I was wrong about hiking poles for backpacking

For years I thought hiking poles were just extra weight and clutter. I figured if you needed help walking, you should just train harder. On a trip through the Smokies last October, my knee gave out on a steep downhill section and I had to crawl half a mile to camp. A guy I met let me borrow his poles for the next day and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a stubborn opinion about gear that got proven wrong on the trail?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana_hernandez3d ago

You had to crawl half a mile to camp? That's insane. I can't believe you pushed through that instead of just carrying poles. Glad you came around but damn, that's a hard way to learn.

ericfox3d ago

Yeah the "hard way to learn" thing is fair but I see it differently. In my experience some lessons just have to be learned the hard way before they really stick.