After 9 days and 343 miles on Saturday 23rd March I completed a loop on foot back to where I had started at the grave of an unknown Vagabond known only as ‘The Old Leatherman’.
I had set a Fastest Known Time on a route that has been known for more than 130 years, but more than that I’d seen some of the most breathtaking scenery that Connecticut has to offer, made new friends, dodged thunderstorms, floods and ice and snow and 45mph winds and come to have a much greater love and appreciation for one of Connecticuts most enigmatic legends.
What is most astonishing is that my 343 mile journey represented only 1% of the Old Leatherman’s distance in the last 6 years of his life. In this blog I shed a small amount of light on his mysterious life, and reveal what I learnt literally following in his footsteps. I’ve also created a blog on him and his caves as a resource on the locations of his well known caves, and my route in detail as I hope in the future people will look to go out and eat my time, or complete a loop in sections themselves at their own pace .
The Old Leatherman of Connecticut
In 1883 in Connecticut in the USA a man appeared with startling regularity between 41 towns in a loop that spanned 365 miles. Every 34 days he would appear at the same town. He did this for 6 years before dying on the 20th March 1889. He had first been seen in 1857 and in the earlier parts of his life was reported wandering as far north as Vermont and Canada.
He is known simply as ‘The Leather Man‘ I cover much more of his history and information in a separate article here.
I stumbled across his legend when out trail running in Connecticut. I kept seeing trails showing ‘leathermans cave‘ on them in various places, I soon stumbled down a deep Wikipedia hole that left me with a huge desire to ‘go run that loop’.
The Old Leatherman Caves
There are so many caves of his scattered throughout the state with so little information in one place that I’ve created a separate blog here to document them all and how to find them.
Following in the footsteps of a Prince, King and Pauper.
Last year I set a Fastest Known Time on the longest inland trail in the United Kingdom. This 625 mile journey was about following in the footsteps of Charles II as he evaded capture from Cromwell. Following in the footsteps of a Prince ( a fellow ‘Stuart’) was one of the most defining adventures of my life and forged new friendships and brought many people together for a common cause. I’ve also completed the entire 225 New England Trail which follows the Metacomet Ridge named after famous King Metacomet.
Archeo- Ultrology
So here I found myself with the unique opportunity to again follow in the footsteps of a historical figure, this time a pauper. It excited and amused me that I may well be the worlds first ‘Archeo-Ultrologist’ – someone that studies and re-enacts some of the greatest historical Ultra distance journeys done on foot.
At 6 years , with 365 miles every 42 days he travelled ROUND THE ENTIRE PLANET during his 6 year of loops in Connecticut and New York.
In my eyes The Leather Man may well be the greatest Ultra Runner of all time, racking up a staggering 24,000 miles over 6 years on a continuous footrace whilst being self sufficient on trail.
The Leatherman Was the Ultimate Long Distance Adventurer
The descriptions at the time in newspaper articles describe what I recognise as some of the attributes of Ultra Long distance runners. When I read about a monsyllabic , grumpy wild eyed person I think of an ultra runner in the depths of a bad time during a race. The Leatherman was the epitome of a self sufficient trail runner, walking the equivalent distance of the Appalachian Trail AND BACK every year for 6 years. He was a stranger in a strange land ( post civil war and described as possibly French even though he barely spoke). His voracious appetite, love of coffee and clockwork pacing speed cross country reflect many descriptions of me when I’m out on long trails setting records.
As I explored the trails in Connecticut I began to feel an affiliation to the Leather Man and his achievements and following in the wake of two other brave people that did ‘one more loop’ for The Leatherman I formed the idea to do the same.
My take on his Route
In my Fastest Known Time attempt I was looking to capture the ethos of his journey, based pragmatically around the caves and towns he visited and possible routes. Where possible I’ve tried to use trails that are marked, and where I have no other safe option I opted for roads between towns. In some situations I’ve used trails of outstanding beauty that travel between towns he visited but may have not actually traveled along. In my mind I wanted to create a route that could be defined and represented a challenge in the future for people to beat my time on, and do in sections as section hikers to enjoy.
