[at-l] hiking stick, final report (maybe)

[Bob C." <ellen@clinic.net (Bob C.)]

I've  now  made  three  hiking  sticks,  all  equipped with monopod heads for my
camera.  The first weighed in at a pound and a quarter -- too heavy for ordinary
hiking,  but  ideal  for  scouting  new  trails. One whack knocks off dead pine,
spruce and fir branches -- allowing easy passage.

The  second, fashioned from a sturdy piece of skinny oak, was heavier still, but
too flexible for good trail clearing.

Finally, yesterday I completed a third stick, using a thin alder sapling, that I
left  between a curtain and the glass of one of my solar collector windows for a
couple of days to dry.

 Smoothed,  sanded and part of the bark removed, dropped the basic dry weight to
 9  ounces.  A  three-quarter  inch  rubber crutch tip for the bottom and my $12
 Komperbell cork knob, compass and strap brings the total weight to 12 ounces --
 a couple of ounces more than a commercial Leki.

 Further  drying is likely to drop the weight another ounce, perhaps more. But I
 find  it  a  serviceable and comfortable weight already. I like it so well that
 I'm  retiring  my  11-year-old walking stick, that managed to do 2,000 miles of
 the  trail  in  1993.  Even though it never achieved a thru hike, my plan is to
 mount  it above my computer, so I can glance up from time to time to admire its
 patina and to relive many fond memories.

  Weary