+TotemLake Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 quote:Bobthearch Geocacher posted August 31, 2003 10:23 AM Hi everyone. The word "sissy" was a last-minute subsitute for "gear nerd." Then I thought, if we all aren't Gear Nerds why are we using our computers to talk about GPS units?!? Anyone here a big enough Gear Nerd to use a caribiner for attaching items to a daypack? There's guys like ~that~ at work... Still no stick for me, thanks. Best Wishes, Bob Posts: 14 | From: Raton, NM | Registered: August 30, 2003 I've always considered myself a tech geek. Gear nerd works too. Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Bobthearch:Having extensive experience hiking, walking, backpacking, and professional outdoor surveying, I have an opinion that might be worthwhile: Hiking sticks are for sissies. Toss it out and use the saved weight for extra water, film, bird guidebook, or just enjoy the lighter pack. If you ~must~ carry a walking stick (all your friends have one, whatever) I like Lone Duck's idea up the page. Happy hiking, Bob I hate it when people make me have to sound like a jerk...but, here goes.... Any serious hiker uses a hiking staff. Their value is far more worth the "Bird Guide" or the "Extra Film" There is nothing sissy about it. Only an inexperinced hiker would go without one. El Diablo Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse. http://www.geo-hikingstick.com Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 quote:Originally posted by El Diablo:...Any serious hiker uses a hiking staff... I agree BUT I always manage to forget mine. "Sunscreen, check, Water, check, GPS, check ok lets go, but I know there was something else..." Quote Link to comment
+evergreenhiker! Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 quote:Originally posted by El Diablo: quote:Originally posted by Bobthearch:Having extensive experience hiking, walking, backpacking, and professional outdoor surveying, I have an opinion that might be worthwhile: Hiking sticks are for sissies. Toss it out and use the saved weight for extra water, film, bird guidebook, or just enjoy the lighter pack. If you ~must~ carry a walking stick (all your friends have one, whatever) I like Lone Duck's idea up the page. Happy hiking, Bob I hate it when people make me have to sound like a jerk...but, here goes.... Any serious hiker uses a hiking staff. Their value is far more worth the "Bird Guide" or the "Extra Film" There is nothing sissy about it. Only an inexperinced hiker would go without one. El Diablo Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse. http://www.geo-hikingstick.com I have to comment as well! El Diablo is correct...I've hiked for years and years and that ole hickory stick of mine has saved me from a many a fall and one nearly fatal one! It aides me in going down and up steep slopes...keeping from putting too much pressure on the knees. Hiking stick is the 11th Essential in my mind! I know people hike without them, but you really are doing your legs/knees a disservice, especially on steep and/or uneven terrain. It's a great aide for crossing creeks/rivers too! Quote Link to comment
Bobthearch Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 El Diablo, You wouldn't be biased now, would you? Especially since you ~sell~ walking sticks... We humans have been walking on two feet without poles literally longer than we've been humans... Ever see a Bushman or Sherpa with a walking stick? Who knows more about hiking... Wonder when the Wilderness Education Association will add "walking stick" to their Ten Essentials list... I'd crack up if I saw military forces using walking sticks! You're really more experienced at hiking than the Army? As a professional archaeologist, I literally hike all day, every day. I've worked with dozens, perhaps hundreds of other professionals in every type of climate and geography. Not one single walking stick, ever. So give me a break. Quote Link to comment
+Woodbutcher68 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 I picked up one about 42" today for $5.00 at an Army Surplus store. It's for poking around in holes containing caches, knocking down spider webs, and thumping anyone that calls me a sissy for carrying it! Some of the Forest Preserves around here attract men looking for dates. Maps?!? I don't need no stinking maps! I got coordinates! There's a fine line between Geocaching and mental illness, Im just not sure which side of the line I'm on! Quote Link to comment
+DustyJacket Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 True, not a lot of people use a stick, especially when climbing mountains or when your hands are otherwise occupied. When I was a rough and tough young Army officer, we used our wooden or fiberglass M-14s to break our falls. We were actually trained on doing it. Then we switched to plastic guns by Mattel. We were told not to do it anymore or you would break the stock off and disable it. Shortly thereafter, I took a fall and sprained my ankle and did a lot more damage than if I had broken it. It hurts 24 years later and is very weak. I had to stop jumping out of airplanes because of it. Once I was able to get back in the field, I always had a stick. (But then again, I no longer carried a rifle. Captains get a pistol. So my hands were now empty.) It did take pressure off my lower back and helped me keep my balance on broken ground. Of course, we didn't call it hiking, either. I used various sticks over time. In the PI while in the jungle we used bamboo. When I broke my last stick this year, I did have El Diablo make one "very stout", so maybe I am biased also. Unless I am urban caching, I walk with a camelbak that is loaded down quite a bit. I couldn't do that without some sort of stick. No. Not a high percentage use a stick. I didn't when I was young but what about all those crazy Germans going Spaziergang in droves every weekend. Lots of sticks there. DustyJacket Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... [This message was edited by DustyJacket on August 31, 2003 at 03:14 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Bobthearch:El