[pct-l] getting steamy...

[Ron Dye]

I used to refer to hiking poles as "sissy sticks" and would NEVER use them -
that is until one time on the John Muir Trail when I was having extreme knee
pain.  As I crossed Paiute Creek there was a hiking pole stuck in the brush
having been swept from a previous hiker.  I used it the remainder of the JMT
and it saved my knee.  When I returned home I invested in a set of Lekis and
now I use them always.  I find they transfer weight to my arms and shoulders
on ascensions giving my legs a partial respite.  On descending, I use them
to lower my body down gently greatly reducing the shock impact to my knees,
other joints and also my gear.

Leki has an incredible customer service program.  On my 2009 thru hike as I
rested on a 300 pound boulder, it shifted and rolled forward breaking one of
my poles in half.  Leki replaced it even though something like that would
never be covered under a normal warranty.

I love my poles.

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Paul Robison
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 3:06 PM
To: John Abela
Cc: greg mushial; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] getting steamy...

I hiked pole less until on time on by the knobstone trail where my knee was
killing and and someone lent me theirs...'in an hour my knee pain went away
without resting

Obviously the pct is much easier than the knobstone which is basically
ladders and staircases... But they really are joint savers.

Personally I still use heavy poles... BLack diamond ergo cork poles...
Basically they are what I got and didn't seem worth replacing.  The are also
my tent poles and take more strain in that function in a heavy storm than
they do as walking sticks.  Due to the multiple use I forgive their 18
ounces.  

I have saved myself from some bad falls with poles;  that alone makes it
worth heir weight... Without them I WOULD had endured trip ending injuries.


Can't help with the durability of ultralight poles cause mine aren't... But
I'm not ultralight my baseweight is between 11 and 12 lbs this year

Sent from my iPod

On 2011-03-24, at 1:58 PM, John Abela <pacificcresttrail2011 at gmail.com>
wrote:

>> John, Paul  -  I'm old school, still walk w/o poles...  but I'm wondering
if
>> there is a trust question in first using such light poles, ie, "how can
>> something so light bear any load"...  does one find themself using them
>> gingerly at first? [generaly I've been expecting to continue to hike
>> poleless...  but a couple comments here on the list about using them to
>> cross blowdowns - from experience sounds like that extra "leg" would make
>> life easier..  and adding 6oz to one's entire kit weight, doesn't sound
>> excessive....  still living, still learning.]
>> TheDuck
> 
> Hello,
> 
> When I originally got my GG LT4's I did treat them with a bit of "over
> protectiveness" I guess you could say from some perspective.
> 
> At the time they were one of my more expensive pieces of gear (now
> they are about 80% down the list on my gear list, sorted by price) so
> the last thing I wanted to do was break one.
> 
> Plus all of horror stories I had read about how people snapped them
> just made me all the more cautious.
> 
> Now that I have had them for awhile I pretty much treat them without
> any more extra care than any other piece of gear I take with me, with
> the exception of my sleeping bag which gets the utmost of care.
> 
> I can very much understand why people 'snap them' because I have
> almost done it myself once. When I first started using them I would
> have situations where most poles break/bend - that is, you are walking
> along, the pole end gets stuck between two rocks (or in my case here
> in the Redwood forest, between a couple of roots) and in your natural
> course of walking your pole stays where they are because they get
> wedged, and you keep walking... and, snap.
> 
> So what I learned is to subconsciously be able to very quickly let go
> of my pole if I feel/sense the slightly amount of pressure from the
> pole not coming up off the ground. It took me maybe 4 miles of using
> it to train myself.
> 
> What this also taught me is that buying the ones without the handle
> strap is the best way to go (which are the ones I bought) because I
> can totally see how if you had them strapped to your wrist and they
> get stuck and you do not immediately stop... yeah, they are going to
> break, its just the way things work.
> 
> As for adding 6oz to the entire kit... the GG LT4's are 7.2 ounces per
pair.
> 
> As for whether the LT4's can safe you on a fall... yes. My LT4's have
> saved me ending up on my butt more times than I can count. A couple of
> times I have put my full weight (200lbs+pack weight) on just a single
> one of them in order to save me from falling. Even if one cracked or
> whatever during such a situation, to me, it would be worth the
> expenses (both in monetary value and ounces carried for all the miles)
> if it meant they died in an honorable act of saving me from falling.
> 
> For anybody who does not like hiking with two poles, but instead
> prefer just a single pole, my recommendation is to go with a
> "LuxuryLite Big Stik 60-inch" - it would provide you amazing support
> for stream crossing or setting up a tarp if you only have one tree, or
> a whole host of other things.
> 
> John
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