[at-l] Trekking poles

[lturneo@essex.ac.uk (Turner, Laura)]

Hi,

I'm assembling gear, piece by piece, for a 2003 thru-hike.  I recently
requested fold-up trekking poles for my birthday -- usually I just find a
big stick in the woods to use.  Does anyone else out there hike with poles?
Are they worth their weight on a long hike?  I know they're supposed to take
pressure off your knees and, in my experience they (or a surrogate stick)
make walking inclines easier with a pack.  They also cause you to burn more
energy though which could be a problem on a really long hike.

Any thoughts?

Laura