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Skeptical about trekking poles for 10 trips, then a guy on the JMT changed my mind in one mile
I used to think trekking poles were for people who packed too heavy or had bad knees. On a trip through Evolution Valley back in 2019, a guy named Rick handed me one of his on a steep descent and said just try it for this hill. My quads stopped screaming within a mile and I finished the day way less wrecked. Now my poles go on every trip with any real elevation, though I still leave them home for flat stuff. Anyone else get converted on trail like that, or am I the only one who had to eat my words?
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the_fiona22d ago
Rick sounds like a trail angel. My own moment came on the descent into Tuolumne Meadows, mile 14 of a 20 mile day, when my buddy tossed me a pole at the top of a rocky switchback section. I figured one pole would feel weird and off balance but it was the opposite. My knees stopped taking that pounding on every step down and I could actually look around instead of staring at my feet the whole time. The part nobody tells you is how much they help going up too, once you get the rhythm down it is like having two extra legs pushing you along. Now I carry them even on day hikes if there is any real climbing or dropping involved. Flat valley walks, sure, leave them in the car, that part of your post makes total sense.
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