Treking Poles?

[Daryl]

Treking poles can add miles to your hiking limit by allowing your arms to do some of the work, rather then just hang around. Do you use treking poles?

[sam_hikes]

fyi.. Hiking Shack in Phx rents demo leki poles for $10/5 days.

Not sure why they charge since I suspect they get them for free and they come from leki with the words demo on them--they used to provide them for free?

Still a nice way to decide if you like the poles

[Tom Treks]

I guess it depends on what you're talking about here...

Bouldering, climbing - usually nothing

Hikes with elevation gain/loss - one trekking pole

Backpacking - always two trekking poles

[Guest]

I never use poles unless I will be crossing water. Then they are a lifesaver. Otherwise I find them distracting.

[Trishness]

I always use one trekking pole.
_________________
~~~Trish~~~

"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." � J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings.

[cactuscat]

I usually use two. One thing they do for me besides the obvious benefits with stability and taking pressure off the knees, etc. is the fact that using then keeps my hands from swelling up annoyingly like they do when I hike for a distance without poles. Sausage fingers - yuck!!

[sherileeaz]

The first time I hiked, HikerinGilbert must have felt really sorry for this "ole lady" because he gave me a hiking stick out of the goodness of his heart (yes he has a heart) . I have used it on every hike since then, it feels like my right arm at times. Recently I purchased a trekking pole that adjusts which I like because it can be packed away if needed. I am saving the one HikerinGilbert gave me for when I really am an "ole lady". It will make a snazzy cane!!

Sherileeaz

[Canyon Dweller]

I tried using 2 treking poles and it wore me out faster. I felt like I was doing too much work. I hated it and will never use 2 again. I am completly satisfied with 1.
_________________
Mountains are there to be climbed!

"Meaningless! Meaningless," says the teacher, "Utterly Meaningless, Everything is meaningless."-Ecclesiastes 1:2

[plummer150]

Nope, don't use at all for any normal hikes. However, when I snow hike, then I use two.
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"IRONMAN" cometh, hiketh, destroyeth

[Tom Treks]

[sherileeaz]

[evenstar]

I use one walking stick and on rare occasion that I forget it, it really slows me down; I really rely on the added stability.
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John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902

[Tom Treks]

[Hikngrl]

When I have custody of both my poles ( which I do finally have custody of both of them) I use two when there is a lot of elevation gain and up and down to relieve the impact on my knoees. It's actually a mood thing for me.... other wise I use just one for the most part.
_________________
~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[evenstar]