Isle Royale Forums

Think of trekking poles as handrails as you go up and down the hills. They give you stability and an extra set of support, not to mention a little extra "push" as you go uphill. Like some of the others, I'm over 40 as well and I really appreciate what trekking poles offer me on the trail.

At least use a walking stick, it kept me out of the stream (some of the time) on the Rock Harbor Trail after the "Big Rain" event at the end of August.

I was on the same trail the Friday of the big rain too. I didn't have trekking poles then and after slogging through that mess, they would have come in handy. After I got back, I read more and more about the benefits of using them, so Santa brought me a pair for Christmas! Looking forward to putting them to use soon.

michigandave wrote:I was on the same trail the Friday of the big rain too. I didn't have trekking poles then and after slogging through that mess, they would have come in handy. After I got back, I read more and more about the benefits of using them, so Santa brought me a pair for Christmas! Looking forward to putting them to use soon.

Make sure you start training with them before you hit the trail. You not only need to build up the muscle groups that you will be using but also build up the rhythm of using them. Hike some local trails around your home for a few times then throw the backpack on and do it.

My wife is going with me to IR and this is her first major backpacking trip so I am going to get her trained with poles before we go.

Trekking poles are a godsend to anyone with knee and/or ankle problems

Just a few words please use the rubber boots available over the carbide tips except when needed on slippery wet rocks, also ditch the baskets unless you're snowshoeing. Doing so decreases pock marks and erosion along the trails.

And above all make the same decisions you would about negotiating obstacles as you would without the poles use them as a tool not a crutch.

I used a pair of new $3 thrift store metro ski poles on many hikes and just recently switched to cheap collapsable poles so I can strap them on my pack. I used them alot on the Laurel Highland trail in the mountains of Pennsylvania.
I'm currently section hiking the Buckeye trail around Ohio and I find that even on hilly sections, I'm down to a single pole that stays strapped on my pack most of the time. I found it easier to grap a stick on only one occasion to decend a muddy hill because it was easier than stopping to get the stick off my pack.

I agree with everything everyone has said about the usefulness of hiking with walking sticks or trekking poles. I backpacked for 30 years using a single six foot walking stick. It helped with rhythm and stability.

I liked the long stick because I could test the footing ahead and even use it crossing streams on old logs (reaches to the bottom of the creek while I'm two feet above the water). The only downside I've had has been bushwacking through very heavy brush (never on IR) where I've had to pull the stick along with me.

A few years ago I bought good quality adjustable trekking poles. I've tried very hard but just can't make the switch. I guess I'm used to hiking with one hand at chin level holding the stick. And, the shorter length just doesn't work as well for the places I most rely on the walking stick.

I've been using 1 pole for most of my longer hikes, but I'm considering trying two on my next trip. In a pinch a pole could also be used as a self defense tool, hopefully that would never need to be the case!

In a pinch a pole could also be used as a self defense tool...

But only if you know how to Fence...

PatrickBDunlap wrote:My wife is going with me to IR and this is her first major backpacking trip so I am going to get her trained with poles before we go.

Update: My wife has tried an old pair of trekking poles on our short trips this summer as we prepare for our IR trip and loves them. We had to bypass a flooded area once and trek through this swamp, balancing on fallen trees for about a hundred yards and the poles made it possible.

She is looking to buy her own pair now although she still will not hike around the local parks with them like I do, she thinks that is just a little TOO geekie.

Just got back from IR the last week of July 2010, and the poles were one of the best things I brought with me. BY FAR.

I couldn't muster the idea of dropping a ton of $ on fancy poles without knowing if I'd like them a lot or not, so I bought 2 Coleman Anti-shock poles from Target. Less than $30 for the pair, and they had AWESOME curved rubber feet in addition to carbide tips, and cork grips.

I'm sure they were heavy compared to their $200+ available choices out there, but for $30, I was sold, and figured I wouldn't feel so bad if I busted them up on the trail or the seaplane.