Leonard Johnson
Thursday, February 4th, 2010In the fall of 2006 I was working in an art supply store in Philadelphia, PA. The following spring I was going to set out on my walk. Despite reading good experiences from other walkers I was still fearful of my undertaking.
I was working on the 3rd floor in the paper department. When it rained I would have to spend extra time preparing expensive sheets of paper for exposure to the elements. I would ask people how far they had to walk outside to avoid over packing. I wasn’t expecting the answer I got from this guy.
“Not that far considering I walked across America”
At 74, Leonard Johnson walked solo across America. He started in Venice, California and ended in Coney Island, New York. He sketched portraits of people and raised money for Katrina relief as he went.
I spent several minutes talking to Leonard. His stories of people’s hospitality convinced me that I would be safe on my journeys, and he gave me the confidence to travel alone. I exchanged contact information with him and still talk to him today.
Last year I met with Leonard at his starting place in Venice, California and I asked him some questions about his travels. Here’s an excerpt.
