How many times have you seen hikers with poles and thought - kind of whimpy... I have. I am now a believer. I have changed my mind. But it didn't start that way.
Since I started to take hiking more seriously, I have thought about whether I wanted or needed poles. Knock on wood - I have never had any knee problems. The worst I have had was a sore IT Band from riding my road bike a bit hard early in the season. Nothing else. So I didn't think that I needed them for my knees. Even downhill has never been a problem. And I have managed to stay in good enough shape that I assumed that I didn't need them to help me to finish a hike.
All of this started to change during a recent trip to Sedona. I went to
The Hike House to look at some new boots and to find a good trail. While trying on just about every pair of boots in the store, I chatted with the sales guy. He of course is a hiker, and maybe 25 years old. We were talking about my planned Rim-to-Rim hike. I asked him what he thought about poles. He said he use to think they were for whimps. But he no longer thinks that. He said they are a must for a hike like I was going to do.
One guy's opinion.
After finding a pair of boots and socks and buying them (more on my boots in a future post), I headed across the walkway to their Energy Cafe, where they have maps, trail food and coffee:). I started talking to another guy about which hike I should take while in Sedona. He wanted to know how far I wanted to go. I was looking for a long and challenging hike, and he gave me one. To the highest point in Sedona, almost 19 miles and a couple thousand feet of elevation gain. But I digress. We started talking about the Rim-to-Rim hike. He has done it in a day - a number of times. He just smiled and said I would LOVE IT. I asked him what he thought about poles. He didn't hesitate. He said "you and your buddies have to use poles." He said we will need them. They will help on the downhill and we would be happy that we had them on the climb as well. Oh, and did I say he was in his mid to late 20's?!
That pretty much clenched it. These guys were both young, fit and do a lot of hiking.
I asked for poles for my birthday and my son Nick got them for me. They are called
Pacemaker Expedition. They are a pretty decent set. They are adjustable. They have an external lever locking mechanism. They are lightweight and have cork grips. And they do not have shock absorbers. If you are looking for more information on poles, REI has a good summary "
Trekking Poles and Hiking Staffs: How to Choose." I have heard that poles are cheaper if you buy them at
Sports Basement rather than REI, but I have not done the homework to know for sure.
I have since used them a number of times to practice. I do think that they help on the downhill. I can feel my upper body taking on some of the load that my knees would otherwise. I am less convinced on the uphill. I feel like I get more tired. Kind of like doing the eliptical in the gym, where you work both your legs and arms. I read the article "
Ten Reasons for Trekking Poles" where their comments support my experience.
The
final clencher was my recent hike (
Training #2 - Sanborn Skyline Park to Castle Rock State Park). They really helped Greg. He is in pretty good shape, but when his knees started to hurt, the poles helped him to make it down the hill.
I will not use my poles all of the time.
But I will use them on long hikes, especially where there is a lot of elevation gain / loss - the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim for sure!
When: Early October
