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Thread: Walking Sticks

  1. #21
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Good Morning Kanga, I see you didn't have your coffee yet, how are the animals?
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Hiker View Post
    You got something against people from Poland?!?

    Just askin'.

    dammit!!

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wise Old Owl View Post
    Good Morning Kanga, I see you didn't have your coffee yet, how are the animals?
    heehee! i have coffee with godiva white chocolate. we have a new boy. i am sitting in the comfort of my office and he is feeding the cows! ha!

  4. #24
    Registered User Yukon's Avatar
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    I used my trekking poles to fight off a wombat once, so they are absolutely neccessary...

  5. #25
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    I didn't know Wombats were a problem in NY
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  6. #26
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    I prefer trekking poles, my wife (missjessy) prefers sticks for now. It's all according to preference.

    I'll let you know how my future bamboo hiking pole project turns out.

  7. #27

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    I have never used poles at all to hike. I plan on doing some long distance hiking so I'm guessing, based on what everyone says, that I have to get them. My question is: How easy are they to get used to?

  8. #28
    Registered User Yukon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wise Old Owl View Post
    I didn't know Wombats were a problem in NY

    Maybe it was a grizzly bear, I can't remember the specifics...

  9. #29
    Registered User Yukon's Avatar
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    In all honesty though, I love my trekking poles

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yukon View Post
    Maybe it was a grizzly bear, I can't remember the specifics...
    if you slept with your food, that wouldn't happen.

  11. #31
    Registered User Jaybird's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by EarlyStarter View Post
    Is it really necessary to spend over $50 on trekking poles when you can just shave the bark off of two sticks and make your own trekking poles?

    NOPE...not NECESSARY!...but, you can whittle for several hours & put a finish on it & get it exactly right...(if your time is worth nothing)

    OR...you could buy some trekking poles for $100 (or slightly more) that have been ergo-tested & tried by long distance hikers...& work for anyone with knees.

    Good luck with your hike!



    section-hikin' Clarks Valley,PA NOBO to Greenwood Lake, NY
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    see ya'll UP the trail!

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  12. #32
    Registered User Yukon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kanga View Post
    if you slept with your food, that wouldn't happen.

    Point taken...

  13. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hikes in Rain View Post
    A quick search of the forums indicates that yes, it's absolutely necessary, even more, in fact. Or that it's foolish to do so. Doesn't seem to be much middle ground.
    There's plenty of middle ground, and it's expressed in these forums all the time.

    Quote Originally Posted by EarlyStarter View Post
    Is it really necessary to spend over $50 on trekking poles when you can just shave the bark off of two sticks and make your own trekking poles?
    Here's my answer: it's not necessary to do anything at all. It's not even necessary to go hiking. And if you choose to go hiking, you could carry anything at all in your hands, or nothing. Asking other people to tell you about your preferences seems strange to me.

    But if your question involves whether you can replicate what commercial poles do by shaving the bark off of two sticks, the answer is: you can make hiking sticks that way, but not trekking poles. Whether you think the engineering that goes into trekking poles is worth the money is your decision. I think it's worth it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrambler View Post
    I have never used poles at all to hike. I plan on doing some long distance hiking so I'm guessing, based on what everyone says, that I have to get them. My question is: How easy are they to get used to?
    Pretty easy, I think. I started using mine 500 miles into a thru-hike. It took me a few days to get used to them. And maybe the best thing to do for those without experience with trekking poles (who are always the folks starting these threads) would be to borrow a pair for a few weeks and try them out on a trip that lasts a bit longer than a weekend (7-10 days). Then they'd be able to judge for themselves whether they're worth it or not for them.
    Drab as a Fool, as aloof as a Bard!

    http://www.wizardsofthepct.com

  14. #34
    Registered User Dances with Mice's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hikes in Rain View Post
    .... Doesn't seem to be much middle ground.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jester2000 View Post
    There's plenty of middle ground, and it's expressed in these forums all the time.
    Silly Jester. There is no middle ground for poles. You can use them on the ground to the left of the trail, the right of the trail or both but if you're using them in the middle ground you're doing something wrong.
    You never turned around to see the frowns
    On the jugglers and the clowns
    When they all did tricks for you.

  15. #35
    Registered User Hikes in Rain's Avatar
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    And you're likely to hurt yourself!

  16. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jester2000 View Post
    There's plenty of middle ground, and it's expressed in these forums all the time.



    Here's my answer: it's not necessary to do anything at all. It's not even necessary to go hiking. And if you choose to go hiking, you could carry anything at all in your hands, or nothing. Asking other people to tell you about your preferences seems strange to me.

    But if your question involves whether you can replicate what commercial poles do by shaving the bark off of two sticks, the answer is: you can make hiking sticks that way, but not trekking poles. Whether you think the engineering that goes into trekking poles is worth the money is your decision. I think it's worth it.



    Pretty easy, I think. I started using mine 500 miles into a thru-hike. It took me a few days to get used to them. And maybe the best thing to do for those without experience with trekking poles (who are always the folks starting these threads) would be to borrow a pair for a few weeks and try them out on a trip that lasts a bit longer than a weekend (7-10 days). Then they'd be able to judge for themselves whether they're worth it or not for them.
    are you playing the anti-jester today?

  17. #37

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    Following some advice here, I left my trekking poles at home one trip. After I took a nasty fall and suffered some nasty bruises and one pretty banged up knee, I decided some anti-bigcompanymarketingploy bs is bs. Don't let anyone else's opinion or sense of style interfere with what works best for you.

    signed,
    Tin Man the Klutz

  18. #38
    Registered User RGB's Avatar
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    Sticks.

    And if you leave your house at home, neither are needed.
    "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."

    -Bob Dylan

  19. #39
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Everytime I pass someone that isn't using poles I wonder how they do it. Seriously.

  20. #40
    Registered User Hikes in Rain's Avatar
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    I wonder how I used to do it. Way back when, I used to start out without anything, then grab a stick. Got tired of grabbing sticks, and carved my own full time staff. A few years ago, it cracked while saving me from a bad fall. I retired it with honor (it leans up against my framed AT map marking my progress), and before my next trip, my wife gifted me with a pair of Leki Ultralights. After a mile or so, I was amazed at how much difference two well engineered poles make. While I can't see myself braining a bear with them like my old staff, I figure the odds of having to do so are well in my favor, and that the benefits outweigh the risks. After all, I never had to use my old staff in self-defence, although it does have a couple of scars where a dog tried to steal it so we could play!

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