-
What is the Purpose of Hiking Poles?
You might have heard of skiing poles and understand their purpose – after all, if you’ve ever been on a pair of skis, you know that you can’t just “shake” your way downhill if you’re still on a flat surface. Sometimes you need poles for extra leverage, and to give your hands access to the ground in order to gain needed support. If it makes so much sense on a ski hill, why not bring poles to the hiking trail when you’re exercising during the summer?
Hiking poles can be just as useful as ski poles, even if you don’t need them to slide across the ice in the summers. Here are a few of the purposes many people find hiking poles serve:
-Easier traveling.
Believe it or not, hiking poles really can have a tangible difference on your overall experience. This doesn’t just mean the short-term experience or the quality of the hike, but the long-term effects of walking up and down hills for a long period of time. Hiking poles will help support your weight, reducing the stress placed on your legs, knees, and ankles.
It’s not simply about making it easy on yourself during the actual hike, but making hiking as a lifelong hobby easier on you. If you’re looking to become a long-term hiker, you might want to look into skiing poles.-Stabilization.
In addition to carrying the load, hiking poles serve another useful purpose: leverage. Like ski poles, hiking poles will give you more adaptability to adverse weather conditions, such as when it starts to sprinkle, or when the previous winter’s snow is still melting. You can’t always rely on your own two feet when you’re out and about on the trail; there might be mud or other difficult terrain that you don’t want to risk slipping in. A hiking pole or two will give you added leverage, making you feel like you have three or four legs instead of just two.
-Flexibility.
In addition to providing leverage, the hiking poles are an instrument that prepares for the worse. What if you’re coming up on a stream in which there are slippery rocks? A hiking pole can be dug into the bottom of the stream, giving you something to use as leverage when there’s nothing else around. It also gives you a greater range because of the reduced pressure on your back, as well as an increased ability to trek uphill.
To many, hiking poles are simply ways of taking the hobby too far – but if you’re like me, you see the value in “going to far” for the sake of a healthy, long-term hobby.
Photo Credits: Rick McCharles
-
How to Hike in the Winter
Many of you outdoorsy types have two essential modes of being: winter sport adventurer, and summer trailblazer. If you’re in a northern state especially, the difference between the seasons is so stark that you can’t help but have these two different modes of being. You have swim trunks and running shoes in addition to skiing poles and ski boots. But what if it doesn’t have to be this way, and you can instead enjoy many of the same sports during all of the seasons?
You can do that with hiking, which is traditionally associated with sunny days on the trail. To those truly dedicated hikers, however, hiking is a year-round sport in which the changing seasons simply represent different challenges to embrace.
Here are a few quick tips for hiking in the winter.
1. Know your equipment.
If you’ve never hiked in the winter, but are serious about hunkering down and tackling the snowy slopes, you’ve got to know your equipment first. Don’t tackle any challenges that put you too far out of your element – work your way up to that level first.
Understanding the basic equipment will get your foot on the trail, so take a few minutes to ask yourself what you might need. You’ll want to look at snowshoes, especially – even if you don’t want to wear them on your entire hike, you’ll want to at least have them with you. Likewise, snow poles will help you dig in on some slippery terrain and avoid any falls.
2. Dress for the occasion.
Another aspect of hiking in the winter that’s not entire predictable is the amount of moisture that’s really out there. After a snow fall, there will probably be hills full of snow that’s just waiting to melt once it touches your warm skin. You’re going to want to keep two principles of winter dressing in mind: warm, and dry. Warm isn’t enough – you don’t want to be wet. And dry isn’t enough – it isn’t fun to be dry and freezing. Together, they make for a much more comfortable experience.
Build an “under-layer” of long underwear that blocks out any leaks in the typical areas – think your neck, wrists, and ankles. It will take a little more effort up front, but it will be worth it when you reach the top of that snow hill and say to yourself “wow, that was great!”
Treat hiking in the winter as an entirely different entity, and you’ll be well-prepared for some enjoyable exercise and a fun time with friends and family.
Photo Credits: TimWilson“>1
-
Are You A Pontoon Person?
One of the most important questions you should ask yourself when considering a boat purchase is how much you will use the boat. Will it be the chief source of recreation for your family? Will it be used enough to justify the expenses? Is it the type of boat that you can actually see using throughout a summer, or are you interested in a boat you’ll only occasionally use?
These are really important questions, and the more you ask them, the more you’ll notice they lead to bigger questions, like: will I need a fishing boat or a speed boat? You also might notice yourself more interested in pontoon boats. Now, it’s time for you to ask: are you a pontoon person? Here’s how you find out.
First, remember that a pontoon boat is dramatically different from speed boats or skiing boats. If you have visions of yourself flying around a lake or river with a water skier whizzing directly behind you, the pontoon won’t exactly satisfy your needs. But if you think more about the summer sun, quiet mornings on the lake, and some good quality fishing, the pontoon boat might be exactly what you need.
Some people figure that a pontoon boat is flexible enough to at least include some other types of activities other than fishing, and this is true to an extent. You can still carry around tubers behind you at maximum speed or take the pontoon boat out to swim. But you’ll still get an entirely different experience with a pontoon boat than you would with a speed boat. Make sure that you are clear about what you want to use your boat for; the last thing you need is a boat on your hands you never use.Next, try to ask some owners of pontoon boats and speed boats about their experiences. How much have they enjoyed their boat? If they could change something about their boat, what would it be? If you find yourself siding with one person’s point of view over the other, you might notice that you’re figuring out whether you really are a pontoon person. You definitely don’t want to make a boat purchase halfheartedly. You’ll end up with an expensive hunk of metal that you don’t want to use.
On the other hand, if your enthusiasm grows for the pontoon, then maybe it is what you’ll want to get. Ask yourself what type of person you are, how much you can use the boat, and whether or not you can handle the expenses – then you’ll have an idea of whether or not you really are a pontoon person.
Photo Credits: phil_g
