LEONARD KNIGHT'S SALVATION MOUNTAIN

By PETER SUTHERLAND

It’s hard to explain Leonard’s vibe, but it reminds me of a when you take a cat to the vet for a shot. The cat will scream and hiss during the shot but as soon as the needle leaves their skin they seem to forget what has just happened. They might have a bit of a dazed expression, but for the most part they just seem reassured that they no longer in any sort of pain. Leonard seems like he’s living his entire life in that moment after the shot. He’s an old guy with a lot of seemingly 1950s values but at the same time is one of the most eccentric people on the planet.

He greets people by holding up two thumbs and saying “I’d like to show you something,” through a smile that looks like it just won the lottery. He repeats this alot as he explains all the different parts of Salvation Mountain. He is serious about his mountain and his non-demoninational devotion to Christ and painting his giant adobe creation. He supposedly flew to the current site of Salvation Mountain in a hot air balloon 28 years ago, and that is where he has stayed ever since. He might just be the last American badass, him and the dude that got pinned under a rock in Utah and hacked his arm off and hiked out alive…