For a long while I was on the fence about whether I really needed trekking poles for this trip. They just never seemed very cool to me and instead conjured up images of middle-aged Nordic walkers wearing shorts with their alpine socks to their knees.
That was until I sought the advice of my Uncle who walked the Camino-Frances six years ago and convinced me of their usefulness. He mentioned that they helped steady his footing on some of the more uneven descents and also came in handy to push through the latter kms each day.
This last point I can relate to already. On my 24km training walks thus far I dub the last eight km The Hurtful Eight as I usually need to mentally concentrate and push through the niggles to get to the end.
Anyway, once I decided that I did indeed want to look like a Nordic mountain hiker, I had to find the kit that ticked off on all the usual criteria. They had to be light, compact and robust. Additionally, having cork hand grips will wick away moisture and avoid… you guessed it, bad Barry the Blister. My lightweight merino gloves should help out in this regard too.
The only negative is that even in compacted travel mode, these are just slightly too long to pack into my backpack and therefore will most likely need to become checked luggage (along with my Swiss Army knife). Oh well, it is what it is.
Product Name: Komperdell Ridgehiker Power Lock Cork Trekking Poles
Brand: Komperdell
Supplier: Wildfire Sports & Trek
Cost (AUD): $154.81
Weight: 575g
Carried: On Person
Total Pack Weight to Date: 3.841kg
Total On Person Weight to Date: 1.911kg
Total Cost to Date (AUD): $2400.65
Link: https://www.wildfiresports.com.au/komperdell-ridgehiker-power-lock-cork-trekking-pol/
2 comments