Interview with Ford Prior

I had the pleasure of having lunch with Ford Prior over lunch one day.  I got to know Ford as an applicant to JMU four years ago.  Ford recently hiked the entire 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail last Spring.  The trail runs continuously between Georgia and Maine, passing through 14 states along the way.  Only about 29% of those that attempt to thru-hike (continuously hike the trail in one season) the trail actually finish it.  It takes about six months on average to complete the hike.  I thought it would be of interest to share some of his experiences on the trail and his life at JMU.

Me at the VA-TN line, three miles shy of Damascus, where my dad was waiting for me

So, how long did the hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT) take and when did you start?

I started on February 7th and finished on June 20th.

Most AT hikers usually finish in August-September and start in April.  So, you were really early in completing?

I was the fifth finisher this year.

So, how was the Smoky Mountains at that time?  From what I hear, even in April-May, it can be covered in snow and ice.

Sunset just north of the Smokies. Note the shallow snow drifts thanks to a lower altitude.

To answer your question, it was a nightmare.  Luckily, I had snow shoes and so I could walk on top of a lot of the drifts.  But the snow was literally, 3.5-4 feet deep and the drifts were often up to my waist.  Going into the Smokies, that was a big concern. After I passed through, some guys were stopped by rangers who said they can’t go through because it was too dangerous out there.  And sometimes I’d be hiking and thinking to myself, “if something would happen to me here, it would be bad news.”  I actually got frostbite before the Smokies from just walking in the snow.  Your feet are always buried, and if you’re hiking downhill there’s not enough circulation to keep them warm.

Did you have to get any help?

No, it just looked like a brown second-degree burn.  My blisters that I always had on my feet were just brown instead of pink.  Once I got into Damascus, VA over Mount Rogers – that was the last day I was walking in snow.

What was your favorite part of the whole trail?

Mt. Franklin at Sunset, about a mile south of the Lakes of the Clouds Hut in the White Mountains

The Whites [the White Mountains in New Hampshire].   I’ll never forget that.  I would just be laughing hysterically walking over these mountains because I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.  I’m getting chills just talking about it.   Having walked the trail behind me and being there at that moment was just pretty amazing.  Some of those ascents were like 7-8 miles long, but once you were at the top it was so worth it.

What type of gear did you use?

Backpack with gear

I had Nike tennis shoes most of the way and during the winter I had boots. In the cold, I wore a merino wool top, merino wool bottom, a rain jacket, and some rain pants.  And that was it – no gloves.  I had a poncho that was also a shelter.  I had a little, alcohol stove.  I had a zero-degree GoLite Adrenaline sleeping bag.  I went ultralight – that was kinda my thing.

Many AT thru-hikers come up with a trail name that everyone calls them on the trail.  Many times these are earned names that someone gives you based on your behavior/experience on the trail.  You typically leave your old name behind and travel under this identity.  What was yours?

Uncle Frank.  My friends in high school called me Uncle Frank because I always quote Home Alone.  Home Alone is my favorite movie.  I needed a trail name and there was no one to give me one since I was the only one on the trail, so I said “I’m Uncle Frank”.

I’ll tell you a wild story. My friend graduated last year and got married to a friend of mine from back home.  They had their wedding here in Harrisonburg.  At the after-party at Clementine’s in the basement I was sitting there and there was a guy that was looking up at me smiling.  The guy had heard my name was Ford.  He had heard of a guy named Ford that had hiked the trail that was named Uncle Frank.  He had started at Mt. Katahdin (the northern terminus of the trail) heading southbound the day I finished.  We had missed seeing each other by about two hours.  He’s from Harrisonburg and his brother did it with him.  So, he had read all the Uncle Frank entries in the journals in all of the huts along the entire trail.  It’s like when you get excited to read an email from a person you’ve been waiting to hear from.  It was like that with the trail journals.  You always try to think of something funny and dumb to say.

At the finish line

I caught up with this guy named Trek, who’s hiked the trail every year for nine years, in Maine at the beginning of the 100 mile wilderness.  I’ll never forget.  I said, “Dude, you’re trek.  Come here and give me a hug.”  But, he was a military guy and didn’t want a hug.

It’s fun to talk about this because I’m normally an internal processor.  I was 60 miles from the finish line and I remember I was seeing this shelter and I thought I couldn’t take another step.  I thought initially with 100 miles to go I would just bang them out in three to four days and then I got there and I just didn’t have it in me.

I guess you just have to find it in yourself on some days to keep going.

I guess that’s life, you know?

I’m sure you learn a lot about yourself along the way.  What’s the biggest thing that surprised you about yourself or that you weren’t expecting?

I learned how a set of circumstances can make me completely, emotionally fragile.  I thought I was a pretty tough guy and I would not fold easily, but it’s amazing how a set of circumstances could turn me into this emotionally fragile, vulnerable person.   I find that I’d be laughing one moment and then screaming the next moment and then angry and then happy.   I was dealing with all this struggle and you had to let it out.  There’s nobody there to try and keep you in check.  It’s an interesting dynamic.

Has it been hard adjusting back to real life for you?

Not really.  In a way, it’s great.  I can eat all I want.  There are cars I can drive to get somewhere.  There’s a bed – it’s great.  Some people I’ve talked to have a lot of difficulty adjusting.  It wasn’t tough at all for me.  I got back and I was thinking what’s the next thing I’m going to plan.  I’m doing an Iron Man – that’s what I’ve decided.  I did a half Iron Man and then I burned out.  I wasn’t really prepared for it.  I’m putting that on the back burner for right now.  I was talking to someone about doing the John Muir Trail this summer.  Coming back I’ve realized that I’m more claustrophobic with people, so for every hour hanging out with friends I need about two hours of solitude.  I’m trying to learn how to process this with people better now, but if I did another 3000 mile trail right now, I think I would be a weird person (laughs).

So, when are you graduating now?

I’m still graduating in May 2011. I was able to fit in everything just barely. I’m taking 21 credits this semester.  I’m majoring in English and Spanish.  I picked up Spanish later.  I went abroad to Salamanca [through JMU's semester abroad program] which was excellent.  I’m working on my thesis now for the Honors Program.

What is your thesis about?

It’s with English and it’s on American migration with roads.  It’s basically, about how Americans have moved from east to west and what that means culturally.  The ambitions have changed over the years.  I’m taking John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Jack Karouac’s On the Road and showing how they are totally different and took the same route. I’m working with [JMU English faculty member] Mark Facknitz, who is excellent.

What do you want to do next after you graduate?

I have two applications in right now.  One for the Peace Corps.  I’m hoping to get a job with the environmental or agriculture department in the Peace Corps.  I have an application in Spain for teaching English in Spain.

If you want to read more about Ford Prior, I encourage you to visit his blog.

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