RE: [Philmont]: Trekking Poles

> From: James L. Kramer
> I highly recommend trekking poles.
>
I use trekking poles. Won't leave home without them. Had torn meniscus
(sp) on knee and artho, and the poles kept me going, probably would have
prevented the tear (happened on a backpack using only one pole, other given
to a scout to use).

A few observations:
Useless for youth, except for the exceptional. They don't use them
effectively, still resilient enough they don't need them anyway, and they
can get themselves in a lot of trouble with them.

Very helpful when carrying a heavier pack than usual (week long for me is 32
pounds) - dry camp extra water, right after food pickup and no meals eaten
yet. Really takes the load off the knees, very noticeable.

Most helpful down hill. Help keep the ankles and knees from objecting.

Not seeing much benefit to the shock absorbing type, jury is still out.

Trails around here do not lend themselves well to adjusting the length
uphill vs. downhill, change too much, so I've seen little value trying to do
that (I have tried) I suppose if you can be assured a steady uphill or
downhill, then maybe. However, I hiked the Grand canyon twice, and saw
little benefit adjusting up vs. down lengths. Tried it both ways.

Frequent adjustments tend to lead to more frequent collapsed poles. Very
annoying, but not serious. Screw fittings seem to hold up better than lever
fittings in that regard (counter-intuitive to me).

Cork grips more abrasive than plastic, not much advantage for sweatiness, so
haven't seen the point of extra cost of cork grips (I've used both).

Once your hands get dirty, it is a PITA to clean the grips and hands and
keep them that way without an extended time for them to dry out (especially
cork grips). Dipping the hands in a stream to pump water, slipping and
getting dirt on them, etc.

The clack-clack without rubber tips is noticeable, but I don't think it is
more noisy than the creaking packs of the external frame folks. If we want
quiet, get rid of the external frame packs. Can't really understand why
people still use them anyway :-)

The vast majority of people with poles haven't got a clue how to use them.
They set them the wrong length (usually too long), they don't use them to
get support (just swing and set them randomly instead), don't use the straps
correctly, and so get none of the advantages. I've rarely seen someone who
uses them right say they don't like them. I've rarely seen someone who
uses them wrong say they help.

There are several makers of connectors that allow you to hook your two poles
tip to tip to make them into one long pole for a dining fly. Anyone got a
link they can share?

Regards
Don Roberts
Philtrek 05 808-K Itinerary 2

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Received on Tue Apr 5 20:41:07 2005