[at-l] list of stuff

[wicked <wicked@110.net>]

        Umbrella?  Did I read that right?  Wow, will wonders ever cease?
        
        In regards to hiking poles from a way back:  I usually find a long
stick when I start and use it until I finish, I like that relationship with
nature where you let it give you what you want and return it when you're
done, so for the record I'm a one stick person.  
        However, on my last foray to the White Mts., my one stick broke in
half and left me with two cane sized pieces.  I used them that way and felt
like a turbo charged bug.  I was moving serious ground under my feet that
way and my stream crossings were cakewalks.  So I can certainly see the
benefit of a two pole situation.  
        BUT, I'm a low-tech walker.  I use an external frame, I hate DEET,
my only poly-pro clothes are my sock liners.  Those metal poles freak me out
a bit too much.  If it weren't for the need for low-impact camping, I
probably wouldn't even use my stove (whisperlite of course, although I found
a Peak in the trash this weekend!).  
        So for the record of course two poles kick butt, but so does GPS,
camelbacks, synthetics, and those new wacky spring loaded boots.  I reckon
it comes down to how techy you want to get.  People managed to do the AT and
other trails long before these things came along too.  
        But of course you need at least ONE stick.
~~~~
wicked...

"...I am a shy, ethic wheel"



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