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Author
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Topic: Trekking poles?
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted September 18, 2015 05:12 PM
My parents are starting to get up in age and when I took them fishing the other day, Dad in particular, had a tough time walking on the basketball-sized rocks on the river's edge. Mom took a fall a few weeks back that she is just now getting healed up from.
Both get around pretty darn good for their age, especially Mom.
I was thinking a trekking pole for each might give them some added stability when walking on rougher ground. Dad would probably be too embarrassed to use a full-blown cane since he doesn't need one 98% of the time. A trekking pole he might use?
Anybody use trekking poles? I've grabbed a straight stick for support on occasion when hiking, but never used the real deal.
Suggestions on brands to get or experiences using them?
[ September 18, 2015, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: Lonny ]
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted September 18, 2015 08:14 PM
There are times when a plain old walking staff is hard to beat.
If you have Joshua Trees that far North, the stalks are really lightweight and scary strong.
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 7577 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted September 18, 2015 08:58 PM
No Josh trees in these parts Koko, but I thought about cutting some yew staves, but anything green is going to take a awhile to cure. Something handmade would be kinda cool.
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 19, 2015 06:56 AM
Joshua Trees? Damn, they are thick as a telephone pole and rough as a cob!
But, a nice length of palo verde makes a very decent walking stick. However, I prefer a sahuaro rib. Light and strong, hard to beat.
Trekking poles are cool, but a little too sanitary for my tastes; I'm not climbing Mount Fuji.
I have a couple sahuaro canes I use out in the yard all the time, they are usually leaning against something and I have to hunt them down, but I sure as hell use them virtually every day.
Good hunting. El Bee
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted September 19, 2015 12:23 PM
Uh....El Bee.................
Not the trunks........the stalks.
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 7577 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
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Krustyklimber
prefers the bunny hugger pronunciation: ky o tee
Member # 72
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posted September 19, 2015 05:24 PM
I've never taken to the use of trekking poles (*in pairs) despite a lot of trekking.
I have carried a single staff, off and on, but tend to set them down and walk off without them.
If one is going to really use a walking staff, much like a cane, they'll need it to be 100% reliable (read sturdy).
Komperdell sells a great walking staff that doubles as a mount for a camera.
Krusty
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earthwalker
Cultural Editor & middleweight arm wrestling champion/Intermountain Region
Member # 4177
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posted September 20, 2015 09:52 AM
Trekking poles are great light weight or go to the second hand store and see if there is any ski poles they work too.
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another long hot smoky summer coming
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knockemdown
Our staff photo editing Guru, par excellence
Member # 3588
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posted September 21, 2015 04:07 AM
Lonny, I have a couple sets of Black Diamond trekking poles. One set is aluminum, the other carbon fiber. Both have quick-lock levers for height adjustments, not the twist lock kind.
I use the aluminum poles very often for training, they have several hundred miles on them and are they still going strong. I save the carbon fiber poles for hiking/hunting trips, where they perform double duty as tent poles. The carbon poles are a few ounces lighter, more packable & quiet, and feel more sturdy when loaded.
Just saw a pair of Easton poles on sale @ CamoFire for a good price, they are posta be decent.
Leki is another big name that is well reviewed.
A trip to your local REI will get ya lined out, but even Walmart has semi-decent poles that budget minded adventurers seem to find favor with.
I'd look into a decent pair with quick-lock legs for your parents to share. Stay away from twist locks, especially with the cheaper poles, as they tend to slip over time...
[ September 21, 2015, 04:08 AM: Message edited by: knockemdown ]
Posts: 2202 | From: behind fascist lines | Registered: Mar 2010
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Paul Melching
Radical Operator Forum "You won't get past the front gate"
Member # 885
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posted September 21, 2015 06:36 AM
KoKo me thinks you mean agave stave from the blossom long straight an lightweight.....
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Those who value security over liberty soon will have neither !
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 21, 2015 07:11 AM
That's a possibility? I was wondering, carrying an aluminum extension ladder to get a Joshua bloom would make an emergency umbrella and not much else?
Good hunting. El Bee
PS just had a thought. a young Yucca is easily mistook for a Joshua.
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 21, 2015 07:33 AM
koko, I can let you have this one I have been hacking on for three days, cheap. Just cover postage. Let me know.
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted September 21, 2015 08:14 AM
Paul;
Ok.......Regional names. I've always heard them called Joshua Trees. Seems that our local ones are Palmilla. Yucca Elata. Engelm.
El Bee;
Nice garden. How do you get it to grow sideways ??
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 7577 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 21, 2015 10:58 AM
That's an optical illusion, koko.
