed on his meds he wasn't a problem to be around. Just the opposite. Thing is, he didn't consistently stay on his meds. Many hikers in the mid-'90s were afraid of him.

He allegedly had been court-ordered to stay off the A.T. for awhile, but that alleged order expired long ago.

In 1999 or 2000, he started signing registers (in Virginia anyway) "Chip" Leonard instead of "Ward." I haven't seen entries by him, or heard much about him, since.

[Lone Wolf]

I've known Ward for 16 years. He's one hell of a hiker. Can hike 3-4 miles per hour all day long. He has a diagnosed mental disorder. He hiked the trail in 60 days unsupported back in 90. He's about 43 years old.

[MOWGLI]

Post #5 is not true. I believe I did meet the person you just described at Vanderventer shelter in 2000 but that's another story.

That would be Screamer. I heard some very inspiring stories about him from Gizmo, the AT Caretaker/Ridgerunner. Screamer made it all the way to Maine. Unfortunately, I did not meet him, cause I was ahead of the pack, summiting Katahdin on 8/21/2000.

[Rocks 'n Roots]

The reason I responded to this thread is because I met a man with long slightly reddish blond hair and worn teeth at Partnership in 2000. I was driving south to Florida at the time. He said his name was "Chip". When I asked him how far he was intending to go north in September he sort of dithered and said something about going another week and turning back south. At that point I figured him for a Trail lingerer type. It wasn't until I got on the internet did I find out that was Ward.

He was spread out in the shelter in low season. He offered to let me read the register and move his stuff over. I told him I was an AT volunteer up in New York so I figured he was a little cautious with me. I gave him a Pepsi and we talked Trail. I could tell he was reading the entire register intently.

Maybe Ward was just off his AT restriction and on his best behavior. After learning on the net about his reputation I found he had allegedly gone through fellow shelter mates packs in front of them in sargeant-like fashion pulling items out and giving a talk-down on unnecessary equipment. (That seems a little manic to me). He was banned from the AT for that. The man I spoke too seemed cogent enough and behaved. I had no overt impression of instability from the man. Had to say that...

[weary]

I've told this story before, but I can't resist. In 1991 Ward started from Springer in January; walked to Maine; and returned to Springer. My grandson, 9, and I met him in mid August in the 100-mile-wilderness on his second trip to Maine that year and a few days later heading back to Springer.

Ward had a reputation for being obnoxiously unfriendly among hikers that year. But my grandson had a reading problem and communicated with the world by asking questions. He talked to everyone on the trail, whether they wanted to be talked to or not.

I asked Ward if he expected to make it all the way south again. "I don't know," he replied. "I have emotional and money problems."

Then he demanded, "Is that your grandson?"

"Yup," I replied.

"Good," Ward said. "He's the first person I've met on this trail bright enough for me to talk to!"

Weary

[Freighttrain]

as i was headed nobo 2001 he was a week or two ahead and signing registers... it was weird how he would draw pics of the girls at burgerking, wendys, gas stations...with them saying stuff like "oh chip bla bla"... once he wrote in a register how he was headed home to check himself into a mental hospital because ww3 was about to start.... 911 came a few months later

[Rocalousas]

once he wrote in a register how he was headed home to check himself into a mental hospital because ww3 was about to start.... 911 came a few months later

creepy. ive heard it said that the mentally ill are not really ill, they just have facilities we dont.

[weary]

creepy. ive heard it said that the mentally ill are not really ill, they just have facilities we dont.

Ward was (is) different from most people. But so are all who voluntarily walk 2,000 miles, or dream of doing so. I find it sad that both Ward and many of those who met him on the trail failed to recognize each other as fellow walkers and dreamers.

Weary

[Jack Lincoln]

I appreciate your imput Weary.

Ward suffers from a mental illness which is nothing different from any other type of bodily affliction that one might have. Except, it affects his cognitive skills and also his reasoning. I am sorry if this offends anyone but that is exactly what afflicts me.

I take medication for my illness and I do consider it to be an illness. I am a better man for taking the medication. There are many of you who might well be served by taking the same action that I did some time ago. Whatever, I love you all.

I know and love Ward. He is a great hiker and loves the outdoors. Sometimes he does not take his medications. That ain't my fault.

Hope....

[DEADRECKON'UN]

Thanks for all the responses. My reason for posting this thread was that I was intrigued after the brief references about him in the books I read. I think I would probably really enjoy meeting him. Interesting to know what his gear critiques were and what he used.

[stranger]

I think Ward suffers from urban legends. There are so many stories about this guy and they are all generally negative, yet people who actually know him seem to say the guys is alright. The fact is almost all who have experience on the AT have heard of this guy, yet only a small amount have actually met this man. So the stories grow each year.

[SalParadise]

I think Ward suffers from urban legends. There are so many stories about this guy and they are all generally negative, yet people who actually know him seem to say the guys is alright. The fact is almost all who have experience on the AT have heard of this guy, yet only a small amount have actually met this man. So the stories grow each year.

Great point. It's just more Trail gossip, and in my experience 80 percent of Trail gossip is never true or greatly exaggerated. I think Wingfoot and One-Leg suffer from the same urban legends.

[Pencil Pusher]

How about the dude hiking in full clothes from head to toe, even in the blazing summer? Or him throwing pebbles at one shelter all night long telling the folks the AT was 'his' trail?

I got a chuckle perusing some of the stories through various sources, but I like the dude nontheless. As far as being 'banned' from the trail, I think that's a load of bs the righteous like to pass off as true.

[icemanat95]

I've met Ward several times, both while thru-hiking and while doing section hikes and weekends here and there, I've spent some significant time talking to him. While Ward was never acting in a dangerous fashion, he was definitely acting VERY strangely on all occasions. He was always fully clothed (by trail standards) in polypro, hiking shorts, wool socks, etc. If he could get away with it, he wore a polypro balaclava.

Sometimes Ward just seemed a bit hyperactive, at others, downright paranoid and just plain weird. There's been a lot of other talk about Ward out there over the past decade and a half that I've been following the trail world. Some of it seemed fairly silly until I met Ward. Quite frankly, I tend to believe most of it now. But I also don't necessarily hold him accountable for it either...he isn't well.

Ward's WWIII comment doesn't seem so prophetic in light of the fact that he frequently spouted out such things. Every time I ran into him he would let go with some wild dialogue from time to time that tipped you off right away that this guy was not working through the same thought processes as most other people were. I don't put that much stock in the whole collective unconscious thing or other super-natural, stuff. Rather, I suspect that Ward spouted something out and then 9/11 ended up happening...it was a coincidence...after all, a lot of people have been predicting WWIII for a LONG time and it hasn't happened yet.

I don't think Ward is someone who needs to be feared, but neither should he be admired. He is an unfortunate, stricken by a hidden illness, that makes it impossible for him to live within the bounds of "normal" society. I can't think of a better place for him than the trail and I wish him well there. If it brings him some peace, then peace be with him.