View Full Version : Are these really necessary?
Dokahona
06-20-2011, 19:42
I am hiking the Maryland section of the AT in a month. It will be my first overnight hike. Up to this point I've only done day hikes (5-15 milers) in my area. Do I NEED hiking poles to do this section? And also, I guess I dont NEED to bring a stove for just 3 nights of camping right??
Thanks for any info you can hook this "noob" up with!
You don't NEED poles anytime or anywhere. If you like to hike with poles, hike with poles. If you don't like.... you get the point.
Same with a stove - you don't need a stove if you don't want hot food or coffee.
Deadeye is dead on.All depends on what you want to do and like to do.I'l be doing an overnighter this weekend.Poles:Yes,i like my poles{for walking and my tarp setup}.Stove:I have food that requires no cooking and dont need a hot drink.
Carl in FL
06-20-2011, 20:07
I can live without poles or hot food. Coffee .... I draw the line there, gotta have it.
johnnybgood
06-20-2011, 20:17
The terrain coming out of PenMar is rocky and for that reason alone I'd take hiking poles. Hiking poles do lend balance when traversing over rocks .
hikerboy57
06-20-2011, 20:21
mmmmm coffee......stove...yes
stranger
06-20-2011, 20:35
Absolutely not haha, Maryland? Not exactly northern New England now is it? As for rocks, I find trekking poles on rocks to be more of a hazard than anything else.
Hking poles were very rare along the AT up until around '97-'98, you almost never saw them. There were plenty of hikers with the odd hiking staff, picked up along the trail, but as for the Leki craze, it's more of a fad than anything else. All of a sudden everyone has bad knees haha, at a time when people are carrying LESS weight overall.
Remember when we drank from garden hoses and taps? Now everyone buys Poland Spring, same deal.
I see friggin day hikers out there for 3 miles with poles nowdays, c'mon? I think people using trekking poles is more about their headspace and much less about their knees and ankles. Gotta be fashionable, gotta have your poles and don't forget your ULA!
Dokahona
06-21-2011, 13:10
cool thanks everyone!
Absolutely not haha, Maryland? Not exactly northern New England now is it? As for rocks, I find trekking poles on rocks to be more of a hazard than anything else.
Hking poles were very rare along the AT up until around '97-'98, you almost never saw them. There were plenty of hikers with the odd hiking staff, picked up along the trail, but as for the Leki craze, it's more of a fad than anything else. All of a sudden everyone has bad knees haha, at a time when people are carrying LESS weight overall.
Remember when we drank from garden hoses and taps? Now everyone buys Poland Spring, same deal.
I see friggin day hikers out there for 3 miles with poles nowdays, c'mon? I think people using trekking poles is more about their headspace and much less about their knees and ankles. Gotta be fashionable, gotta have your poles and don't forget your ULA!
I certainly doubt that hiking poles are "more of a fad than anything else," given their ability to take significant pressure off of the back and lower body. That being said, "hike your own hike."
hikerboy57
06-21-2011, 13:16
I certainly doubt that hiking poles are "more of a fad than anything else," given their ability to take significant pressure off of the back and lower body. That being said, "hike your own hike."
All the cool kids are doing it.
The Old Boot
06-21-2011, 13:23
To each there own, but I wouldn't make it up the hill or down the next one without my hiking pole(s). Course then, I'm not in my thirties either like the OP.
Hiking poles have been proven to take the strain off the backs and knees...maybe if I'd used them when I was younger, my knees wouldn't be giving me so much grief now!!
hikerboy57
06-21-2011, 13:32
Ive never used trekking poles, but I intend to have them next year for my section hike from Springer to DWG.Ive had enough input to understand theyll be a big help in covering some 1200 miles.But Im 54 yrs old, so the knees are not what they once were.If you've already hiked over aggressive terrain for more than just a few weeks, thenmaybe you dont need them.
Poles are nice if you have bad knees or a physiology not highly suitable for hiking. I used to use poles and loved them. Now I love hiking without poles.
I always take my poles when I'm wearing a pack which works out pretty good since they are also my tent poles. If I've got a light pack and am somewhere I plan on running I leave them at home.
Going stoveless for the first time on a weeklong hike starting this Saturday.
Both of these questions are well documented in these pages. I really like the simplicity that going cookless offers, but I too like my coffee - and, I love to cook. A hot meal or beverage could be life-saving in the cold, or at the least soul-soothing. As for hiking poles, I am in the over-50 set and see poles as a way to help relieve the pressure on my all too abused knees, ankles and back. I am one of those folks who use them on short day hikes, but more for practice than need. I'll be taking both a minimal cooking kit, and hiking sticks ...
