Hiking Poles on PCT

imported
#1

With the PCT being graded so much more smoothly than the AT, are hiking poles as necessary? Maybe mail them to Kennedy Meadows and send home further north!!??

Jeff

#2

It’s up to you. They are helpful on snow and for creek crossings and some people like the rhythm they provide because it kind of makes you walk faster. Some sections are a little windy (like 65 mph winds) or crumbly, so they’re nice there. And many of us use them as tent poles. But some people do not use hiking poles so it’s really a personal preference.

Piper

#3

I love my poles. I never had them until I did the PCT in 05, now I don’t hike without them. Even on well graded parts and relatively flat parts of trail, I just like to have something in my hands. They help to alleviate the pounding on my joints and to prevent “sausage fingers.” They saved my ass more than once on snow slopes and river crossings. Also used them as tent poles. Like the two above me said, it is personal preference. I know many people who don’t use them and feel that they don’t make enough of a difference to warrant them. Personally, I feel that they’re now an essential part of my hiking equipment.

Ducky

#4

surely i’m not the ONLY one out there who uses bamboo! (i figure if they build temples with the stuff in the orient, it’s probably good enough to support my 135 lbs!..and THERE!..i’ve done it!..i’ve publicly announced my body weight!)…anyways…though my beloved bamboo has safely and efficiently carried me over 5000 miles or so, i’m still questioning whether or not i need to switch… ( i REALLY want to use them this year on the pct! i’m so doggoned USED to them!)…HOWEVER…(since i am hugely ‘agnostic’ when it comes to aligning myself with the ‘hike-your-own-hike-religion’, i.e., i’m not bright enough and need the advice and knowledge of all you folks out there who have gone before me), i would LOVE to hear YOUR advice as to how you think bamboo will fare on the pct… (advice from anyone who may have hiked the pct with OTHER than ‘outfitter-type’ trekking poles would be especially appreciated)…thanks, guys!

maw-ee

#5

I carried them for the first time on my hike of the first 150 miles of the PCT (aborted thru attempt). My knee gave out around mile 10. I limped to Mount Laguna, then got a ride into SD where I got a pair of poles. They got me to Pines to Palms with no more knee problems.

I like to hike without them when I can. When the trail was relatively flat and smooth, I collapsed them, put the handles in a water bottle holder on my shoulder strap (bungee loop) and tucked the ends under my shoulder strap. That way I could walk hands free and the poles were easy to grab if I wanted them. If the smooth section was short, I tucked them without collapsing them. I could tuck or untuck without breaking my pace.

If I try again, I will do the same.

Scott Bryce

#6

I echo a lot of the reasons listed here. One great use is on packed snow, when it’s not steep enough to actually slide/fall, but sloped enough that it takes a lot of extra effort to keep your balance. Poles are a huge energy saver in that situation… preventing a lot of annoying slips and slides.

btw, one prominent hiking guru, dismisses poles as a lot of hype… (goes on about the subject at length) but he couldn’t be more wrong about this topic. To try to prove his point, he makes a bunch of calculations about energy usage that are full of holes, and just ridiculous… and frankly silly for someone with an engineering background to be making.

All that said, it is a personal choice. I have good friends with a lot of miles under their belts who’ve never used poles. I think they’re nuts, but what do I know? I have noticed that some people who’ve hiked a lot without poles have a hard time “getting used to them” and seeing the benefits of them. It’s like teaching an old dog new tricks…

jonathan

#7

they’re great to use as pretend microphones for singing while hiking. Although be careful if you’re really rocking out, I nearly knocked out my teeth singing “Rebel Yell” :slight_smile:

Ducky

#8

They help me on the up hill because I can sort of push myself up, they help me on the down hill to go faster and save my knees, they help me with river fording, they help me set up my tent, they give me great hiking rhythm on flats, they help me get rattlers of the trail, they help me make noise in grizzly country. Oh, and you can also try to twirl them around between your fingers if you’re really bored. Only time I don’t use them is on road walks or when fields of wild flowers are lining the trail.
I wonder about the bamboo, river and snow crossings will get them very wet, will that deteriorate them much? Congrats on the 135lbs, I wish I weighed that little. :girl

Apple Pie

#9

I did’nt use them for a long time… just used the stick I found along the trail . Then I started snowshoeing and LOVED my poles… so took for a hike and never looked back. To me, the are essential now… even if I carry them quite a bit.
Maw-ee I just used a stick I bought on the Wonderland trail… cuz of warnings of deep snow and I did’nt have an ax, for the Pct . It worked really well but did wear down but still is usable… it was’nt bamboo…I am kinda curious too about bamboo. Funny, stixs were’nt all the rage in 96… most folks did’nt have them. We went out again in 02 and WOW… everyone had them but us ! Funny how things change…

yappy

#10

If you have bamboo poles and they work, why bother buying expensive metal poles? If they wear out, then buy the poles. Save money and the planet with your natural poles as long as you can.