As it turned out the 50/50 blend was perfect because the trails brutalised me and left me yearning for tarmac, and when I got bored of tarmac a new trail head usually appeared. The trail may alter slightly in the future as Sleeping Giant State Park reopens and I learn more about his caves and route.
Over the Hills and Far Away
I set off at night at exactly 9.20pm on the late evening of March 13th 2019 There was method in my madness. Firstly it was exactly the time I set off when I did my FKT in the UK on the Monarch’s Way and also by doing the first section in the dark I get to the advantage of being well rested and sharp during my first night segment.
I quickly worked my way through Briarcliff Manor and upwards and away from the Hudson River ( where I had had an adventure in the summer following it from Source to City) and out on the roads Northeastwards.
As I left the lit town of Mt Kisco the bright lights from the streets cast a strong shadow which with a bit of imagination felt like ‘Old Leathery’ walking alongside me.
I passed Bedford Hills where one of his caves are located just behind a Mobil Gas Station and went through the first nature preserve at night convinced a bear would attack me within minutes of setting foot in the woods.
I did not see a bear for the entire time I was on the loop.
Misty Mountain Hop
I got to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation shortly before the morning around 5.45am. I was rather tired and confused and in need of sleep and was having difficulty finding the trail head off the road to get into the state park and see the Leatherman Cave.
Just as I was ready to have a power nap under an upturned row boat by the lake nearby the ‘Trail Mafia’ showed up. 4 guys in a car wearing running gear and head torches driving by slowly like I was about to get gunned down in a driveby. It was some of the guys from the Leatherman Harriers Running Club to march out some miles with me and show me the Ward Pound Ridge Leatherman Cave.
After some meanderings up to the cave I was rewarded with my first Leatherman Cave ‘proper’. What struck me was how homely it was. The natural features of the Pound Ridge cave meant there was a natural ‘hearth’ halfway inside, and the natural curve of the entrance acted as a superb wind shelter. I could see signs of the area where he would have slept in front of the fire too.
On the other side of the park we also met Tony Godino who founded the Leatherman Loop race, we exchanged hugs and promised to meet up near the end so that Tony could show me the secret location of the cave in Greenwich. A promise I was thrilled we kept.
After the Leatherman Harriers peeled off I continued for the day , passing through a few Nature Preserves and through Brewster and Sherman. I called it a day late the next evening having done about 60 miles in my first stint and sleeping at my future mother in laws house in New Milford until 5am when I got going again. My first 24hrs distance was excessive, but I made a mad dash for a decent place to sleep instead of sub freezing temperatures outside.
Nobodys Fault but Mine
In the morning I had 14 year old Tobias Tello with me for the day. He’s already run a few ultras despite his age and although we expected a day of mainly roads in fact we had a number of pleasant surprises in the form of Mine Hill Preserve and parts of the Roxbury Land Trust .
We went through an area with a lot of snow and sheet ice which meant we had to move carefully, and the Mine Hill Preserve had these superb mining holes you could look down from the safety of a metal grille on top. I also did a live Talk Radio Interview with WATR at lunchtime.
We also went through the Flanders Nature Centre before getting in to Watertown early evening for a well deserved meal in a local cafe. It was an entirely new thing for me to be using ice spikes to walk on snow and ice, but to be wearing a T Shirt because of the heat of the sunshine.
Black Mountain Side
As Tobias and I left Watertown we knew we had 4 miles of Black Rock State Park to go over before Tobias was picked up by his father. It was a steep climb up as the rain started. A check of my phone showed to my horror that we had 2 hours of severe Thunderstorms forecast, even though the weather report all day had said no rain.
We shared my jackets between us ( Tobias had brought gloves and candy) and as we climbed the trail on solid ice there was torrents of rain water pouring down the trail and huge forks of lightning on all sides of us throughout the state.
There is lightning coming down and you are on a mountain top with a 14 year old who is going to get killed because you are an idiot
We got to the peak and I was very unsettled. I felt like we were both moving lightning rods and was keen to get to the Leatherman cave just off the peak for shelter. The trail in the park goes right through the cave and out the other side and we took shelter inside his cave while we waited for the rain to subside. We were both totally soaked through.
