[pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the Trail

[Susan Alcorn]

PEOPLE category: Depending on how high you hold them above your head, indicated what kind of animal you just say. Up high is a deer, close to your head is a bear--haven't developed one for mountain lions.

TRAIL INDIGNITIES: Move pole side to side like a windshield wiper in front of face to keep black flies, mosquitoes, etc. out of your face. 

ANIMALS: Use to push stubborn rattlesnakes off the trail, or to plant an object (the pole) between snake and person wanting to get by safely.

ENTERTAINMENT: Twirl like batons like cheerleaders do. 

Happy trails,
Susan Alcorn
 
Shepherd Canyon Books, Oakland, CA 
www.backpack45.com and backpack45.blogspot.com
http://www.examiner.com/hiking-in-san-francisco/susan-alcorn



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>> On Oct 26, 2013, at 9:44, Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info> wrote:
>> 
>> Upon my completion of the entire PCT last week in Ashland (OR Section B,
>> but no sign of Reese Witherspoon on the trail filming Wild), I thought
>> to offer the following to the PCT community. This is not to say that
>> everyone should use poles (HYOH, YMMV, etc), and many through-hikers
>> don't.  Indeed, times were when I didn't want to use poles either, being
>> so exhausted that even small pole-swinging energy seemed too much, or
>> just tired of the things.  But mostly poles became a natural extension
>> of my body, an integral and indispensable part of me. And as with most
>> hikers, I found many uses!  And can attest to all of these personally
>> except those with (*).
>> 
>> --Eric / Double Zero ("because one zero is never enough")
>> 
>> P.S. I started the PCT in 1997 so it took me 17 years to hike the whole
>> trail, although I only hiked 9 of those years. I consider myself a
>> "Multi-Year Through Hiker" (MYTH) because "Section Hiker" to me just
>> doesn't convey the requisite dedication to the endeavor of finishing the
>> whole trail, a goal I set after hiking that very first section in 1997
>> and falling in love with the trail.
>> 
>> 
>> 45 USES FOR TREKKING POLES ON THE TRAIL
>> 
>> SPEED, ENERGY, EASE (THE USUAL)
>> 
>> Get less tired when your feet can just focus on powering ahead and don't
>> have to do the continual work of stabilizing yourself side-to-side that
>> your arms and poles do instead.
>> 
>> Establish a more regular cadence and rhythm that keeps you at a constant
>> pace even as you're getting tired -- your feet follow the cadence set by
>> your arms.
>> 
>> Reduce wear on your knees from the constant jarring of multi-mile
>> multi-hour downhill sections, by absorbing some of the energy of each
>> step down with your arms and body.  (And 17 years later my knees thank
>> me.)
>> 
>> Hands feel better, less bloated, when kept at a higher level than
>> hanging by the side, and also more active, hour after hour. 
>> 
>> Put power into pole plants to push yourself along when very tired at the
>> end of the day.  ("Balance of power" shifts from legs to arms.)
>> 
>> Keep balance when walking on slippery or submerged rocks across a stream
>> or when fording deep swift water (most valued of all uses to me). Also
>> when crossing stream on a log using high-wire balance (looks good,
>> anyway).
>> 
>> Semi-pole-vault across narrow deep streams without rocks to step on.
>> (Easier than a run-and-jump approach.)
>> 
>> 
>> TRAIL INDIGNITIES ("WHAT'S IT REALLY LIKE TO HIKE THE PCT?")
>> 
>> Push away bushes overgrowing the trail, sometimes with both arms
>> extended ahead. (Sometimes just to be able to see where you are going.)
>> 
>> When trail is overgrown and bushes are soaking-wet-dripping with dew in
>> the morning, hold poles outstretched to shake off dew before passing, to
>> reduce getting drenched. (Only works for short sections otherwise a
>> loosing battle.)
>> 
>> Swing up poles to clear away spider webs across your trail. (Whether
>> real, imaginary, or figurative.)
>> 
>> Swat those huge ugly 5 oz. bugs that circle around you at 50 mph, to
>> convince said bug to circle around someone else. (Actually did connect
>> with one in midair.)
>> 
>> On narrow eroded trails with a steep drop-off on one side, especially
