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Walking Stick?


Guest LoCache

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Guest supertech
Originally posted by LoCache:

I have found several good sticks to suit my purpose, and I am quickly getting heavily in to making my own. This thread has been a big help!

 

1) Thanks to everyone who responded!

 

2) Special thanks to BOREAL JEFF for the post about beaver sticks! I recently found a handful of them and he was right! They are PERFECT!

 

My turn?? OK - THE BEST walking stick wood is Diamond Willow!!! Problem: It's only found north of the second parallel [orsomething to that effect which means ~ Fairbanks AK] When treated properly there is no better and prettier walking stick!

Southern choice is of course Cedar, but can be "too hard" and splinter easy. Going for pine is good, it's light.. But I prefer Crate myrtle which as others have said has had vines on it causing interesting shapes.

As for treating it, you should let it dry with the bark on over the winter and then strip the bark and use CWF or marine sealant.

 

Most of what I would say has been said already, I did wonder if anyone was going to tell of some piece he used to attach his GPS to the top. I find that carrying the thing at arm's length is tiring. I myself use a monopod and have considered a hi-tech one as I use a camera a lot. I find PVC to be to flimsey or too gouch! I recently saw a demo of a MIL unit that is an eyepiece worn like glasses with the antenna on the shoulder... but that is for a different topic. icon_smile.gif

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Guest supertech
Originally posted by LoCache:

I have found several good sticks to suit my purpose, and I am quickly getting heavily in to making my own. This thread has been a big help!

 

1) Thanks to everyone who responded!

 

2) Special thanks to BOREAL JEFF for the post about beaver sticks! I recently found a handful of them and he was right! They are PERFECT!

 

My turn?? OK - THE BEST walking stick wood is Diamond Willow!!! Problem: It's only found north of the second parallel [orsomething to that effect which means ~ Fairbanks AK] When treated properly there is no better and prettier walking stick!

Southern choice is of course Cedar, but can be "too hard" and splinter easy. Going for pine is good, it's light.. But I prefer Crate myrtle which as others have said has had vines on it causing interesting shapes.

As for treating it, you should let it dry with the bark on over the winter and then strip the bark and use CWF or marine sealant.

 

Most of what I would say has been said already, I did wonder if anyone was going to tell of some piece he used to attach his GPS to the top. I find that carrying the thing at arm's length is tiring. I myself use a monopod and have considered a hi-tech one as I use a camera a lot. I find PVC to be to flimsey or too gouch! I recently saw a demo of a MIL unit that is an eyepiece worn like glasses with the antenna on the shoulder... but that is for a different topic. icon_smile.gif

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Guest Iron Chef

quote:
Originally posted by ClayJar:

Oh, but you fail to see the usefulness of a lightning rod! A sudden storm blows up while you're hiking on a ridge with zero cover; so, you quickly plant your lightning rod/walking stick (with or without optional self-standing attachment) and crouch a fair distance away chanting "It's over there; it's over there..." icon_wink.gif

 

(Note the one allegedly useful part of this post: "crouch". In case of an imminent lightning strike near you, you want to get as low as you can, but you also want to have as little of you touching the ground as possible. The compromise is to crouch down low, which according to what I've read/seen/heard is supposed to be the "safest" method. Of course, if you have something that disagrees with this, post away; I'd love to hear about it. icon_smile.gif)


 

I'd be asking myself: "Chef, are you really that much of a hardcore geocacher that you absolutely need to go out hiking with your metal pole during an electrical storm?"

 

icon_biggrin.gif The only thing thicker than my walking stick is my head! So of course I'd go.

 

As for the crouching thing, as far as I know that is the correct thing to do. You don't want to have too much of you touching the ground because you may still be shocked by residual energy lingering near the surface after the initial lightening strike.

 

------------------

-Iron Chef

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

agefive.com/geocache/ ~ Fe-26

Lets Drive Fast and Eat Cheese!