When the Levee Breaks
The descent off the peak was not easier, with the sheet ice and returning rain and then mist we struggled to keep the blue blazes that mark the trail in sight and then at the bottom of the park where we would meet with he road I found all the trails were flooded, badly badly flooded. The actual route we should take had a huge surge of water passing through because this area has floodgates that are opened during heavy rain to stop local flooding. The other trail options were also flooded, and the only other option was to return the 4 miles back through the park to find a massive dog leg on the road.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw a zip line had been put in to get people across this bit during flooding. We were both cold so we opted to climb uphill under a road bridge and after some wrangling with a very wet phone we got collected by car and I was dropped a mile up the road where the flooding was less bad. In the UK I’ve managed to keep wading through floods or dogleg round them on Fastest Known Times, but this was on a different level and was impassable. I lost hours in that area in the wet trying to find a way round while Tobias sat cold beneath an Interstate Bridge. It was disheartening to lose so much time to the weather.
In Plymouth I was completely soaked and having leant gear to Tobias had no second options to keep going or sleep out without getting all my gear dried. I had a few surprises in store for me there, including a huge banner for me outside the the Plymouth Centre School, a 3rd grader called Jacob who stayed up to meet me with his dad and the offer from Plymouth Historical Society to hang my gear to dry at their museum and sleep there for a few hours which I was very glad for.
The Plymouth Historical Society Museum has a few interesting artifacts about The Old Leatherman including a huge surprise of an entire replica leather costume which I tried on at their request. They left out everything they had about him for me on a table, we chatted for a while and then I slept for a few hours while I waited for my clothes to dry out.
Travelling Riverside Blues
In the early morning around 4am I set off again heading north towards Harwinton. This took me through a stunning mountain morning sunrise.
I traveled north along a track to the east of route 222 that lead me along what looks like a disused lead mine works. It is not marked as a traditional state park in any way,but should be as it was desolate,impressive and very very quiet.
As I turned East later I used various Blue Blaze trails to find Torys Den , another famous Leatherman Cave and traverse some of the Tunxis Trail in the ice and snow which has the legendary ‘mile of ledges‘ where I set a new personal worst time of 1 hr 45 mins to move 1 mile. The trail was more like a complex 3D puzzle than a trail, and tired, in the snow and ice with obscured paths and very few marked blazes I found it very difficult going on my own.
Part of the route Id panned used a ‘trail’ on the map. Closer inspection when I got there revealed it was known as the Steve Graves Bushwhack Trail. It was non existent and left me with a good mile or 2 pushing my way through the woods on an unmarked path. If I ever meet Steve I don’t know if I’ll laugh or punch him in the face.
Rock and Roll – Metacomet
The journey south used much of the Metacomet Trail. This trail has some huge ridges and crosses various Mountains including Ragged Mountain that basically involved a Cliff climb to get up and some very steep rocks to get down. I decided to push on through the night to gain back some of the time I had lost and was helped by CT Trailmixers Tom and Stefan who knew the area really well. They acted as guides until about 3am .
Night Flight
A friend called Brian turned up as well for the Metacomet section, intending to hike just a few miles and eventually ended up doing about 27 miles through the night on some incredibly hard terrain. We also had a surprise visit from the New Haven Hash House Harriers up on the Metacomet Ridge who awarded me with hugs and a beer.
As I intended to make up lost time by moving through the night I left my sleeping gear with Shona to collect the next day but by around 3.30 am Brian and I were super tired so we made a makeshift shelter out of branches leant against 2 rocks and slept for 45 mins and woke feeling much less exhausted. Thinking back on this I realise just how much of an ‘Old Leatherman’ thing this was to do .
The Mattabessett Trail
In the morning I was met by Art the CULTRA podcast presenter and a few others including Tobias again ( this time with more gear) as I made my way along part of the Mattabesset Trail.
I meandered through the woods on trails and by late afternoon got to Guiffrida Park with a CT Trailmixer called Terry.
The 169 club
In Middletown I was in for a surprise. We met up with Martin Podskotch who wrote the 169 Club Book . He had a leatherman patch for me and a copy of the bookand we took some time over coffee and a well earned sit down to chat about all things ‘Leathery’.