>> when overgrown or covered in snow, pole plants serve to continually
>> probe the downhill side of the trail as you walk, to continually (but
>> without conscious thought) confirm to your brain the edge of
>> terra-firma, so as to avoid slipping off into the void. 
>> 
>> Push yourself up to get over a log blocking the trail, and ease yourself
>> down the other side, or simply stabilize a step-over. (One early season
>> after a windy winter, encountered and actually counted 800 logs across
>> the trail in northern Oregon over a 3-day period of hiking.)
>> 
>> When stepping down into a morass of broken pine tree branches from atop
>> a log blocking the trail, or when wading through said morass on the
>> ground to get around a fallen log, use pole to judge depth of morass to
>> solid footing below, so  foot doesn't plunge deeper than expected,
>> potentially leading to disabling injury.
>> 
>> Swat your legs to futilely push away biting flies in northern Washington
>> before they have a chance to bite your exposed legs. (Shorts were a
>> mistake that drove me to tears.)
>> 
>> Push away all those trail-crowding Poodle Dog bushes in California
>> Section D to avoid getting too much of their nasty toxins on your
>> clothing.
>> 
>> When inquisitive and swarming wasps/bees (encountered rarely but
>> particularly in CA Section N north of Belden) start to congregate in
>> large numbers on your blue Nalgene water bottle caps or your clothes
>> drying on bushes (seemingly very selective), inconveniently only midway
>> into a lunch break, use a pole to jar the item slightly, such that the
>> wasps/bees fly off of it momentarily without feeling threatened, so you
>> can then grab said item(s) along with pack and run down the trail
>> without being stung. (One hiker who just grabbed items with wasps/bees
>> still on them was indeed stung.)
>> 
>> 
>> SNOW
>> 
>> Measure snow depth for reporting trail conditions on PCT-L, or bragging
>> to friends how deep the snow was, or deciding whether yes, its really
>> necessary to stop and put on those gaitors.
>> 
>> Allow a much faster pace of travel when walking on slippery or packed
>> snow so effort and time is not wasted by the feet on balance -- the feet
>> slide and go wherever they go, and the arms/poles keep it all together
>> and moving forward. (Great fun.)
>> 
>> Use pole to chip away at offending ice or snow to open up a clearer
>> path, such as in and around streams or other obstacles.
>> 
>> Use pole to probe depth of snow bridge over creek before walking across.
>> (Still nervously no matter how deep.)
>> 
>> On steep snow traverses, with or without uphill ice-axe in hand, the
>> downhill pole serves the very important function of keeping the body at
>> the correct angle to the slope to minimize the risk of slipping sideways
>> and sliding off the trail or just falling down.
>> 
>> If sliding sideways off a steep trail without an ice-axe in hand, pole
>> handles with hands together provide a larger object to punch into the
>> snow to arrest slide, provided conditions are not icy. (*)
>> 
>> Use one pole with special "Whippet" end to provide self-arrest in lieu
>> of (or in preference to) an ice axe. (*)
>> 
>> 
>> EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
>> 
>> Legs and arms swinging simultaneously can create a zen-meditative state
>> with exquisite body-mind balance. (Actually the main reason I started
>> using poles.)
>> 
>> The power, protection and larger "physical swath" brought by poles can
>> engender a "Master of the Universe" attitude to help cope with being
>> absolutely alone in a huge wilderness.  (OK, whatever gets you
>> through...)
>> 
>> When cowboy camping (no tent or tarp), place poles lengthwise alongside
>> sleeping bag to ward off evil spirits and strange animals.  (Very
>> effective, and surprisingly works just as well as a tent for these
>> purposes.)
>> 
>> Stomp ground hard with both poles in tandem as you walk to vent anger
>> when something has enraged you, possibly the insects, or perhaps the
>> trail builder's notions of what constitutes the best route, or
>> whatever/whomever else you blame for your misery of the moment. 
>> 
>> Increase significance of gesture when praying for even a single day