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Guest Iron Chef

quote:
Originally posted by ClayJar:

Oh, but you fail to see the usefulness of a lightning rod! A sudden storm blows up while you're hiking on a ridge with zero cover; so, you quickly plant your lightning rod/walking stick (with or without optional self-standing attachment) and crouch a fair distance away chanting "It's over there; it's over there..." icon_wink.gif

 

(Note the one allegedly useful part of this post: "crouch". In case of an imminent lightning strike near you, you want to get as low as you can, but you also want to have as little of you touching the ground as possible. The compromise is to crouch down low, which according to what I've read/seen/heard is supposed to be the "safest" method. Of course, if you have something that disagrees with this, post away; I'd love to hear about it. icon_smile.gif)


 

I'd be asking myself: "Chef, are you really that much of a hardcore geocacher that you absolutely need to go out hiking with your metal pole during an electrical storm?"

 

icon_biggrin.gif The only thing thicker than my walking stick is my head! So of course I'd go.

 

As for the crouching thing, as far as I know that is the correct thing to do. You don't want to have too much of you touching the ground because you may still be shocked by residual energy lingering near the surface after the initial lightening strike.

 

------------------

-Iron Chef

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

agefive.com/geocache/ ~ Fe-26

Lets Drive Fast and Eat Cheese!

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Guest st_richardson

The one I got from REI is collapsible & has a built in shock absorber. I love it!

The "hi tech" sticks may not have the personality that a hand carved one does. The light weight, camera mount, & easy storage more than make up for it, however.

 

quote:
Originally posted by Byron:

Last spring (2000) Anne and I bought telescoping aluminum walking sticks from REI at about $50 each. I wasn't sure I wanted to be old enough to require such a thing. Anne said she really wanted one. Then we went on the first hike using the sticks. Boy was I supprised, I was able to travel further and faster. Some sections where you have to slowly pick your footing went much easier with the "third foot" to help keep your balance. I wouldn't think of starting out on a hike without it. I would recommend, if you can afford it, to get a light weight, adjustable, with shock aborsobtion. You'd be supprised how much adjust the length. The only negative was that my arms were sore the next day.


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Guest jpaquin@frontiernet.net

Have to put in my $.02. I have Leki poles that I use only for snowshoeing. I've found for hiking I prefer one of my hand-made hiking sticks. My first is an unknown wood that I took from the bottom of a beaver pond. I had been looking at it, pulled it out to play with it, something just felt right about it, so I skinned it and tung oiled it and I love it. My newest one made this summer is cedar. At Boy Scout camp 3 years ago, one of the leaders sent my wife home with a cedar *LOG* with the suggestion of turning it into a walking stick. We're talking something with a diameter of 6 inches at the top maybe 4 inches at the bottom. It sat in the garage for 3 years. After looking at the sticks at the local renaissance faire I decided it was time to work on the stick. I shaved it down with a draw-knife till I was at the heart of the wood throughout the length of the stick. Then 3 courses of sanding with various grit sandpaper. Then tung oil. It's beautiful with a great aroma. My only concern with cedar is: it doesn't seem to be that strong. But it works great.

 

Jacques

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Try a Renaissance Faire.

They have quite a selection of hiking staffs.

 

I have a hiking pole forom REI and made the 4hr hike along the N'Pali Coast last year back to the waterfall. Would not have made it without the hiking stick.

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Renaissance Faire.

They have quite a selection of hiking staffs.


 

I found a nice staff at a local arts & crafts festival for $8.

 

------------------

Vince

0H/2F

 

[This message has been edited by vinced (edited 06 November 2001).]

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Guest Mark Robb

quote:
Originally posted by st_richardson:

The one I got from REI is collapsible & has a built in shock absorber. I love it!

The "hi tech" sticks may not have the personality that a hand carved one does. The light weight, camera mount, & easy storage more than make up for it, however.

 


 

Would love to have more info on this one as I am a avid photographer and this sounds perfect

 

 

------------------

Mark Robb

http://markrobb.com

Magellan Map 330

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quote:
Originally posted by Mark Robb:

Would love to have more info on this one as I am a avid photographer and this sounds perfect


Mark I use a Sherlock Staff that has a camera mount under the removeable wooden knob. Its great for hikes and caching and is so light weight I don't even know its there. Check it out at:

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/tracks/walking_hiking.asp

Cheers, Olar

 

 

[This message has been edited by Olar (edited 05 November 2001).]

