[blindkid] Trekking Poles (Hiking Poles) Suggestions Wanted

Amy Shepherd amyshepherd at mpvi.org
Sat Oct 20 13:33:03 UTC 2012


My 12 year old son uses a good pair of adjustable REI poles.  The great thing about good hiking poles is that they are created to support your weight to allow you to stay balanced on changing surfaces. The adjustable length is key because you can make them shorter going uphill and longer coming down. when you do encounter unexpected obstacles your body more balanced and stabilized thanks to the two poles. 

Amy Shepherd
Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 20, 2012, at 12:04 AM, Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org> wrote:

> Hmm. The bell idea is pretty interesting. Surely there is not much effective acoustic feedback from either trekking poles or a white cane tip on the dirt in the woods!
> 
> As I mentioned in a reply a few moments ago I'm also looking for a better way for her to navigate the walk up Stone Mountain here in Metro-Atlanta. Some of your suggestions are setting off bells of their own for me as I try and figure out ways to improve climbing up that mountain, as well as navigating around various parts of the park with generally irregular and uneven terrain...
> 
> I was at WalMart today. Never thought to look there-- figured I was headed to REI to explore these myself. I saw a wide range of options on-line too. Some cost hundreds of dollars!  Some are apparently spring-loaded to reduce wrist fatigue. Some have built-in flashlights, compasses, thermometers, etc. I'd better not tell Kendra or she will want these features but she'll want them all to talk, or better yet have voice recognition and to report this information on demand...  We've come quite a distance forward from grabbing an old tree branch of a decent length, LOL!
> 
> Thanks so much!
> 
> On Oct 19, 2012, at 11:41 PM, Pat Renfranz wrote:
> 
>> My daughter uses trekking poles in various ways. The cane works great on
>> some trails, but it can get hung up in bushes, crevices etc. Many trails out
>> here are quite rocky and there are often drop offs; the poles work well
>> because she can explore more than one place at a time, say, keep a pole near
>> the drop off and another monitoring the next step. Sometimes, my husband or
>> I will hold one end of a pole and she the other--this horizontal hold works
>> well when the trail is steep and has lots of irregular steps. It is also
>> helpful for my husband to have a bell on his trekking pole-she can hear him
>> in front of her and he can also point out obstacles she might otherwise miss
>> by tapping on them. His poles are fancy ones from REI but hers I picked up
>> at Walmart (Swiss Army brand) pretty cheap and they work fine. Decent poles
>> are adjustable in height, which is helpful.
>> Have fun!
>> pat
>> 
>> 
>> On 10/19/12 2:11 PM, "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> I think this came up a while back. I'm wondering what works best for hiking as
>>> far as finding your way with no vision on a nature walk hike etc.. I am aware
>>> of trekking poles or hiking poles and thinking this is the way to go for my
>>> daughter age 10 (no light perception).
>>> 
>>> What have others found? Got any suggestions of what works best or what to
>>> avoid? General guidelines or specific product references are all welcome.
>>> 
>>> My gut says to look for one piece rugged poles. As far as length I wonder if
>>> there is a preferred reference from users who have experimented with them.
>>> Even if I find some to explore in a store before we buy (as opposed to mail
>>> order) it isn't going to be the same as a test outing on a trail in the woods.
>>> 
>>> I know it may take more than one purchase to find the optimal solution but
>>> there better our starting point the better!
>>> 
>>> Thanks.
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>> 
>> 
>> 
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