[pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the Trail

[JPL]

I sent my REI Komperdell poles off to be repaired last week.  I've had them 
about about 15 years.  The paint has all long ago worn away.  The lock 
mechanisms on one of the joints wasn't holding.  I imagine the other three 
aren't far behind.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Susan Alcorn
Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 8:25 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the Trail

PEOPLE category: Depending on how high you hold them above your head, 
indicated what kind of animal you just say. Up high is a deer, close to your 
head is a bear--haven't developed one for mountain lions.

TRAIL INDIGNITIES: Move pole side to side like a windshield wiper in front 
of face to keep black flies, mosquitoes, etc. out of your face.

ANIMALS: Use to push stubborn rattlesnakes off the trail, or to plant an 
object (the pole) between snake and person wanting to get by safely.

ENTERTAINMENT: Twirl like batons like cheerleaders do.

Happy trails,
Susan Alcorn

Shepherd Canyon Books, Oakland, CA
www.backpack45.com and backpack45.blogspot.com
http://www.examiner.com/hiking-in-san-francisco/susan-alcorn



>
>> On Oct 26, 2013, at 9:44, Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info> wrote:
>>
>> Upon my completion of the entire PCT last week in Ashland (OR Section B,
>> but no sign of Reese Witherspoon on the trail filming Wild), I thought
>> to offer the following to the PCT community. This is not to say that
>> everyone should use poles (HYOH, YMMV, etc), and many through-hikers
>> don't.  Indeed, times were when I didn't want to use poles either, being
>> so exhausted that even small pole-swinging energy seemed too much, or
>> just tired of the things.  But mostly poles became a natural extension
>> of my body, an integral and indispensable part of me. And as with most
>> hikers, I found many uses!  And can attest to all of these personally
>> except those with (*).
>>
>> --Eric / Double Zero ("because one zero is never enough")
>>
>> P.S. I started the PCT in 1997 so it took me 17 years to hike the whole
>> trail, although I only hiked 9 of those years. I consider myself a
>> "Multi-Year Through Hiker" (MYTH) because "Section Hiker" to me just
>> doesn't convey the requisite dedication to the endeavor of finishing the
>> whole trail, a goal I set after hiking that very first section in 1997
>> and falling in love with the trail.
>>
>>
>> 45 USES FOR TREKKING POLES ON THE TRAIL
>>
>> SPEED, ENERGY, EASE (THE USUAL)
>>
>> Get less tired when your feet can just focus on powering ahead and don't
>> have to do the continual work of stabilizing yourself side-to-side that
>> your arms and poles do instead.
>>
>> Establish a more regular cadence and rhythm that keeps you at a constant
>> pace even as you're getting tired -- your feet follow the cadence set by
>> your arms.
>>
>> Reduce wear on your knees from the constant jarring of multi-mile
>> multi-hour downhill sections, by absorbing some of the energy of each
>> step down with your arms and body.  (And 17 years later my knees thank
>> me.)
>>
>> Hands feel better, less bloated, when kept at a higher level than
>> hanging by the side, and also more active, hour after hour.
>>
>> Put power into pole plants to push yourself along when very tired at the
>> end of the day.  ("Balance of power" shifts from legs to arms.)
>>
>> Keep balance when walking on slippery or submerged rocks across a stream
>> or when fording deep swift water (most valued of all uses to me). Also
>> when crossing stream on a log using high-wire balance (looks good,
>> anyway).
>>
>> Semi-pole-vault across narrow deep streams without rocks to step on.
>> (Easier than a run-and-jump approach.)
>>
>>
>> TRAIL INDIGNITIES ("WHAT'S IT REALLY LIKE TO HIKE THE PCT?")
>>
>> Push away bushes overgrowing the trail, sometimes with both arms
>> extended ahead. (Sometimes just to be able to see where you are going.)
>>
>> When trail is overgrown and bushes are soaking-wet-dripping with dew in
>> the morning, hold poles outstretched to shake off dew before passing, to
>> reduce getting drenched. (Only works for short sections otherwise a
>> loosing battle.)
>>
>> Swing up poles to clear away spider webs across your trail. (Whether
>> real, imaginary, or figurative.)
>>
