Camping

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. . . Or As They Used To Be Known . . . Sticks

Walking Staffs, Walking Sticks, call them what you like, man has been using them for centuries. Think Moses, think the “Shepherds who were watching their flocks by night”, they all had a big stick to help them go about their tasks.  A little closer to home we had Teddy Roosevelt telling us to “walk softly and carry a big stick” . . . it was his foreign policy but it works in many other situations too . . . hiking. Walk softly (that way you don’t disturb the environment or the wildlife too much) but carry a big stick (to help with your balance and support). Yep, walking staffs have been around for thousands of years, and only the very best ideas stick around for that long.

Walking sticks and walking staffs have long been associated with helping older people who are a little rickety on their feet, but there is a very real need for them among hikers too. Once you get past the “old” tag a walking staff can offer very significant benefits to hikers and backpackers, anybody who does a lot of walking really. They are a real alternative to trekking poles, although trekking poles are perhaps better suited for hiking and climbing over rough and hilly terrain, a walking staff can provide a real source of security and stability over relatively flat country if you’re not carrying a heavy backpack with you (overnight backpackers will find two trekking poles to be more suitable for their needs)

Walking staffs are often adjustable, some of them do have antishock features included and maybe even a built-in camera mount which is placed just under the handle, very handy for keeping a steady hand whilst shooting a few photographs on your hiking trail.

Elaborate Walking Staffs

Walking Staffs can be very intricate indeed. There are some super duper high tech walking staffs available at the hiking equipment store which will serve the purposes of a hiker very well indeed, but there’s also a certain amount of art and craft involved in the design and manufacture of the more traditional wooden walking staffs which continues to this day.  Some of them include elaborate hand carvings of birds and animals to really bring out the natural beauty of the wood in their designs.

Jeez, he made a meal out of that didn’t he? Anyway, that wasn’t quite the elaborate sort of walking stick which I was referring to . . . anybody can find a stick!

That’s more like it . . . .