Knowing that my poles had saved me from falling at least ten times each day convinced me of the absolute benefit of hiking with poles. And because of the unstable and difficult terrain on the unmaintained trails we were on, Judy ended up falling a couple of times every day. Judy is much lighter weight, in much better shape, and a far more experienced hiker than me but because I was using – really using – my poles on the uphills, I was able to make it up the hills much easier. On my September 2017 shakedown hike in the Wyoming Wind Rivers with my friend Judy, one of her poles malfunctioned so she ended up hiking with only one. I don’t care how steep it is, I know that I will eventually get up there. I assume that my uphill technique is pretty good and I assume my downhill technique could use some work. I am not analytical enough to know exactly how I am using mine but I know they give me a distinct advantage going uphill and my entire body is noticeably less tired and sore after a day of hiking using poles. Following Bigfoot has a great video on proper usage, improper usage, and how he uses them. But since I was planning a more than 2,100-mile hike, I decided that putting less stress on my knees and hips might not be a bad idea. I preferred to rely on my own sense of balance. I was certain I would fall and poke my eye out or something. Hiking poles: Until 2017, I had always refused to hike with poles.They both seem to work equally well and it might be good to keep your toes spread out a bit. I can’t decide whether I love the toe socks or not. I use either Injinji Toe Socks or Fox River Cool Max Liners. I hiked and backpacked over 100 miles wearing sock liners in 2017 and was completely blister free. Sock liners: I think I first heard of these from a Following Bigfoot video.

Compression pants ever forward