Cookerhiker
06-21-2011, 17:23
When I hiked MD in April, I was glad I had my poles mostly because of some unexpected fords brought on by the heavy Spring rains. But on the whole, MD doesn't feature the long steep rocky descents like New England. There are a few rocky areas but if poles are a burden to you, leave them home.
Heh! Here's a link that came to me on FB right after I posted the above. Why you *need* poles by the folks who sell em.:rolleyes:
Not to start the great pole debate, but I like them, and I don't think they're a fad. There's a reason why people buy them. I feel like they're an extention of my hands and give me better balance.
As far as stoves are concerned, it's a matter of comfort. If you want to eat cold food, then go for it. I like to have at least one hot meal a day, and coffee on occasion. Fires can also be used to cook.
p.s. I still drink out of the garden hose.:p
The terrain coming out of PenMar is rocky and for that reason alone I'd take hiking poles. Hiking poles do lend balance when traversing over rocks .
I just hiked this section last week and having poles saved me from a few potentially nasty spills over those rocks. I hated my poles at first but they proved to be pretty useful. They also made some steeper hills easier to climb/ descend. If you want hot food, bring a stove. If you can live without it for a day or two, skip it. It'll just add extra weight.
garlic08
06-21-2011, 22:36
There are lots of things many hikers carry that you don't really need. Over the years, I've left behind the stove, the camera, the multi-tool, ground cloth, inflatable mattress, water filter, flashlight, I've never carried a GPS or cell phone.... Your pack should reflect your experience, comfort level, difficulty and remoteness of trip, weather expected, etc.
Do a search on this forum and you may be surprised at the intensity of the hiking pole debate, too.
stranger
06-22-2011, 00:33
I certainly doubt that hiking poles are "more of a fad than anything else," given their ability to take significant pressure off of the back and lower body. That being said, "hike your own hike."
How long have you been around on the AT? Did you see trekking poles on the AT in the early-mid 90's? How often? How long have trekking poles been absolutely dominant in Europe? Ages mate, decades now. Why then did trekking poles just become popular in the very late 90's in the states?
I wouldn't call it a fad in Europe, but the almost overnight switch from 10% of hikers using them to 90% (in America) shouldn't be too hard to understand, especially when Leki closely (and smartly) aligned with Dana Designs back in the mid 90's. The rise in trekking pole use is completely is in line with the strong relationship between Dana Design and Leki from about 1994 onwards until Dana's fall into obscurity. I worked in the outdoor industry for 10 years, I remember this time well.
Do they servie a purpose? Of course, but that is not the reason why the vast majority of people use them, the reason why most hikers use them is because the vast majority of hikers use them, and that comrade, is a fad.
How long have they been around the AT? 1976..sold them in Atlanta..two section, one style.
Dana used Leki's for one of their tent designs, and we made a connecter.
By Dana's time, were well established in the USA and well used along all of our trails.
"the reason why most hikers use them, is because the vast majority of hikers use them."
And that FRIEND, is because they are USEFUL.
Pet rocks were a fad.
Trekking Poles are tools.
and Yes, I am the Leki guy.
... Do they servie a purpose? Of course, but that is not the reason why the vast majority of people use them, the reason why most hikers use them is because the vast majority of hikers use them, and that comrade, is a fad.
So, the vast majority of hikers are sheep, with no capability of rational thought?
So, the vast majority of hikers are sheep, with no capability of rational thought?
Well, he is in New Zealand.....
sorry, but not very.
When I reached 50 one pole came into play to help with the knee stress. These days the weights in the fuel not the stove. Coffee to me is a needed pleasure. Deadeye is right on. Hike your hike.
How long have you been around on the AT? Did you see trekking poles on the AT in the early-mid 90's? How often? How long have trekking poles been absolutely dominant in Europe? Ages mate, decades now. Why then did trekking poles just become popular in the very late 90's in the states?
I wouldn't call it a fad in Europe, but the almost overnight switch from 10% of hikers using them to 90% (in America) shouldn't be too hard to understand, especially when Leki closely (and smartly) aligned with Dana Designs back in the mid 90's. The rise in trekking pole use is completely is in line with the strong relationship between Dana Design and Leki from about 1994 onwards until Dana's fall into obscurity. I worked in the outdoor industry for 10 years, I remember this time well.
