Years ago I was backpacking across Jane Bald on the Appalachian Trail when I came upon a 74-year-old hiker from Atlanta. We talked for a few minutes, mostly about his extensive hiking experience in the region. “Of course,” he said after sharing yet another “favorite” trail, “I wouldn’t be hiking any of them without these.” At that, he tapped the two hiking poles he’d been leaning into. “Wish I’d started hiking with ‘em seven years sooner. Would have spared my knees some pain.”

My new friend’s lament is a common one. All too often we  put off using trekking poles because they’re perceived as being for  “old people.” In fact, they’re for anyone who wants to spare their knees and other joints, and keep hiking late into life. Even a 39-year-old like Brian Terwilliger, who in 2013 broke the Ultimate Hike record for covering a 28.3-mile stretch of the Foothills Trail in 6 hours and 54  minutes. Despite being in phenomenal shape, Terwilliger wouldn’t have thought of attempting the record without his poles. “I love ‘em,” he says. “I’ll even use ‘em on a 5-mile hike.”

In addition to prolonging your hiking life, they also offer short-term benefits. According to a study out of Northumbria University in Newcastle, England, trekking poles help maintain muscle function while reducing soreness in the days following a hike. Study details follow:

The study: 37 physically active men and women were split  into two groups. One group was issued trekking poles, given basic instruction on how to use them, and sent on a hike up and down 3,560-foot Snowdon, the highest peak in England. The other group marched up and down Snowdon sans poles. Heart rates  and personal perceived exertion ratings were taken during the hike. Then, at 24-, 48- and 72-hour intervals after the hike, muscle damage and function were assessed.

The results: The hikers who used trekking poles reported significantly less muscle soreness, their loss of strength was less, and they recovered from the hike faster than their pole-free counterparts. While both groups reported some soreness 24 hours after the hike, after 48 hours the trekking pole users complained much less than the pole-less hikers. The people without poles also registered much higher levels of creatine kinase — an enzyme indicated muscle damage — 24 hours after the hike.

“The results present strong evidence that trekking poles reduce, almost to the point of complete disappearance, the extent of muscle damage during a day’s mountain trek,” said Dr. Glyn Howatson, who conducted the study. “These findings have particularly strong application for exercisers wishing to engage in consecutive days activity in mountainous terrain.”

Other reasons to use poles:

Navigating uneven terrain. Here in the Southeast, we have a lot of trails festooned with rocks, tree roots and other natural obstacles. Challenging enough when it’s dry, a veritable minefield when it’s wet. 

Crossing creeks. We also have a lot of creeks, especially in the Southern Appalachians, that don’t have bridges. Not big creeks, most of them, but enough of a challenge that you either need to rock hop across them or actually get your feet wet. In either case, having three points of contact at all times gives you much better stability in a potentially dangerous situation.

Navigating spider-webbed trails.  Especially in summer, especially if you’re hiking early in the morning, you’ll want trekking poles to wave in front of your face to clear the overnight construction work of the wild’s industrious spider community.  

In a pinch … they can also be used to construct a splint in the event a non-pole-using hiker goes down and breaks a leg bone.

It boils down to this: You can either ditch the poles, look younger (in your own mind), and suffer the consequences spelled out above, or go faster and farther with less lingering soreness. 

Your choice.

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Let’s GetHiking!

The 109-page “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker,” covers the basics of getting started on the trail, from what to wear on your first hike to trail etiquette to the benefits of trekking poles. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Southeast Podcast

This week on the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast: Our 5 Favorite Group Campsites. Give a listen here.

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My favorite correspondent reported in from Colorado that she’d been hiking an area known as the hogback, a geologic formation that constitutes a precursor to the foothills of the Front Range. Having once lived near the hogback, she knew that in itself would interest me. Then she sweetened the pot.
“A lot of the hikers were using hiking poles,” she said. And no, she confirmed, they weren’t all older hikers. “It was a mix.”
It struck us both ironic that in the fitest state in the nation hikers are quick to use the aid, while here in one of the least fit states we continue to wobble along poleless. One thing those Coloradans may know that we don’t: using poles makes for a better workout.
“Walking poles work your arms, shoulders, chest and upper back muscles through a functional range of motion as you walk — which can help you turn your daily walk into a full-body workout,” according to Dr. Edward R. Laskowski with the Mayo Clinic. “The arm movement associated with walking poles adds intensity to your aerobic workout, which helps you burn more calories.”
I lead a couple of hiking groups, including GetHiking! Triangle. Courtesy of Great Outdoor Provision Co., I keep six loaner hiking poles in my car trunk. Before every hike I announce their availability. On a recent outing with 43 hikers, four took me up on the offer, with two making comments to the effect of, “Guess this makes me old now.”
No, using doesn’t make you old. In fact, it keeps you from getting old, at least parts of you. Other advantages to poles, according to Dr. Laskowski:

• Walking poles improve balance and stability.
• Walking poles help you maintain proper posture, especially in the upper back, and may help to strengthen upper back muscles.
• Walking poles take some of the load off your lower back, hips and knees, which may be helpful if you have arthritis or back problems.

