To pole or not to pole?

The tour group that arranges climbs of Mt. Kilimanjaro strongly recommends that climbers use trekking poles (similar to cross country poles) to help with the climb and especially the descent.

The negative for the poles is I never used them and feel having my arms free for balance is important. Also carrying the poles means carrying extra weight, and the less I need to carry the better. Initially I was not planning on using them, after all they are nicknamed “yuppie poles” (what could be worse than a Yuppie!), in part because they became popular in the 1990’s.

However, the biggest positive for the trekking poles is that they help relieve force on the knees, and my knees are clearly a concern. They also can help with balance on the steeper parts of the climb.

My colleague Birgit Priest encouraged me to try them, so this weekend I used them on both of my 12 miles hikes on Sat and Sun. Although my right knee has occasionally caused me concern, this weekend my left knee was pretty painful on the descents. But with the poles I could shift my weight and on the final 1000 ft decent form Bear Mt., I was pain free. So tomorrow I’m off to REI to pick up the poles.

Many thanks to Birgit for loaning me a set of poles.