The next morning I began heading South East on the Mattabesset Trail through some extraordinary countryside around Bear Mountain and the Seven Falls Areas which I would rate as some of the best scenery of the whole trip and after a lunch in Higganum with a reporter and another CT Trailmixer I headed south in the direction of the coast
Dazed and Confused
By the time I got to the Cockaponset Trail the weather and trails and lack of sleep had seriously taken hold. I then basically fell into a couple of days of extreme fatigue and low mental state which didn’t really lift until I got to my University a few days later. The going was really really tough. I had some very dark times in some stunning scenery and I had to dig very deep to keep moving with my feet hurting badly and an old stress fracture injury from 2015 coming back to haunt me in my left leg.
The Ocean – Old Saybrook
Setting off from Old Saybrook in the morning was a pivotal moment in the journey. Not only was I now on the coast but I was also heading West…which meant towards the finish. As I walked through ‘civilisation’ again it struck me that although the cars and roads would have bewildered the Old Leatherman what he would have liked as the the sheer number of Coffee Shops and people doing a daily commute to work. He was renowned for voraciously drinking bowls of coffee and here all around me were people doing the same !
At Clinton I diverted off Nod Place through an Industrial estate to locate the Old Leathermans Cave where I took some pictures and shot some video too.
Down By the Seaside – Guilford
At Guildford I met up with a number of people, including the Guilford Historical Society where I was shown some of the areas where the Old Leatherman was known to have stopped on his journey.
After Guilford I entered The Westwoods and Guilford Land Trust Preserve which I rate as the single most beautiful part of my entire journey. I located another Leatherman Cave in their woods and moved slowly through the night to get to Leetes Island by the end of the day which was also known to be a place where he had a cave/shelter.
Ramble On
In the morning I continued on from Young Pond Park having located another of his caves and moved along the railway tracks before heading north towards Branford , which is another town known to have had plenty of visits from the Old Leatherman.
I was also treated to a phenomena that I had seen throughout my journey here . The mysterious ‘car in the woods not near a road’ thing that is common here. How do the cars get there ? Do the woods grow round them ?
Quinnipiac University
From Branford I spent the rest of my day heading north to North Haven and then across to Quinnipiac University ( where I am doing a Masters) before heading south on the Quinnipiac and Regicides Trail. This massive dog leg round New Haven took me 40 miles and an entire day because the Old Leatherman had had a few bad encounters in New Haven so avoided it ever since.
The Regicides Trail was a tough trail to finish on at night , but at the end was my actual home in New Haven so I took the opportunity to sleep at home for a few hours and have a shower and change my clothes. I was probably more tired at that point than any other time.
I chose the Regicides Trail for that section as a personal indulgence, not only does it have superb views and a cave but it joins hands with the Monarchs Way in the UK that I also hold a Fastest Known Time on . The Regicides Trail is named after 3 of the Judges that signed Charles I death warrant and then hid from men sent by Charles II sent to avenge his fathers death.
The Monarchs Way in the UK celebrates the route Charles II took when escaping Cromwells army after his civil war defeat.
In effect by going over Regicides I allowed my USA Vagabond to shake hands with My UK King on two journeys I held records on that totaled just shy of 1000 miles.
Jeff Grant from The West Rock Ramblers came out with a single malt scotch that literally gave me what I needed to finish the final few rocky miles of the Regicides and get home. He also returned the next morning with hot coffee!
Trampled Underfoot
Part of a friendship or bond is for the other to see the worst as well as the best side of you. I’d been at my worst for the two days prior mentally and physically and now as I got into Bridgeport I was greeted with a town that looks something close to an apocalypse. I walked through Industrial estates that aren’t just abandoned but have trees and ivy growing up them, and through shops and streets that are in seriously poor repair. Even the sidewalks were so badly damaged they looked like trails. Moving through Bridgeport dressed as I was and tired as I was I felt more vulnerable and unsafe than at any other time in the journey.
I passed through without incident, although when I took a break in a McDonalds some school kids on the next table kept referring to me as ‘Bourne Ultimatum’ because of the way I was dressed, I was getting the ‘Leatherman Experience’ while I ate.
Friends
I knew that part of this journey would be all the people I would meet. So many people came out to pass me a coffee, walk with me for a few miles, or act as a guide in tough trails. The Leatherman shirked company but every visit made a huge mental boost for me.