Balance and stability: This is an especially big plus on our trails, most of which are peppered with rocks and tree roots, and where the occasional stream crossing, over slippery and unstable rocks, is required.
Maintain proper posture: Ever get to the end of a six-mile hike and realize you look (and feel) like Quasimodo? Poles help keep you upright and minimize unhealthy strain.
Take a load off: Stop me if you’ve heard this story before — because I know I’ve told it a couple hundred times — but when I was reporting “Backpacking North Carolina” a few years ago, I’d return from a week in the field with my knees puffed up like beach balls. Three days would pass before the swelling subsided and I didn’t walk like Walter Brennan. I relented, bought a pair of trekking poles and haven’t had trouble since.
There are other practical uses for hiking poles — 25 are enumerated at TheNatureofHiking.com — making the resistance to them even more baffling.
Hiking poles aren’t expensive — the Black Diamond loaners in my trunk range from $79.99 to $149.99 — and they’re convenient, breaking down for easy storage.
If you’re tired of your knees, your back, your hips being tired, come on a hike with us and I’ll loan you some poles. Two minutes of instruction and you’ll be on your way to healthier, happier hiking.
Just like they do in Colorado.

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Check out our GetHiking! Triangle hiking group here. Find a hike and come borrow some poles.

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Take last night. A gentleman shared that his hobby was “stalking wildlife.” Oh. That’s … interesting. He then said he would pay for a list of everything I own. That’s, uh, … security? Security!?

Neither comment, it turned out, was scary as it seemed. By “stalking” wildlife he meant “observing” wildlife, albeit at scary-close range. (“Twice, I’ve gotten close enough to touch bears.”) And his list request wasn’t a voyeuristic thing. His point was this: You get out a lot. You experiment with a lot of gear. I’d be willing to pay to know what works for you.

What spurred his comment was my rave/demonstration of one of my favorite camp tools: My JetBoil stove. (Note: I’m not being paid to say this, though if JetBoil wants to send some accessories my way, what the hey.) I showed how quickly and effortlessly (on my behalf) the stove could boil water. I then used the boiling water to make boil-in-a-bag pasta primavera (which was quite well received). As we talked, the wildlife stalker entered the word “JetBoil” into his smartphone.

I am not a gear geek. I’m pretty cheap, and if I find something that works reasonably well, I stick with it. The stove was an exception, based on the promise that it could deliver camp coffee within five minutes of my waking. But the wildlife stalker’s question got me to thinking of the gear I am passionate about, the gear that truly does make a difference. Three items came to mind:

Technical socks. When I first heard the phrase “technical socks” back in the early ‘90s, I had to scratch my head. Aren’t socks, socks? They might have been when I was a kid and white cotton tube socks ruled, but today hiking socks alone come in a variety of dominations (REI’s web site offers 49 hiking/backpacking sock options). My suggestion isn’t so much about socks, it’s about sock liners. Sock liners — a thin sock that goes between your boot and hiking sock — greatly diminish the excessive rubbing that can result in excruciating blisters. They’re essential for hiking in hot weather and for long treks. And spend a little extra for merino wool liners: they aren’t stink-proof, but they are stink-resistant, an especially valued trait on backpack trips.

Hiking poles. Every time I’ve mentioned my love of hiking poles over the past two weeks I’ve been greeted by knowing nods from a good segment of the audience. And yes, it’s been the segment in my ballpark agewise (I’m 54). When I started reporting “Backpacking North Carolina” I was sans poles. I would return from scouting trips and have trouble walking for two or three days. My knees throbbed, my muscles ached. At my wife’s … urging, I got poles. My load-bearing ground speed picked up from just under 2 miles per hour to 3+ and I was no longer sidelined upon my return. True, I was greeted more frequently as “Sir” on the trail, but it was a small price.

Bladder hydration system. I’ve long been stingy with water on the trail. In part that stems from an athletic upbringing in the 1970s when drinking during a workout was considered taboo. To a larger extent, though, it comes from being unable to easily fetch my water bottles on the trail. I have an older backpack (remember my “if-it-works-reasonably-well” philosophy from earlier?) and the water bottle holsters are more on the rear of the pack. Someone suggested I take a hydration bladder and stick it under the hood of my pack, then run the drinking tube down my shoulder strap. I now drink like Foster Brooks and as a result, I’m not as quickly fatigued, nor as grumpy come late-afternoon.

So, my wildlife stalker friend: sock liners, hiking poles and a hydration bladder, that’s a start from my list. And keep your wallet in your pocket — there’s no charge for the advice.

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