Trekking poles are a useful balance aid and take pounds-worth of stress off of your joints and muscles. The ideal walking pole will telescope for easy adjustment and storage, have a comfortable grip that fits your hand easily, and a wrist loop to keep you from accidentally dropping it. Some poles even come with shock-absorbers built in, or interchangeable baskets--the portion that keeps your pole tip from sinking in too far--for use on snowy or muddy terrain.
Step 1
Adjust the pole length (if you can) so that when the tip of the pole is on the ground and your hands are on the grips, your elbows are bent at 90 degrees, forearms parallel to the ground.
Step 2
Slide your hands through the wrist straps to grip the handle of each pole. Whether or not to use the wrist straps is based purely on personal preference; you might as well start by trying them and seeing whether you like them or not. The exception to this is a river or creek crossing, during which you should free your hands from the wrist straps just in case you fall.
Step 3
Swing your arms in a natural, even rhythm as you walk. Some hikers like to swing the same arm as the leg moving on each step; others like to go opposite or diagonally, so that when the left leg is forward the right arm/pole is forward, and vice versa.
Step 4
Plant the tips of your poles just ahead of your feet, just a bit wider than shoulder width apart so that there's no chance of tripping over them. Keep an eye out for surfaces that may cause them to slip--generally hard rock, especially when wet and especially if your poles have rubber tips.
Step 5
Push off with the forward pole as you step. On rare occasions, especially in steep terrain, you may want to plant both poles at once and push with them together during each step.
Step 6
Continue. You'll find that you very quickly develop a natural rhythm with your poles.
Tips and Warnings
- If you have telescoping poles, you can lengthen them for going downhill and shorten them for going uphill. Telescoping poles are easy to tuck away on the side or top of your pack when not in use.
- Make sure nobody follows you very closely; they might accidentally catch a pole tip in the eye.
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