Re: Hiking/trekking poles? Yay or Nay?

On Aug 27, 8:05=A0pm, HawaiiEye <Hawaiian...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
[snip]
> I guess I'm just a Luddite. I use a 6ft rattan pole. =A0I put some
> 'shoe-goo' on the bottom end, about 1/2" thick on the bottom, and a coat
> of it going up about 8 inches to protect from rock abrasion. I've had it
> for 30 years, put thousands of miles on it over those years, and it
> still looks new. I tried the aluminum telescoping poles, even the shock
> absorbing ones, but went right back to my old rattan pole.

If a hiking strategy works for you for many 100's of km, it's
probably not too bad. There is something to be said for
personal style. A fit with your pattern is usually more
im****tant than doing this "right" or "perfect."

What is "shoe-goo"? Do you think it would stick to the end of
my metal pole? The tip is supposed to be this tungsten-steel
alloy, and it does stand up. Hasn't eroded noticeably over the
five years I've been using it. But I'd prefer a rubber tip to keep
it from scratching up the trail. Or when I'm on sidewalks in the
city. And the tap-tap-tap on rock is annoying to me, and I'd
expect to other hikers, and probably decreases the amount
of wildlife I see.

I had a teflon tip, but it degraded after a couple 100 km.

Since this pole is never going back to the snow, I'm fairly
happy to have it permanently covered with some rubber.
Socks