>> Swat those huge ugly 5 oz. bugs that circle around you at 50 mph, to
>> convince said bug to circle around someone else. (Actually did connect
>> with one in midair.)
>>
>> On narrow eroded trails with a steep drop-off on one side, especially
>> when overgrown or covered in snow, pole plants serve to continually
>> probe the downhill side of the trail as you walk, to continually (but
>> without conscious thought) confirm to your brain the edge of
>> terra-firma, so as to avoid slipping off into the void.
>>
>> Push yourself up to get over a log blocking the trail, and ease yourself
>> down the other side, or simply stabilize a step-over. (One early season
>> after a windy winter, encountered and actually counted 800 logs across
>> the trail in northern Oregon over a 3-day period of hiking.)
>>
>> When stepping down into a morass of broken pine tree branches from atop
>> a log blocking the trail, or when wading through said morass on the
>> ground to get around a fallen log, use pole to judge depth of morass to
>> solid footing below, so  foot doesn't plunge deeper than expected,
>> potentially leading to disabling injury.
>>
>> Swat your legs to futilely push away biting flies in northern Washington
>> before they have a chance to bite your exposed legs. (Shorts were a
>> mistake that drove me to tears.)
>>
>> Push away all those trail-crowding Poodle Dog bushes in California
>> Section D to avoid getting too much of their nasty toxins on your
>> clothing.
>>
>> When inquisitive and swarming wasps/bees (encountered rarely but
>> particularly in CA Section N north of Belden) start to congregate in
>> large numbers on your blue Nalgene water bottle caps or your clothes
>> drying on bushes (seemingly very selective), inconveniently only midway
>> into a lunch break, use a pole to jar the item slightly, such that the
>> wasps/bees fly off of it momentarily without feeling threatened, so you
>> can then grab said item(s) along with pack and run down the trail
>> without being stung. (One hiker who just grabbed items with wasps/bees
>> still on them was indeed stung.)
>>
>>
>> SNOW
>>
>> Measure snow depth for reporting trail conditions on PCT-L, or bragging
>> to friends how deep the snow was, or deciding whether yes, its really
>> necessary to stop and put on those gaitors.
>>
>> Allow a much faster pace of travel when walking on slippery or packed
>> snow so effort and time is not wasted by the feet on balance -- the feet
>> slide and go wherever they go, and the arms/poles keep it all together
>> and moving forward. (Great fun.)
>>
>> Use pole to chip away at offending ice or snow to open up a clearer
>> path, such as in and around streams or other obstacles.
>>
>> Use pole to probe depth of snow bridge over creek before walking across.
>> (Still nervously no matter how deep.)
>>
>> On steep snow traverses, with or without uphill ice-axe in hand, the
>> downhill pole serves the very important function of keeping the body at
>> the correct angle to the slope to minimize the risk of slipping sideways
>> and sliding off the trail or just falling down.
>>
>> If sliding sideways off a steep trail without an ice-axe in hand, pole
>> handles with hands together provide a larger object to punch into the
>> snow to arrest slide, provided conditions are not icy. (*)
>>
>> Use one pole with special "Whippet" end to provide self-arrest in lieu
>> of (or in preference to) an ice axe. (*)
>>
>>
>> EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
>>
>> Legs and arms swinging simultaneously can create a zen-meditative state
>> with exquisite body-mind balance. (Actually the main reason I started
>> using poles.)
>>
>> The power, protection and larger "physical swath" brought by poles can
>> engender a "Master of the Universe" attitude to help cope with being
>> absolutely alone in a huge wilderness.  (OK, whatever gets you
>> through...)
>>
>> When cowboy camping (no tent or tarp), place poles lengthwise alongside
>> sleeping bag to ward off evil spirits and strange animals.  (Very
>> effective, and surprisingly works just as well as a tent for these
>> purposes.)
>>
>> Stomp ground hard with both poles in tandem as you walk to vent anger
>> when something has enraged you, possibly the insects, or perhaps the
>> trail builder's notions of what constitutes the best route, or
>> whatever/whomever else you blame for your misery of the moment.