Diablo, You wouldn't be biased now, would you? Especially since you ~sell~ walking sticks... We humans have been walking on two feet without poles literally longer than we've been humans... Ever see a Bushman or Sherpa with a walking stick? Who knows more about hiking... Wonder when the Wilderness Education Association will add "walking stick" to their Ten Essentials list... I'd crack up if I saw military forces using walking sticks! You're really more experienced at hiking than the Army? As a professional archaeologist, I literally hike all day, every day. I've worked with dozens, perhaps hundreds of other professionals in every type of climate and geography. Not one single walking stick, ever. So give me a break. I was using one long before I started selling them. I don't care whether you get one from me or not...but you need one. Since your a professional archaeologist...I wonder if you have ever heard of Moses? Staffs have been used since bibilcal times. As a professional archaeologist, I literally hike all day, every day. I've worked with dozens, perhaps hundreds of other professionals in every type of climate and geography. Not one single walking stick, ever. So you guys aren't real bright. Anyone that has ever been up and down a mountain with a walking staff in their hands will beg to differ with you as to their usefulness. El Diablo Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse. http://www.geo-hikingstick.com Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 quote: Anyone that has ever been up and down a mountain with a walking staff in their hands will beg to differ with you as to their usefulness. What he said! ==============="If it feels good...do it"================ **(the other 9 out of 10 voices in my head say: "Don't do it.")** . Quote Link to comment
+Raggs Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Just when I thought this subject was finally settleing down. If you don't want to use a walking stick "DON'T". Let it go. Raggs Quote Link to comment
Bobthearch Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Yes, for the sake of friendliness I cry "uncle". I just ask one thing, if you see me looking for a cache and not carrying a stick, please don't beat me with one of Diablo's sturdy creations! Best Wishes, Bob Quote Link to comment
+Hawk-eye Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Bobthearch:...So give me a break. Without a hiking staff ... hopefully a gen-U-Wine El Diablo version ... that break might be your leg! Sorry pal ... could resist poking a little fun at your choice of words! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Co-founder of the "NC/VA GEO-HOG ASSOCIATION" ... when you absolutely have to find it first! Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Uses my stick just yesterday to whack my way through some bushes that were really overgrown with some poison ivy thrown in. So that's where the word bush-whack comes from! Alan Quote Link to comment
+HartClimbs Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 I use a cut off hockey stick. Drilled a hole in the bottom and stuck a saw-ed off screw in the end to provide a point. Strong, light, and it always gets a chuckle from folks when I pass someone in the woods. Koho hiking sticks! -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Take everything you like seriously, except yourselves. - Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936) Quote Link to comment
Mr. Big Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 I've walked with them and without them, but I recently picked up a pair of ski poles that are long enough for my 6-4 frame (XC poles tend to be longer, so you may want to look for those). There's a recycling center at the landfill, and they just gave them to me. I cut the baskets down so they're less likely to bang into things, and it lightens the swing weight of the poles (simply put, mass at the end of an object creates more momentum and greater perceived weight). Used one for the first time Monday, and I believe I'm a convert. Covered 5 miles of steep terrain, logged a cache and was back at the car in just under 2 hours. The staff was great for easing impact on my aging frame, the handle was the most comfortable I've used, the wrist strap made it possible to drop the staff and reach for binoculars instantly, and it was nearly weightless. All in all, an improvement over the wooden staffs I've used, and the price was right. I looked for a heavier duty aluminum pole rather than the ultralight poles now in use, and it seems quite sturdy. Feel free to resume the name calling and insults now. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone really isn't out to get you. Quote Link to comment
Dinoprophet Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Bobthearch:Ever see a Bushman or Sherpa with a walking stick? Who knows more about hiking... If I could walk the jungle and desert without shoes, or climb Everest without oxygen, then maybe I could walk without a stick, too. Well the mountain was so beautiful that this guy built a mall and a pizza shack Yeah he built an ugly city because he wanted the mountain to love him back -- Dar Williams Quote Link to comment
+Bilder Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Survival Hiking Stick This seems a bit overkill for a hiking stick, but the concept is pretty cool. I may make my own version of this using a steel tube rather than aluminum. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have never been lost. Been awful confused for a few days, but never lost! N61.12.041 W149.43.734 Quote Link to comment
+Finders_Jeepers Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 I didn't read the whole thread by my $.02 is that it is mandatory. I've been an avid backpacker for years and carry a walking stick, the homemade kind.. River crossings are so much easier.. When you get into the longer hikes, you can 'pull' yourself with the stick.. Get it.. It doesn't matter if it's from home depot or REI.. heck, you can pick something up in the woods.... -Ken Quote Link to comment
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