[at-l] Hiking Poles

[bullard@northnet.org (James Bullard)]

At 08:48 PM 4/17/01 -0500, Peter H. Fornof wrote:
>I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but the latest issue of "The 
>Register" has an interesting article on hiking poles and their impact on 
>the trail. The article states that there has not been any definitive study 
>on hiking poles' impact on erosion. The authors do recommend LNT practices 
>when using poles such as using rubber tips, not using the poles in flat 
>sections, and taking the baskets off the poles. The article is 
>well-balanced and informative.

Okay I admit to being puzzled. What was the logic in removing the baskets? 
The basket is intended to limit how far the tip will sink in soft ground. 
That would seem to be desirable from an LNT perspective.

The advice that Leapfrog got from the Leki Rep also seems to lack logic. 
The baskets are flexible plastic. I can't imagine that they really add 
strength to an aluminum alloy shaft.

FWIW: I generally leave the basket off my EMS (made by Komperdell) pole 
(only one) because it's easier to slip it into the ski slot of my pack that 
way when hiking on level ground or for hand-over-hand climbing. I put it on 
when crossing very soft ground and I need the pole for stability. If I'm 
climbing or descending a reasonable incline I use the pole sans basket.

Finally, a home or building supply place is sometimes a good source of 
rubber tips (like crutch tips) and they're usually cheaper than the drug 
store. Rubber tips can grip well on rock but they wear out pretty fast so 
buy several. They frequently come off in mud. I've been known to dig down 
3-4 inches with my fingers to retrieve a lost rubber tip. Which is worse 
for LNT, digging out the lost tip or leaving it there? I haven't decided. 
Personally I like the "thunk, thunk" of the rubber tip better than the 
"clack, clack" of the carbide tip. To each his own.

Saunterer