Piper

#11

Quit bothering these people and go eat… you already know what your going to do! Haha… Happy New Year…tell Pawee hi and Hatman and Happyfeet too! Call sometime soon and let’s catch up…Crawl(your favorite!)

Crawl

#12

I started with poles from the border. I used them, although not vigorously, but felt they were worth it for awhile. But as I became a stronger hiker I started carrying them more and more often. In the Sierras people said I would need them the most, so I kept them, but I just used my ice axe when the going got rough.

I guess I’m in the non-pole minority. I mailed them home from Mammoth Lakes and never missed them. I still did 30-40 mile days in norcal and oregon with no knee problems.

This is a very personal issue, but don’t let anyone tell you they’re necessary. Plenty of people on the trail get by without them (including scott williamson).

Joker

#13

Reflecting back, I feel like I could’ve jettisoned my poles on the PCT and been fine without them. I found myself carrying them so often (about half the time) and sometimes using them just to justify my having brought them along. They were indispensible as tarp poles, and good to have on descents, but with your hiking legs underneath you poles can become superfluous baggage.

They are definitely useful in displacing weight from your knees (which could be reason enough to carry them), for balance over stream/snow crossings, and as defense against rattlers, but I’m curious to know about how energy expenditure would change as a result of not using them.

A woman I met on the AT was adamant that she could save energy otherwise used by your arms to hike 5-10 more miles a day. Whether this conclusion was scientifically founded or not, I don’t know. Nevertheless, there are definite pros and cons to carrying them. Sometimes the click-click of the carbide tips hitting rocks on the trail is enough, as you become quite nostalgic for that sound when you are off-trail.

mainesail

#14

Maw-ee, I applaud your choice of bamboo! Nature’s ultimate material. Great strength-to -weight ratio. And bamboo sure beats carbon fibre on price. I use bamboo for things other than walking poles, but can’t see any problem, especially if you can find a way to secure carbide tips to the bamboo.

MountainMule

#15

I had a run in with a dog a few years ago coming out of Sierra City. Turns out my poles freaked the dog out and he charged me, teeth bared and hair raised. Yelling loud (at 5:30 am) brought the owner who called it back.

I found when hiking with my dog (not on long hikes) if I put my leashed dog on one side and my hiking pole just a bit in front of me on the other, my dog won’t bark and chase others, and she loves to chase runners and especially bikes.

So, one dog attacking me because of poles, and my dog behaving because of apparent fear of poles.

AsABAt

#16

I recommend poles at least to start, then it’s up to you. I found they saved me from a lot of falls, absorbed a lot of shock, allowed me to use arm power to assist my legs, and MOST importantly, :wink: they made my arms buff by the end of the AT. We joked that if we didn’t use poles, we’d arrive at Katahdin looking like T. Rex’s - huge thighs and teeny little arms…

3 Cats

#17

Maw-ee, Not sure if you are still debating the bamboo poles for the PCT just wanted to drop my 2 cents. I sometimes use bamboo pole that Colin Fletcher describes how to build in “Complete Walker”. They work great for me on short trips, however when I took them on a long section hike on the PCT the rubber end would wear out pretty fast (every few hundred miles) in rocky areas like the Sierra. Like someone mentioned above, maybe you could rig up a carbide tip to increase the durability over the rubber cain ends. Personally I like trekking poles on thru hikes because they fold up and the tis are so durable.
-Mat / LaundroMat

Mat / LaundroMat

#18

I use poles all the time. For me it’s a speed issue. I’m so much faster with them than without. It’s like cross country skiing. Of course they help with balance on river crossings and such but…it really is a speed thing. Not to mention they keep your body toned up pretty nicely if you really use them to dig into the trail. So, you don’t have to worry about all the muscle going to just your legs.

hoof

#19

I see a speed benefit for some people, but I’m able to hike at 4mph+ without poles. I hike faster than anyone I’ve ever met who hikes with poles. A fair number of people hiked faster than me on the trail this year, but all of them were poleless.

It’s definitely a personal issue. Try the poles out. If you don’t like them or don’t feel like you need them, get rid of them. It’s different person to person.

Joker