Do they servie a purpose? Of course, but that is not the reason why the vast majority of people use them, the reason why most hikers use them is because the vast majority of hikers use them, and that comrade, is a fad.
Yep, it's a fad, like refrigerators and flush toilets.
Yep, it's a fad, like refrigerators and flush toilets.
And Rock n Roll, and that interweb thinggie
stranger
06-23-2011, 20:01
How long have they been around the AT? 1976..sold them in Atlanta..two section, one style.
Dana used Leki's for one of their tent designs, and we made a connecter.
By Dana's time, were well established in the USA and well used along all of our trails.
"the reason why most hikers use them, is because the vast majority of hikers use them."
And that FRIEND, is because they are USEFUL.
Pet rocks were a fad.
Trekking Poles are tools.
and Yes, I am the Leki guy.
They have been tools for many years, that's hardly the point. I disagree with the notion that Leki's were 'well established' prior to the early 90's, atleast in my shop, in my area (northeast), and from my perspective, along the AT, and amongst hikers I knew. I also worked in a company that did over 150 million/year in sales so this wasn't a small operation by any imagination. I use Leki poles, I wouldn't use any other brand, again...that's not the point.
On Dana Design...do you deny that their support, not designs but reps and promotions, did not play a huge role in your success in the US? I was good mates with Leki reps in the 90's, many of them also repped Dana, I'm not saying it was a bad thing, just my view on how the trekking pole craze occurred from my perspective.
Chilly Willy, fashion, marketing and popularity plays more of a part in hikers choices than function, always has, always will. I am not speaking about Triple Crown hikers, I am speaking of the average user.
johnnybgood
06-23-2011, 20:59
With all due respect Stranger , but I merely use hiking poles ( off brand cheap ones at that ) to somrtimes hike with if I think they could be helpful. I hiked southern PA last year without any. I personally have seen benefits of using them . Not every time... not every hike.
I love my poles
when I get rhythmic, I feel like a quadraped
best the thing to hike in maryland is beer bring plenty
stranger
06-24-2011, 03:17
With all due respect Stranger , but I merely use hiking poles ( off brand cheap ones at that ) to somrtimes hike with if I think they could be helpful. I hiked southern PA last year without any. I personally have seen benefits of using them . Not every time... not every hike.
Agreed, I don't always use poles either, depends on the environment.
Absolutely not haha, Maryland? Not exactly northern New England now is it? As for rocks, I find trekking poles on rocks to be more of a hazard than anything else.
Hking poles were very rare along the AT up until around '97-'98, you almost never saw them. There were plenty of hikers with the odd hiking staff, picked up along the trail, but as for the Leki craze, it's more of a fad than anything else. All of a sudden everyone has bad knees haha, at a time when people are carrying LESS weight overall.
Remember when we drank from garden hoses and taps? Now everyone buys Poland Spring, same deal.
I see friggin day hikers out there for 3 miles with poles nowdays, c'mon? I think people using trekking poles is more about their headspace and much less about their knees and ankles. Gotta be fashionable, gotta have your poles and don't forget your ULA!
I was looking through some old family photo albums the other day. It showed my Dad and my uncles in their 20s all carrying canes. It was the fad in the 1920s. None were still carrying canes when I knew them growing up, though most returned to cane use in their late 80s and 90s.
Hiking poles are additional weight. They do help with balance, but both common sense and scientific tests show that carrying poles increase the energy consumed in hiking. I'm now into my 80s, with a diminished sense of balance, so now I carry a single wooden staff when I walk on rough trails. It weighs around 9 or 10 ounces and keeps me upright. I've tried Lekis from time to time. I prefer my single light homemade staff with it's rubber crutch tip for better traction on rocks. The one time I used a leki to traverse rocks in a beaver flowage it dumped me into the water.
Two poles do make one feel like a quadraped and encourages one to hike faster -- and have more falls. Yep it's true. Despite the claims by users, in my observations, and from reading the many hiking pole threads on white blaze, Leki users seem to fall regularly.
When I hiked from Springer to Katahdin I had just two falls. I slipped on a wet rock once while wearing newly purchased boots, and once I tripped over a root when I was distracted by another hiker. (She was quite attractive.)
Nutbrown
06-24-2011, 18:20
I can't wait to try my poles next week. I have done sections of the AT for years, and never with poles. I always had issues with my hands swelling in the humidity. I'm hoing that having them up with the pole use will change that. As for the stove, make a penny stove and bring a few oz of alcohol. Light and you can make the ever important coffee in the am.