>> without rain, hands outstretched to the sky, in carefully chosen moments
>> while traversing the state of Washington.
>> 
>> 
>> CAMPING
>> 
>> Use to hold up a tarp in lieu of having a tent or dedicated tarp poles.
>> (A nice example of "multi-functional" equipment use but a pain to
>> re-adjust pole length every day--I prefer to carry dedicated
>> carbon-fiber tarp poles, perhaps to the horror of ultra-lightists.)
>> 
>> When cowboy camping in a bivy sack with mesh over head for bugs, make
>> tripod with poles and a stick from which to hang cord to hold mesh above
>> face. 
>> 
>> When bear bagging using the counter-balance method, use pole to hook the
>> loop of cord you have carefully made near the bottom of the food sack,
>> to pull down the sack.
>> 
>> To stretch out your sleeping bag as horizontal as possible to have it
>> dry in the sun without putting on ground or bush, and when two
>> suitably-spaced anchor points are not available, anchor one end of pole
>> on ground and tie sleeping bag between other end of pole and a bush or
>> branch. 
>> 
>> 
>> PEOPLE
>> 
>> Use to wave to someone else far off by waving poles over head.
>> 
>> Write messages in sand or snow on the trail for those following behind
>> you.
>> 
>> When stopping to chat with a passing fellow hiker, lean on poles to rest
>> feet.
>> 
>> Impress passing day hikers with your "professional approach" to hiking.
>> (Not that impressing is needed, but sometimes it feels good.)
>> 
>> If hitchhiking to a resupply town, poles serve as one more visible sign
>> to potential rides that you are a real hiker in need of a short ride
>> rather than a homeless person or worse. (Signs with "PCT Hiker" also
>> recommended by many.)
>> 
>> 
>> ANIMALS
>> 
>> When hiking at night in dense forest around sharp turns where your
>> headlamp may not be visible from a distance, click poles together to
>> give extra warning to a bear that you are coming.  (Singing probably
>> works better, but sometimes when I sing while night hiking, it makes me
>> feel like I'm simply succumbing to fear of the dark rather than
>> providing an effective warning to bears.)
>> 
>> Allow yourself to maintain the fantasy that if a mountain lion attacks,
>> you will have the time and presence of mind to yank off the rubber tip
>> of a pole (which I use to avoid clacking noise in contact with rocky
>> ground), collapse the pole to a stronger, shorter length, and then use
>> the sharp tip to stab lion like a spear during the attack.  (*) (Good
>> luck. But a better use of your brain is to be rationally clear that no
>> hiker on the PCT itself has ever been injured by a mountain lion
>> according to what I've read, and there should be no worries as long as
>> you don't appear as prey, such as as run away or crouch down.)
>> 
>> Use to poke at mountain lions who may be prowling around menacingly
>> outside your tent. (*) (This was an actual self-video story by one PCT
>> hiker during the 2013 season, who survived intact a scary night in her
>> tent with a pair of lions outside for some time.)
>> 
>> Swat away a charging snake.  (*)  (Apparently, someone actually did
>> this.)
>> 
>> Normal use makes sharp thuds in the ground (with rubber tips on) that
>> continually warn snakes of your approach better than just footfalls. 
>> (Speculative, maybe I saw very few snakes in the desert because the
>> snakes just didn't like me.)
>> 
>> 
>> HIKE DANCING
>> 
>> Enhance "hike dancing" with music along the trail, swinging arms/poles
>> and moving body rhythmically from side to side, especially on rocky
>> downhills where going around obstacles timed to the beat is akin to
>> slalom skiing, and pole plants become part of the dance. (It's not
>> always about getting from A to B. Make sure to do this in ultra-light
>> trail running shoes for "quick feet" rather than heavy hiking boots!)
>> 
>> 
>> END-OF-HIKE COMPLETION
>> 
>> Wave outstretched poles high into the air in a victory gesture when
>> completing the entire trail.  (For many, this will be at the Canadian
>> border, but for me was near Callahan's in Ashland after hiking my very
>> last sections, Oregon Sections B and C, in mid-October. Imagine, Oregon
>> Section C without a single mosquito! Spectacular!)
>> 
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