>>
>> Increase significance of gesture when praying for even a single day
>> without rain, hands outstretched to the sky, in carefully chosen moments
>> while traversing the state of Washington.
>>
>>
>> CAMPING
>>
>> Use to hold up a tarp in lieu of having a tent or dedicated tarp poles.
>> (A nice example of "multi-functional" equipment use but a pain to
>> re-adjust pole length every day--I prefer to carry dedicated
>> carbon-fiber tarp poles, perhaps to the horror of ultra-lightists.)
>>
>> When cowboy camping in a bivy sack with mesh over head for bugs, make
>> tripod with poles and a stick from which to hang cord to hold mesh above
>> face.
>>
>> When bear bagging using the counter-balance method, use pole to hook the
>> loop of cord you have carefully made near the bottom of the food sack,
>> to pull down the sack.
>>
>> To stretch out your sleeping bag as horizontal as possible to have it
>> dry in the sun without putting on ground or bush, and when two
>> suitably-spaced anchor points are not available, anchor one end of pole
>> on ground and tie sleeping bag between other end of pole and a bush or
>> branch.
>>
>>
>> PEOPLE
>>
>> Use to wave to someone else far off by waving poles over head.
>>
>> Write messages in sand or snow on the trail for those following behind
>> you.
>>
>> When stopping to chat with a passing fellow hiker, lean on poles to rest
>> feet.
>>
>> Impress passing day hikers with your "professional approach" to hiking.
>> (Not that impressing is needed, but sometimes it feels good.)
>>
>> If hitchhiking to a resupply town, poles serve as one more visible sign
>> to potential rides that you are a real hiker in need of a short ride
>> rather than a homeless person or worse. (Signs with "PCT Hiker" also
>> recommended by many.)
>>
>>
>> ANIMALS
>>
>> When hiking at night in dense forest around sharp turns where your
>> headlamp may not be visible from a distance, click poles together to
>> give extra warning to a bear that you are coming.  (Singing probably
>> works better, but sometimes when I sing while night hiking, it makes me
>> feel like I'm simply succumbing to fear of the dark rather than
>> providing an effective warning to bears.)
>>
>> Allow yourself to maintain the fantasy that if a mountain lion attacks,
>> you will have the time and presence of mind to yank off the rubber tip
>> of a pole (which I use to avoid clacking noise in contact with rocky
>> ground), collapse the pole to a stronger, shorter length, and then use
>> the sharp tip to stab lion like a spear during the attack.  (*) (Good
>> luck. But a better use of your brain is to be rationally clear that no
>> hiker on the PCT itself has ever been injured by a mountain lion
>> according to what I've read, and there should be no worries as long as
>> you don't appear as prey, such as as run away or crouch down.)
>>
>> Use to poke at mountain lions who may be prowling around menacingly
>> outside your tent. (*) (This was an actual self-video story by one PCT
>> hiker during the 2013 season, who survived intact a scary night in her
>> tent with a pair of lions outside for some time.)
>>
>> Swat away a charging snake.  (*)  (Apparently, someone actually did
>> this.)
>>
>> Normal use makes sharp thuds in the ground (with rubber tips on) that
>> continually warn snakes of your approach better than just footfalls.
>> (Speculative, maybe I saw very few snakes in the desert because the
>> snakes just didn't like me.)
>>
>>
>> HIKE DANCING
>>
>> Enhance "hike dancing" with music along the trail, swinging arms/poles
>> and moving body rhythmically from side to side, especially on rocky
>> downhills where going around obstacles timed to the beat is akin to
>> slalom skiing, and pole plants become part of the dance. (It's not
>> always about getting from A to B. Make sure to do this in ultra-light
>> trail running shoes for "quick feet" rather than heavy hiking boots!)
>>
>>
>> END-OF-HIKE COMPLETION
>>
>> Wave outstretched poles high into the air in a victory gesture when
>> completing the entire trail.  (For many, this will be at the Canadian
>> border, but for me was near Callahan's in Ashland after hiking my very
>> last sections, Oregon Sections B and C, in mid-October. Imagine, Oregon
>> Section C without a single mosquito! Spectacular!)
>>
>
>
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