Some people got to see me in good spirits and others lifted my spirits by simply being there. Less fortunate friends also got to see me in very tired mental and physical lows, but despite my grumpy mood and battered body these ugly encounters are often make the biggest impact .
When Jeff and Kelly met me near Guilford to simply tape up my leg it was all I needed to keep going and I could have cried with joy at what a difference it made.
Tea for One
It seems weird but after Bridgeport I felt my leg would hold and that getting this finished was now just a formality. In New Canaan I met up with lee Willett again to charge about on a ridge and relocate a Leatherman Cave that has very little information online on where to find it anymore. Two men looked furtively around on a road, ducked into the woods and returned out of breath and smiling 25 minutes later…..I doubt any police car would have understood our story.
New Canaan is famous for its 1960s box houses which have a stark contrast to the usual colonial styles in the area. Amongst the huge rocks and boulders I thought they looked like James Bond Lairs and loved them.
I went through Greenwich where I met up with Tony Godino from the Leatherman Harriers who took me into the Audubon Preserve in Greenwich to see the Leathermans Cave there on my final evening. We sat like two idiots in the leaves of the cave smiling and talking about our theories about our host from 130 years ago.
The next day was my last day and as I went through Armonk I manged to locate the final Cave on my route known as Helickers Cave as well as the Leathermans Cave because it was used by quite a few people in the past . The wind was fearsome on my last day , up to 45mph so the wind chill was brutal and I found I was wearing 5 layers on my top and bottom to stay warm.
The last 20 miles on the last day went past in a bit of a blur. They were mainly road and downhill and the end was in sight. As I came to within a few miles of the finish I was met by a small group who walked me in.
Doing a Fastest Known Time on a Trail is the opposite of doing an organised race. There is no big fanfare, no giant arch to run through , no medals and no cheering crowds. Instead you get a wonderful peaceful anticlimax, a chance to sit down with a beer ( a Leatherman Beer brewed by East Rock Brewing Co.) and a few photos. The glory and satisfaction on this comes during the whole adventure, its genuinely the journey not the destination. The beer tasted amazing, it was wonderful to be among friends again and within 90 mins I was uncontrollably asleep on and off for the next 48 hours.
Fool in the Rain
The Old Leatherman died on the 20th March , which fittingly this year was also the Spring Equinox. It also coincided with me getting the news that my beloved cat Gizmo in the UK had passed away. I was probably coming out of the toughest 2 days on the trail mentally as well on that day.
Walking a mile and a bit in his shoes I’ve come to admire and feel a large amount of respect and reverence for the Leatherman. Whilst its easy for me to project our common features, size, shape, hair color, eyes and a desire to be an ‘enigmatic wanderer’ as one reporter put it, there are also huge differences. I had state of the art equipment and clothing and got hammered in the 9 days outside, he moved with the landscape in an intellectual way in keeping with surroundings seeking solitude where I enjoyed company.
I came to realise that you can be lonely AND happy at the same time in such a beautiful , vast and desolate landscape. I cried for him a few times that week, in joy that his caves and dwellings and journey took in so many spectacular places, but also in deep sadness that I could never meet him. As a Brit in a strange and epic landscape the songs of Led Zeppelin became an obvious soundtrack.
This wasn’t a mad man in the woods, this was a master woodsman living in perfectly selected caves, with nearby water, cultivated herb gardens and stacked fire wood
What struck me most was just how inappropriate it was to bury such a private and shy man in a cemetery surrounded by so many others, and the fact that when his remains were exhumed about 10 years ago there was nothing found beneath his original tombstone. It was almost like he had got up and wandered off again. I felt this pull too, as I sat close to the finish line eating outside ( like he did). Whilst my feet and leg hurt and I was very tired I began to get a genuine feeling of melancholy that this adventure was over over, and a fleeting desire to carry on at Ossigning and go back out again.
A reporter asked me ‘having done this route if you had one question what would you ask the Leatherman ?’ and my response was unexpected. I’d explained that I wouldn’t ask him anything, because, if you knew him well you would know he hated talking, he liked the silence and the peace it brought him and me.
To know him would be to simply sit with him and enjoy the view each evening.
