[at-l] hiking poles' efficiency...

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...I'm not arguing that the trail, which has been dug away leaving a small
>trench to begin with, doesn't suffer erosion.  I'm saying the damage you
>perceive, that Leki type poles create, isn't as great as you'd like to
>believe."

I don't know what you think I believe. I know that some damage is obvious. How
serious it may be in the overall scheme of things remains questionable. I do
know that almost all of this damage could be eliminated with rubber tipped
hiking poles.

 I don't know how rubber tips would impact on the ability of hiking poles to
 allow faster hiking. I do believe that rubber tipped poles would be equally
 effective in relieving stress on knees and would almost certainly reduce
 incidents of falling as compared with sharp pointed poles.

 I've experimented with Lekis. My rubber crutch-tipped pole is far more stable
 on rocks than are sharp-pointed leki poles. A quality soft rubber crutch tip
 grasps the natural inperfections of the rock and simply does not slide. Leki
 rock skids are obvious. You can see the scratch marks. And I've experienced
 their instability.

 Once while crossing a beaver dam, the leki I was using skidded so badly on a
 rock that I was dumped into the water.

 Weary