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Posted by Bill S on March 11, 2008 at 1:40:53 pm EDT
In reply to How valuable of a use are trekking poles? posted by utahhiker on March 11, 2008 at 2:15:49 am EDT

I have used some form of hiking pole or hiking staff for many years. When I was growing up in the Arizona desert, I was taught that the staff has a lot of uses, some of which others here have mentioned - pole to support a tarp for shade when resting in the afternoon sun (120 deg F or hotter in summer), checking for critters under the bushes before you sit down (we had rattlers, gila monsters, scorpions, and a few mammals that hide out in burrows that have nasty tempers), persuading rattlers to move off the trail, leaning on to rest, lashing them together with your buddies' to make a cooking tripod, etc. Modern hiking poles can't be used for some of those (don't try using carbon fiber adjustable poles for a cooking tripod, for example ;=D)/

Modern hiking poles, especially the adjustable ones, are great for hiking. They do take some of the load both on the level and going downhill, they help balance when you have to cross a stream (whether wading in the current, tripping lightly across rocks, or balancing on a slippery log high above the stream), they help push you up the hill, you can rest your pack on them while resting and accessing the contents (lean the pack against the grip and poke the point into the ground). I find that using them helps keep a restful but rapid rhythm of pace and breathing, allowing faster coverage of longer distances. Much of the time (such as on my hike up Kilimanjaro described over in the Trailspace News section), one of my poles is a Leki camera monopod (it is a shock-absorber hiking pole as well, and has an optional snow basket). That way, I can put the camera on it when I need a bit of steady support with the long telephoto I use for shooting wildlife and birds. Some people like the shock absorbers, although both Barb and I usually lock them out. I have had several long discussions with one of Leki's resident gurus about the virtues and vices of the shock absorbers - he is all for them and believes you should use them all the time, while we find that sometimes that couple of inches of give when you lean on the pole for support on descending a steep and rocky trail is disconcerting (was that a rock that shifted and is throwing me off-balance?).

Another use for the poles is as an avalanche probe. When I go out in winter conditions, whether on skis or snowshoes, I use my probe poles. Yes, try very hard to avoid avalanche slopes, but sometimes conditions change, or you might have to help some unfortunate soul out (I have used the poles to find a pack that was covered by a 2 foot overnight snowfall for someone who forgot to either bring the pack into the tent or to mark its location).

One of the most valuable tools for the outdoors!

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• Re: How valuable of a use are trekking poles? - sabino 21:30:47 03/11/2008

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