I started out from the Sparta Cemetery like him, a stranger in a strange land on a wild wander through an uncharted frontier, but where he found peace I found friends, and where he avoided photos and media I embraced it. I fell in love with the countryside here, put down roots and made new social circles. The countryside here broke me and left me in awe in equal measure.
I started this journey an Old Englander and returned 9 days later profoundly changed as a New Englander.
The Stats
Total Garmin Miles – 355.08
Total Elevation – 34,717 ft
Towns Visited by The Old Leatherman – 41
Funds Raised for charity – $847
Supporting local Causes in Connecticut
The Leather Man story brings together a lot. He was a pauper, who ultimately died of homelessness and cancer. This gives my adventure an opportunity to highlight this and help by raising money for homeless, cancer and those in need charities in Connecticut as well as some towards the maintenance of the truely wonderful trails that Connecticut has to offer.
Charities Supported
I’m jointly fundraising for 3 charities and have a page set up on Gofundme for each . You can choose between supporting the CFPA, Connecticut Cancer Foundation or The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. I’m hoping to raise $1 per mile for each of the charities so have a target for each set at $365.
The three donation links and info are here and marked Leatherman Cancer, Leatherman Trails and Leatherman Home
More Information about these charities:
The Connecticut Cancer Foundation
The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
The Connecticut Forest and Park Association
The Route
Shona Cooper spent weeks collating all the information online and our research and my ethos for the circuit into a planned gpx route anyone can follow in the future. Its roughly 45% trail / dirt road and 55% tarmac Road. We have tried as much as possible for the circuit to take in all the famous places he visited and landmarks such as caves and buildings that still stand whilst giving anyone on this route as much of the beautiful trails as possible.
This link below takes you to a planned map of my route that allows you to zoom in and out to help with planning. There is also a color code ( black for tarmac/road ) Green for Dirt Road and Red for Trail.
Lee’s Leatherman Loop FKT Loop Interactive Map Click HERE
There is also a second google map that may be easier for some people to use to find my route.
Click here for the google map of the Lees Leatherman Route rch
In the Press and Media
Latest Article from Quinnipiac University Website here
A new YouTube video of my recent visit to do a workshop with the students at Plymouth Central School below.
Latest Follow Up Interview with Fox 61 News
The Shoreline Times Article about my Journey
The Middletown Press Article about my FKT
The Hamlet Hub Article about my Leatherman Journey
The Republican American Article
Forbes Article about the Leatherman including pictures and links to my site.
Channel 8 News Interview
Fox61 TV News Interview
https://fox61.com/2019/03/12/quinnipiac-student-makes-a-historic-trek-for-charity
Pearl Jam Song
Thank You
So a very big list of thanks for a very big adventure.
A huge thanks to all the people that came out to meet me on the Leatherman Loop. For some of you you may have driven for ages just to see me for a few minutes, but trust me when I say that wrap of tape on my leg, cup of tea, shot of whiskey or cup of coffee was sometimes just what I needed to keep going.
Thankyou to all from the CT Trailmixers, Leatherman Harriers and West Rock Ramblers that came out at various points, Lee Willet and Tony G from Leatherman Harriers were there to help us discover/ rediscover 3 of the caves which was thrilling.
Tobias Tello deserves a special mention as he appeared three times on the course, after nearly being drowned/frozen,struck by lightning on the first visit.
Thankyou to Tom and Stefan who acted like Wizards through the night on the Metacomet trail in some very tough areas including Ragged mountain and to Brian Mills who did an accidental 27 mile through the night hike when he only planned to do 3.
Thankyou to Plymouth Historical Society that dried me out and let e sleep for a few hours at their museum ( and showed me their leatherman suit). Also to the Plymouth Centre School that made a huge banner for me and to 3rd Grader Jacob who stayed out with his dad until 10.30 pm to come high five me.
Thanks to North Haven Hash House Harriers for the Beer and the surprise! and to Kelly and STFU who came out twice to see me at my absolute worst.
Terry Predzimirski became my trail philosopher and councellor and witnessed me being mobbed in middletown with the 169 club award and a leatherman patch.