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Having had an opertunity to use my new walking stick this weekend I have learnt to appreciate it. It protected me from alot of briars and going up and down steep embankments. It care in handy check places that I did not want to stick my hand into.

 

------------------

Vince

0H/6F

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For very steep up and down I find a long hiking stick (up to your forehead) very useful in going both up and down. Plant the point in front of you for a 3rd leg to stabilize things going down. Going up, it permits your arms to help raise the old bod. I needed one quickly (to place a cache atop a 400 ft bluff), so just took a piece of 1X2 pine lumber, rasped the corners off just a little, and made a point on one end. The point has to be sharp enough to kind of stick in the ground, but dull enough to hold against a rock too.

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Guest spiny norman

quote:
Originally posted by Olar:

quote:
Originally posted by spiny norman:

On my Stick, there is a rubber band that I use for animal tracking.


Excellent idea for getting the GPSR higher but my question is how is a rubber band used for animal tracking? icon_biggrin.gif

 

Rubber band easily adjust up or down the length of the stick. so when I'm tracking, I can set the distance of the animals stride. Then using the stick i can pinpoint where the next track should be.

 

 


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Guest spiny norman

quote:
Originally posted by Olar:

quote:
Originally posted by spiny norman:

On my Stick, there is a rubber band that I use for animal tracking.


Excellent idea for getting the GPSR higher but my question is how is a rubber band used for animal tracking? icon_biggrin.gif

 

Rubber band easily adjust up or down the length of the stick. so when I'm tracking, I can set the distance of the animals stride. Then using the stick i can pinpoint where the next track should be.

 

 


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I was looking for a walking stick, and not having any beaver homes nearby to raid, I stopped by EMS. They only carry 2 sticks that are not "doubles" The cheapo one is just that, really flimsy (broke 2 in the store). The next one up (about $50) is a little sturdier and has a "shock absorbing mechanism" but like the cheap one, if u unscrew it just a little too far it falls apart. Still looking for something decently priced yet sturdy. CRUSSO IMF16@AOL.COM

 

------------------

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I used a walking stick that was my grandpa's old cane. When I accidentally left it at a geocache site, I stopped using it.

It was returned to me after about a month since I posted a plea on the site log. I decided to find all of my walking sticks in the wild. It costs less and you usually have a variety of choices for the varied terrain.

In otherwords, finding them in the wild can be beneficial since you are not aware of what you might need until you approach the area anyway and extra baggage is not usually a good thing to carry.

If you know you are climbing a cliff then I can understand but most of these romps are not life threatening and I usually can pick up what I need when I need it.

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Guest DisQuoi

Last month I awoke to a loud crashing sound ... it was a tree falling in the park behind my house. I have no idea what kind of tree it is but I have taken four straight branches from its remains and have made two walking sticks so far. Since I've been using a walking stick, I feel unprepared without it. For many of the reasons stated ... balance while crossing streams on stones, moving thorny vines as I walk under (stick as a fork on one edge works great this), testing depth or stability of wet ground ... but in general, it's like camping without a knife ... you might not need it but it so many uses. Why not use one?

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Finished off my PVC walking stick w/a motorcycle foam grip & divided it in two w/ a connector so I can carry it in my backpack. Hollow so I can carry a bunch of AAs inside it. Have a compass/cork ball top which comes off for a camera mount. All for about $10!

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Guest JoeyBob

You will have to be in the right part of the country to try this one, but... Tobacco sticks from flue cured barns are great! Straight, dry, and strong. Unfortunately, they are an endangered species, as flue cured tobacco is almost gone.

P.S. I am not endorsing tobacco use, but suggesting that the sticks are useful.