An interesting thing about Yucca Valley. It's full of Joshua Trees! Very few Yuccas. You would have a hard time mistaking a Joshua Tree for any Yucca. Unless it's three feet tall, no branches.
Good hunting. El Bee
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted September 21, 2015 12:20 PM
The ones that we have get 8 to 10 foot tall.
A lot like a Joshua Tree without the branches.
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 7577 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 21, 2015 03:50 PM
That's actually a Century Plant. When it blooms, it dies.
Good hunting. El Bee
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted September 21, 2015 04:25 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. The Black Diamonds that Knockem' mentioned had caught my eye.
Another twist to the story. Saturday my wife and I were out on the four-wheeler and we had just walked down into a draw to look at some dead trees to saw up. Just when we got back to the ATV she stepped wrong and went down. Ended up breaking her lower leg where it connects to the ankle. Freak accident. Surgery, six screws and a plate later she is now off her leg for 6 weeks.
All in all, it could have been worse, like several hundred yards or god forbid, a few miles from a vehicle. She could not put any weight on it and I loaded her on to the 4 wheeler.
So she is gonna get a trekking pole of some sort when this thing gets healed up
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 21, 2015 08:37 PM
Wow! That's not good! Hope she doesn't stay out of the woods because of it?
You know, any of us could step wrong, miles from help. Then what? Scary thought.
Good hunting. El Bee
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted September 22, 2015 04:03 PM
I don't think it will keep her from the outdoors, Leonard. Weather permitting, (She's not a fan of the cold) she likes being outside.
I'll say it is kind of a wake-up-call for me even though the older I get, the more cautious I'm getting to be when in the outdoors. I used to never take a cell phone with me or tell anyone where I was going. Not anymore. A simple slip like this could be a death sentence if ill prepared and in cold weather.
She already said to get her a set of trekking poles, so I'll just get a couple sets now. Heck, maybe I'll start using them.
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted September 22, 2015 09:25 PM
Don't feel bad, I have been thinking the same thing.
Good hunting. El Bee
PS but I'm holding off on the trekking poles for a while.
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31450 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted October 03, 2015 09:15 AM
Ordered a couple pairs of Black Diamond trekking poles with the flick-locks today. A set for my parents to share and another set for my wife when she gets off crutches.
Thanks for all the help gents.
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Lone Howl
Free Trial Platinum Member & part-time language police
Member # 29
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posted October 07, 2015 12:06 PM
Dang, just read this, sorry to hear about the accident Lonny!
Mark
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When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.
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earthwalker
Cultural Editor & middleweight arm wrestling champion/Intermountain Region
Member # 4177
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posted October 07, 2015 02:25 PM
I just read this, too.
Sorry about your wife Lonny. Hope everything is going well for her.
I use a walking stick of any kind anymore. I'm not steady. Should buy a pair and be done with it.
Might have to now with the new hip.
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another long hot smoky summer coming
Posts: 1105 | From: Intermountain region | Registered: Jul 2012
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Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
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posted October 07, 2015 04:19 PM
Thanks for the well wishes.
I took her in the get a cast put on on Monday and when they took the temporary boot off, a sore on the top of her foot was noticed.
The boot had been real tight and was rubbing on the top her foot. That caused a deep sore to develop that will probably burst. She had been saying the top of her foot was hurting a lot, but we were told not to change the way the boot was cinched down and by no means take it off until the first appointment after surgery which was 2 weeks.
Live and learn and complain a little more in the future when it comes to medical stuff, I guess?
This is the first time for either of us to be laid up with any medical issues and we are learning as we go.
The Black Diamond trekking poles arrived today. They look nice and seem to lock down real solid and can be made quite compact.
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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DAA
Utah/Promoted WESTERN REGIONAL Hunt Director
Member # 11
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posted October 08, 2015 03:17 AM
Sorry to hear about the accident Lonny. But, yes, take charge with the doctors. They're individuals. They remind me a lot of mechanics. Some mechanics are there for a paycheck and don't take much pride in their work, nor have any mechanical sympathy or aptitude. Others, enjoy their work, care about doing a good job and have ample natural mechanical sympathy. It's the same with docs. Some were last in their classes at medical school and barely passed, don't give two shits about you, not that good at what they do, can't/won't listen, etc. Others are the opposite of that.
But, definitely, make sure you are clear on what they think they are doing and take charge.
- DAA
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"Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em." -- George Hanson, Easy Rider, 1969.
Rocky Mountain Varmint Hunter
Posts: 2676 | From: Salt Lake City, UT | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
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posted October 08, 2015 05:00 AM
^ ^ ^
Damn good advice !!!!
I would also add,
Any medical condition can be `googled`.
Spend some time getting knowed up enough to have a reasonable idea what the Doctor is talking about, options, etc.
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And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
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