Brian Roccapriore got the ‘full Evans experience’ from 3am to 6am while his children watched in horror as a man smelling like a dead badger ate eggs and gulped coffee with mad staring eyes in their kitchen. Shonas Mum Sue also got what ’63 miles in a day’ Lee looks like….and it isn’t pretty.
It was a blast to meet the Guildford Historical Society and be shown another cave that isn’t documented, and to get to my University the next day with a huge welcome including John Pettit who ran a lot of the PR for me.
A super special thankyou to Stefan who made me a stunning plaque to commemorate the adventure.
And finally a very very very big thankyou to Shona Cooper who got all of the worst bits and none of the glory. x
We raised $365 so far for the CFPA for the Blue blazed Trails , $123 for the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and at time of writing $92 for the Connecticut Cancer Foundation.
It looks like we did about 343 miles, about 30,000 ft of ascent, an entire pair of shoes in 9 and a half days. Ive come back slightly changed for the good and the bad. The bad will heal, the good will remain.
I made new friends, new connections and fell in love with the hugely varied ‘Beast Coast’ of running. In a few days Ill re edit the Blog post about the adventure with all the photos and stories.
Hi Lee,
I read about your upcoming journey in today’s paper. Do you know that Leatherman’s first name is Robert and there is actually a street named for him in Bethlehem CT and also a cave there where he slept ? Another piece of information for your story.
Love, Light and Blessings on your journey.
In Spirit,
Marie
I’m so proud of you and Inspired good luck I’ve had some of those trails before it’ll be awesome to have solitude if you’re going out alone. God bless can’t wait to follow your path. Have fun
Would love to have you do a power point on July 24th at the
Salem Historical Museum
Hello William and thanks for reaching out. Drop me a line on leestuartevans@gmail.com and we can see if Im free. regards L-S
What a lovely story about the Leatherman. I once did a report in college on whom I though was to be called Jules Bourclay. I too did a lot of research on the leather man, interviewing Charlie Coe from Woodbury whose Grandma, Mrs Albert Bronson feed the Leatherman.
Also the late Leroy and Sarah Foote of Middlebury whom studied the Leathman for 40 years. The owner of the Old Gordon Tannery in Woodbury (who spoke French) once told reporters back in the day, that the Leatherman was from Lyons, France and was here in Ct doing a self imposed penance. Fascinating story. Thank you for bringing the Leatherman back to life!
Linda Butler
Thanks Linda and Great to hear from you ! The Jules Bourglay story was debunked by Dan de Luca a while back. Combined with the fact that there was no body when his remains were exhumed a few years ago means he will remain more and more a mystery despite being one of CTs most famous people !
Great trek, great writing, love the videos along the way and watching you in action with the school kids. Impressive work by both you and Shona pulling all of this together! Wonderful to see it all ties in to helping out causes, too.
By the way when crossing between Brewster, NY and into CT, did you go through Tarrywile Park in Danbury, CT? I happened to go a little off trail and bushwacked to find a quiet rock to read on for the afternoon, several years ago, then walk down some short ledges and came upon an unexpected cave with area for a fire, wood etc… and room for one to sleep. It was really cool! I wasn’t the only one to have come upon it, as someone had left a book behind with some torn pages just up a ledge from there, but close enough that I”m sure they were aware of the cave. After reading your story and seeing the pictures, this would have been Leatherman delux accommodations. It’s not marked, but I wonder if it could have been one of his?
He did indeed go through Danbury and Dan De Luca had Danbury down as a potential location for an Ole Leatherman Cave . If you can give me some more information on roughly where you went or how I can retrace your steps I can go and have a look sometime. The key is to decide if you felt water was nearby and if there were signs of smoke near the open part of the cave or shelter. Let me know !
Yes on the signs of smoke and how nearby is nearby? There are creaks and a small lake on the property not “right next to” the cave but not a very far walk, either, especially considering what he was used to. Actually, I think I recall water being down hill from there as well as the lake a short walk from there.
