Walking Sticks

While looking for something else on the internet, I came across a website about walking sticks.

What caught my eye was the reason for walking sticks (also called “staffs”):

Staffs allow a typical hiker to reduce the “foot-felt” body weight by as much as 20%. Since the hiker is leaning on the staff rather than his foot with each step he takes, the feet have less work to do. Try standing on a scale and leaning on a staff. When you lean over on the staff (that is on the ground), your body weight goes down. Switching from left to right hand with the staff balances this weight savings while evenly distributing the aerobic benefits of the upper-body exercise. You win big both ways.

Other uses for walking sticks in the wild are: to clear spiderwebs, to part thick bushes or grass, as a support when going uphill or a brake when going downhill, as a balance point when crossing rough terrain, to test mud and puddles for depth, and as a defense against wild animals. Hmmmm…defense against wild animals. Could be defense against attackers in a city (just read that originally, one of the reasons travelers on foot carried walking sticks was to protect themselves from thieves–indeed you can read all about using a walking stick for self-defense at http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0200.htm).

In times past, when walking was a major mode of transportation, walking sticks were common; now not so much so. But there are times when I do a lot of walking around town, and my feet do start to hurt. Maybe a walking stick would make it more comfortable to walk long distances.

This webpage has tips about choosing walking sticks and even instructions on how to make your own: http://walking.about.com/cs/poles/a/walkingsticks.htm.

Here’s another informational site with a lot of good information: http://www.backpacking.net/walkstik.html

Some pros and cons of using a walking stick: