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Am I the only one who thought trekking poles were just extra weight, then did the Enchantments with a borrowed pair?
I always figured poles were for older hikers or people with bad knees, so I never bothered carrying them on trips like the PCT section near Snoqualmie. A buddy handed me his pair before a 4 day loop through the Enchantments last September and I griped about the extra 1.2 pounds the whole first mile. By the second pass my quads thanked me, and on the rocky descent into Snow Lakes my knees felt way less beat up than usual. I timed it too, the poles saved me roughly 30 minutes on the downhill sections because I could trust my footing instead of baby stepping. Now I'm second guessing every trip I did without them, especially the steep stuff. Anyone here switch sides on poles after years of going without, or do some of you still leave them home on purpose?
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wendy_park764d ago
Did the same thing on a 3 day trip through the Goat Rocks last summer and ate my words hard. Now they live strapped to my pack even on day hikes.
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