Hiking sticks ease any walk in the park

The concept of a walking staff is hardly a new one; it’s biblically old, isn’t it?

It shouldn’t be hard, therefore, to convince anyone that using one or two while hiking is beneficial, right?

That depends on who you’re talking to. Some died-in-the-wool old timers scoff at the concept. After all, hiking wasn’t meant to be easy. Strap on that pack, lug that load, ignore the pain in your back and knees at the end of the day! Grin and bear it! Tough it out!

Others, the smart ones from my perspective, take a different approach, one that involves enjoying the experience, savoring the scenery and smells of the outdoors, and being able to walk again the next day. Most likely these are the ones who use some form of hiking stick or trekking pole.

On my hike up Mt. Katahdin last summer, I used an old ski pole I had found years ago in the woods under a ski lift. It has a reasonably comfortable grip, is about the right length, and is pretty light. It isn’t something you can pack away and the basket tends to get caught in bushes, but I figured anything was better than nothing.

I was right. By the end of the day, after 12 or so miles of strenuous hiking with a pack, I was still able to walk. And the following day I was able to walk up and down stairs relatively painlessly.

But what really got me thinking about the “hiking pole” is when I noticed the slight soreness in my shoulder and chest muscles. They had helped relieve the strain on my knees while I climbed and likewise absorbed some of the stress on my legs as I descended.

Last week I stopped at Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bangor to talk with owner Brad Ryder about something, and we got to talking about walking sticks (at my age, maybe a cane is the more appropriate term). He mentioned that one of his product lines, Leki Trekking Poles, was doing a promotional lender program. If you want to try out a pair, all you need to do is sign them out (a credit card imprint assures you’ll return them).

In the meantime my back went out on me and I was hobbling about in pain thinking that I’d never walk again. After sitting on a heating pad for several days, I decided I felt up for a short hike, but not without the assurance of something to lean on. So I took Ryder up on his offer and signed out a couple of pairs, one for me, one for my daughter, thinking all the while that I’d use them as crutches while she’d probably be mortified to be seen with them.

The bottom line: I should have borrowed three pair – my daughter used them the whole time; my wife and I shared the remaining pair. While walking the trails at Fields Pond Nature Center, we ran into Sue Bodyke and John Minot of Milford, who are avid hikers. They swear by trekking poles for relieving leg and back stress (although they had traded them in Sunday for paint brushes and blue blaze paint as they marked trails at the center).

Often it’s just that type of endorsement that helps you make a buying decision.

Or how about one from a doctor who deals with orthopedic and arthroscopic surgery on knees, shoulders, hips, and the like? Dr. Gary Parker said he’s been a devotee of trekking poles for several years now. As one who’s had his knees replaced, he said the poles make hiking safer for him. In addition, he said, using the poles on a trail walk will increase overall aerobic health benefit since more of your body is being used in the exercise. He told me, “I know they work. My knees hurt less” than if he’d covered the same distance without them. The poles help shift your body weight and thereby reduce the impact on your knee and hip during a normal step by nearly half, he said.

Having added contact with the ground also helps maintain balance (you probably haven’t seen many two-legged mountain goats). I found that using a pair eased me through slippery rocks and up brook embankments. The pain I had been living with for the previous days was not aggravated by my adventure, something I’m sure I would not have been able to say had I not used the poles.

If you think about it for a moment, using some form of stick or pole is bound to be helpful. When you plant the pole and it carries the weight of your arm you’ve already taken some weight off your legs, no? Pulling back or putting downward pressure on the pole takes even more weight off your legs and back. Do that over the course of a few hours and the amount of weight lifted from your legs can add up to tons – 250 tons, according to Leki, over the course of an eight-hour hike. When you consider the demonstration pair weighs 1 pound, 5.6 ounces, that’s a pretty good tradeoff, isn’t it?

You can read reams of information, but the best thing to do is to try using these poles for yourself. When you decide that using them is the way to go, the next decision is how much you want to spend and what features you’ll want.

If you thought buying walking sticks was going to be a simple matter, think again. There are numerous manufacturers and each has multiple models from which to choose. For example, Leki has 10 models of trekking poles, five compact models (smaller grips and shorter packed length), four hiking models, four for photographers (they convert to monopods), and five for mountaineers. There are even some with left- and right-hand grips. Another manufacturer, Jacko, makes some 40 models. Gabel makes 17 models. There are others, and you’ll find a couple of different makes in the L.L. Bean catalog as well.

Closer inspection will reveal that there are differences, most of them minor, and many of the choices come down to several categories – grip (material, shape and style), shaft material (aluminum and some graphite), antishock construction (some have a spring in the shaft to absorb shock); number of sections (one, two, or three) which determine how small they will pack; strap style (rope or webbing) and method of adjustment; tip material and flexibility (steel, rubber, or carbide); and basket styles (small to large depending on conditions from dry ground to snow).

Those who use trekking poles will tell you that adjustability is a handy feature. Being able to lengthen the poles on a descent and shorten them on assent is helpful. On a long traverse purists will shorten the uphill pole and lengthen the downhill pole. Some shock absorbing models have a lockout feature that nullifies the spring for assents so all your energy goes into the pole.

You’ll find color schemes as varied as the many models available, and price ranges up to $100 or more.

If you have wondered what the magic is surrounding these poles but didn’t want to shell out big bucks before trying them out, this lender program comes in handy. The only other way to “test drive” them is to find a friend who has a pair and hope he or she will part with them long enough for you to try them on a hike.

Beware, though, you might find that you just can’t do without them. If so, remember that Christmas is coming and you can use these poles year ’round, from hiking to snowshoeing to cross country skiing to inline skating.

If you’re into researching your purchase, try the Internet. Search under “hiking poles” and you’ll have enough to keep you busy for a couple of hours.

Jeff Strout’s column is published Tuesday and Thursday. He can be reached at 990-8202.