JoeyBob

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I like using tamarack as a wood for making walking sticks. It is one of the sturdiest and light weight that we have up north here. Cut green and peeled and left to dry in a cool dry place for a month and then sanded smooth and a coat of good exterior finish and it will last a life time. I also put a piece of nylon webbing on the top for a handle and a rubber foot such as you can buy for chair legs and there you go !

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Guest tdatn225

I have used wood dowels, shovel handles, and thick broom handles as hiking stikes...just cut to your prefered length/height finish or not and away you go.... I prefer a hiking stick about as tall as if not a little taller than my shoulders.

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Guest DisQuoi

quote:
Originally posted by Ted:

I also put a piece of nylon webbing on the top for a handle and a rubber foot such as you can buy for chair legs and there you go !


 

How do you fasten the webbing? Can you post any photos?

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Guest OverTheRiver

My 10 y.o. daughter picked one up on a recent geocaching foray, and noticed that when it was placed on the ground it made a very convincing hoof print! Upon closer inspection, the base of the stick even looked like a cloven hoof (ie, not just the bottom, but the whole base)!

 

For a lover of animals and avid horsewoman, this thrilled my daughter no end. She has carried it hiking ever since, taking delight in leaving odd tracks in the mud for others to find (one legged hopping animals, critters who leap six feet in a bound. etc.)!

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One day I was placing a cache and I was crossing a pipe in in the stream there was this branch of a fallen tree blocking the way so I broke it off.Well on my way back from the cache I got to looking at the limb and thought "hey I can do some thing with that".Well now I got this little business/hobby,I make custom hiking and walking sticks and cains.I have sold one and made up some more for people to look at.

 

I would follow my GPS to the gates of hell if it pointed that way.

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Hey! I got my stick on e-bay.. I had just finished reading the Lord of the Rings series and wanted to find a Gandalf staff. Didn't find that but in the process found a stick with a hand carved wood spirit in the grip and a compass mounted in the top....Just what a directionally challenged person needs. I love it and now I can scale hills without always sitting on my butt. Mind you I never fell icon_rolleyes.gif but rather I decided that I prefered looking dorky to getting beat up and hey...I do the wash! But this stick...most excellant!

 

Dx

 

There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations...

I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them

and try to follow where they lead.

LMAlcott

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Hey! I got my stick on e-bay.. I had just finished reading the Lord of the Rings series and wanted to find a Gandalf staff. Didn't find that but in the process found a stick with a hand carved wood spirit in the grip and a compass mounted in the top....Just what a directionally challenged person needs. I love it and now I can scale hills without always sitting on my butt. Mind you I never fell icon_rolleyes.gif but rather I decided that I prefered looking dorky to getting beat up and hey...I do the wash! But this stick...most excellant!

 

Dx

 

There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations...

I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them

and try to follow where they lead.

LMAlcott

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For 'real' hiking, I have a set of trekking poles from EMS. I always used to try to find a stick on the trail, and use it just the once.

My wife gave me a combination hiking stick/bamboo flute/compass and that's now our official caching stick.

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I have 2 sticks.

One is an old tocacco stick that is about 4 foot high and goes on all my caching expeditions. It is great for getting rid of cobwebs, lifting up bushes etc. It also helps me up and down the narrow paths and over creeks. It is also great to just lean on and take 40 winks.

My other is one of those commercial fold up ones to get me up and down train station stairs. It also gets me a seat on the train.

Unfortunately the body isn't getting any younger and arthritis tends to be a problem.

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My friend's son is an Eagle Scout and last summer he hiked a mountain peak in New Mexico and wasn't able to find a medallion for his hiking stick in any of the local stores. So, I searched the internet for him and found the companys website. http://www.hike-america.com. You hammer these tin medallions into the shaft of your walking stick as a badge of accomplishment. I thought it was a really neat idea and since we're on the subject of hiking sticks.... I wanted to share it!

(800) 880-hike

 

Good luck!

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I recently made an attempt at A182pilot's 'Leave it to Beaver' cache. During my visit, I checked out a nearby beaver dam. Near the dam, I found a perfect piece of green wood, just the right length and diameter, and carefull cut trimmed and debarked by one of the beavers.