It’s been a while since I’ve been out to the park and I’d have to walk it to get a sense of where it was. Anyway, you go past the open fields, past the water towers and up the path into the woods, along the rise before the trail dips to where there is a stone ring for a fire pit… up on the wooded rise, head west and look for a plateau of rock not far from the trail, but far enough to have some solitude. You should see some short ridges of stone peaking up below, to my surprise, as I explored those, one that I was standing on was actually a ledge that was the roof of the cave. If my vague description of the trail and area make no sense, I’d be happy to meet you and others out there to walk it. I would like to go back with those who can verify if it is or not. I live only about a 15 min (give or take) drive away.
well get in touch next time you plan to go ! or see if you can drop a pin on a map with the est guess location and Ill go have a look sometime !
Limestone preserve,(seth low pierpont state park) ,in ridgefield ct. A hillside Cave ,due west (300 yds) off Taylor’s pond. Supposed leatherman bedded here. Utilize shields lane.
oh fantastic thankyou Peter! I know he was known to use Ridgefield ! Ill go take a look next week !
If there are ever a few people getting together to go explore in Ridgefield, or the adjoining Tarrywile Park in Danbury to go located the caves, I’d like to join if I may. It would be fun to go bushwhacking with those who know the markings to look for to determine if a cave was used by the Leatherman.
Actually Im planning on possibly going to look tomorrow in Ridgefield or Friday next week ! Email me on leestuartevans@gmail.com and see if you want to come along !
I retraced my former steps today out at Tarrywile and almost missed it, thinking that the ledge had partially collapsed, and then circling around again to discover that I’d forgotten how some broken boulders in front of it obfuscate it from view when walking around it and likely help protect the tenant from unfavorable weather. The neatly piled kindling and forest fire wood were gone, simply a charred log and a year-old or so green beer bottle from someone elso who must have made use of the dwelling. Plenty of evidence of many a fire. I will email you instructions and a couple of photos. My interior shots didn’t come out at all – too much light contrast today. Tomorrow (or rather, today)- cloudy and rainy might make for better photos. I will email you and yes, would love to come along!
if possible when you are there can you drop a GPS pin / Map pin on your google maps or equivalent so I can see the exact GPS co ordinates of it ? that would be very helpful in me finding it in the future
Will you post your FKT Old Leatherman route?
How close do you feel you came to following his route by way of your research?
I came as close to his route as possible. I used a large archive of old newspaper articles detailing his locations and where he was seen, I then cross referenced that with known leatherman caves then plotted the likely route taken between each known town. I had some modern issues including the building of roads and highways that get in the way or destroy land, and in some cases I took gentle artistic license to provide a trail route between caves rather than a potentially more authentic trudge along a busy road. I was very lucky to have 3 landowners let me visit caves on the route and have been very pleased to find new caves since the adventure that all fall exactly on the route I took.
Sorry, I jumped the gun. Found your maps on this site.
awesome ! glad you found them 🙂
Kudos to you and those who supported you in your research, your FKT and this site. If not for the Old Leatherman we would not know just how tough and unique a human being can be. His singularity touches so many people living in a world he would not have considered, not least for lack of interest. He took Walden beyond Thoreau. No one could claim greater purity of purpose and living. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if one day trails were constructed and linked to approximate his circuit?
that would be amazing but would take a lot of bridges and tunnels to deal with the roads. I estimate about 65 to 70% of the route was trail so certainly not impossible. I have to say having followed in his footsteps and seen beyond the hype I get a sense of a man living peacefully in harmony with his surroundings and living at least as long as the life expectancy of anyone else at that time. I rate him as the greatest thru hiker of all time and someone with some of the best and most varied views from his daily homes in the world. I was genuinely excited and awestruck to get to see his actual bag and glove at the museum in hartford.
Agreed, he was an extraordinary person who lived humbly; sort of a contradiction to what passes today for being outstanding. Try to fathom the degree of suffering he embraced in one calendar year. Tough as nails, gentle as a lamb.
Today, a French friend remarked of a tradition of an order of French monks who live a life of simplicity and silence. People offer them food but do not attempt to engage them in conversation. Perhaps this is the French connection.
Maybe your site will spur the sort of interest for a person to step up to the plate and take his route to the next step. It has the bones of the Camino de Santiago. Those are outstanding outcrops he weathered in, all in the Northeastern Megalopolis.
I would love to see this loop as an annual multi day race one day but the legality of dealing with all the roads sections would make it a challenge. He used to get about 10 laps done a year so I like the idea of 10 entrants a year keeping his loop going in his honor.