February 11, 2014
However you consider yourself spiritually oriented, Leonard Knight’s message of LOVE transcends into everyone.
After learning about Knight’s death, at age 82, yesterday, we decided to pay our quick tribute. Back in 2008, we were traveling through the deserts of California and decided to stop by ‘Slab City’ to meet the infamous Leonard Knight. We first learned about him and his creation, Salvation Mountain, from the movie, Into the Wild. Upon arrival, Leonard immediately greeted us with a huge smile, open arms and an eagerness to show us all around his colorful paradise. We spent an hour or so with him, as not to keep him too long, and left with open eyes and open hearts. For the entire hour, he talked only about Love and what it means to the world.
Leonard lived on location at his hand-made mountain, and has built giant dome-like rooms out of hay bails, logs, straps, paint, glue and whatever he could find laying around. It was almost hard to believe that such an old man living alone in the desert could build such a monument, but it was incredible. Now that he’s gone, we remember his stories about the government and various organizations trying to shut him down, and failing. Not knowing what will become of his masterpiece, we can only hope it will be left alone, as there are countless stories of how Leonard touched the lives of so many.
We left better people than when we arrived.