 

Besides the application of a good layer of polyurethane, its ready to go. It will be ultra cool since it is covered with grooves from the little guy's teeth.

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I had knee surgery a few months back so a walking stick comes in handy. While on a cache near a pond I noted there were a lot of trees chewed down by a beaver. I found the perfect walking stick that the beaver had left for me. It was the perfect length and had the bark chewed off. It also had quite a few branches coming off it the beaver generously chewed off for me. It has a bunch of bends in it, so is not straight but gives it caricature.

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quote:
Originally posted by kbraband:

I've been a hiker for 30+ years and never used a stick. Tell me, why do you use them? What is the benefit? I'm not arguing -- I really want to know because I may try one sometime.


 

I don't use mine unless the going gets steep, or loose, or slippery. Otherwise I keep it collapsted in the pack. It's not in the way and its there when I need it.

 

george

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quote:
Originally posted by kbraband:

I've been a hiker for 30+ years and never used a stick. Tell me, why do you use them? What is the benefit? I'm not arguing -- I really want to know because I may try one sometime.


 

I use it because I put a lot of time and effort into finding, cutting, sanding, and finishing the dadgum thing and, by God, I want you to see it and tell me now cool it is!

icon_wink.gif

 

... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by, ...

 

unclerojelio

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quote:
Originally posted by kbraband:

I've been a hiker for 30+ years and never used a stick. Tell me, why do you use them? What is the benefit? I'm not arguing -- I really want to know because I may try one sometime.


 

I use it because I put a lot of time and effort into finding, cutting, sanding, and finishing the dadgum thing and, by God, I want you to see it and tell me now cool it is!

icon_wink.gif

 

... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by, ...

 

unclerojelio

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I just ordered a custom made stick from the internet. It should be here in a couple of days.

It will have the Geo logo and my name, plus my motto. It cost me a 100.00. I will let you know how it turned out before I supply the name of the maker. If it is like ordered it will be great!!

 

El Diablo

 

Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse.

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I ordered a hand carved sassafrass "wood spirit" walking stick (after looking at a jillion of them on line). You can see it here. I liked this guy's carving style and appreciated his experience in carving wood on his other auctions.

 

Then after that, found another one I liked just as much. Well, shoot, I could have one for Monday Wednesday Friday and Sunday and another for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday icon_biggrin.gif, so I ordered it, too. It's here. This one is made from a saguaro cactus rib. I visited Tucson last year (the seller lives there) and was so intrigued by the cacti. And it even has a BEE on it and so lightweight. Golly, had to have that one.

 

There are a lot of hiking sticks on eBay, some for reasonable prices, and plenty that would be worth having. eBay's search engine is fairly sophisticated -- you can search for (walking,hiking) (stick,staff,stave) and be pretty sure you're seeing what's available.

 

Good luck!

 

-honeychile-

 

--

 

'*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

 

[This message was edited by honeychile on July 11, 2002 at 05:43 PM.]

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I ordered a hand carved sassafrass "wood spirit" walking stick (after looking at a jillion of them on line). You can see it here. I liked this guy's carving style and appreciated his experience in carving wood on his other auctions.

 

Then after that, found another one I liked just as much. Well, shoot, I could have one for Monday Wednesday Friday and Sunday and another for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday icon_biggrin.gif, so I ordered it, too. It's here. This one is made from a saguaro cactus rib. I visited Tucson last year (the seller lives there) and was so intrigued by the cacti. And it even has a BEE on it and so lightweight. Golly, had to have that one.

 

There are a lot of hiking sticks on eBay, some for reasonable prices, and plenty that would be worth having. eBay's search engine is fairly sophisticated -- you can search for (walking,hiking) (stick,staff,stave) and be pretty sure you're seeing what's available.

 

Good luck!

 

-honeychile-

 

--

 

'*+.,_,.+*'`'*+.,_A joyful heart is good medicine!_,.+*'`'*+.,_,.+*'`

 

[This message was edited by honeychile on July 11, 2002 at 05:43 PM.]

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