Walking stick / hiking stick / hiking staff - What do you use?

tiguy7 said:
You can fool a low IQ Puma by wearing a full face mask on the back of your head. It won’t be able to identify your “blind “ side. Works for Tigers too.
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I know this to be true in tiger country . :cool:

I would want something a little more than just that . :oops:
 
Hickory, and I added the leather wrap:

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I prefer wood, myself. When I get home, and if I think of it, I'll take a couple pictures.

I like to carve them, and I like that they're all unique.

The aluminum telescopic ones are probably the most optimal choice, but it just doesn't have any soul. A wooden stick grew somewhere, and there's always a story about how I happened upon it.
 
Meet Liberty - A Trail Companion - Cedar

Tailwaters of Quincy Bay - Mississippi River

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Another Loyal Trail Companion...
Rock River - Ogle County, Illinois
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Although I have a pair of old nordic ski poles for walking on ice and snow, my distinct preference is wood. The cedar staff above was carved and gifted to me by a friend. I can only wish to have that talent.
 
I've carried and used this thing for over 30 years now. The fork is a perfect thumb rest and makes for a comfortable grip. The fork is also amazingly handy reaching things in the bed of the truck. It's hickory. I cut it one day while mushroom hunting around Truman Lake. It has served me well and is in the truck all the time.
View attachment 2398671

I made this one for my wife recently. It's apple. View attachment 2398674
 
Boattale said:
I've carried and used this thing for over 30 years now. The fork is a perfect thumb rest and makes for a comfortable grip. The fork is also amazingly handy reaching things in the bed of the truck. It's hickory. I cut it one day while mushroom hunting around Truman Lake. It has served me well and is in the truck all the time.
View attachment 2398671

I made this one for my wife recently. It's apple. View attachment 2398674
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Very nice, both of them. However, the beautiful coloration of that apple is some kinda sweet eye candy.
 
DocJD said:
That is a beautiful work of art ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I would have trouble using it much , for fear of ruining .
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Thanks, it truly is a work of art. My wife thought I was nuts when I headed out the door with it the first time. I figured that he made it to use, not to sit in a corner and collect dust. I did add a piece of 1" thick Urethane/Polyurethane sheet to the tip for wear resistance, and I thought the staff was about an inch short for my liking. It is a deep red/maroon color to blend with the wood color, and I contoured it to match the shape of the tip. I also have a padded, drawstring bag I put over the head to protect it in transit.
 
DirtDawg said:
Thanks, it truly is a work of art. My wife thought I was nuts when I headed out the door with it the first time. I figured that he made it to use, not to sit in a corner and collect dust. I did add a piece of 1" thick Urethane/Polyurethane sheet to the tip for wear resistance, and I thought the staff was about an inch short for my liking. It is a deep red/maroon color to blend with the wood color, and I contoured it to match the shape of the tip. I also have a padded, drawstring bag I put over the head to protect it in transit.
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Photo added...20231122_114758-E14-Collage-DDS.jpg
 
DirtDawg said:
Very nice, both of them. However, the beautiful coloration of that apple is some kinda sweet eye candy.
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It seasoned for a year in the weather before I started it. Made it a little harder to get the bark off and sanded smooth. BLO after. I'm happy with the way it turned out. She claimed it before I did a little grip work and put the loop on it. Thanks for the kind words.
 
EngrSorenson said:
I prefer wood, myself. When I get home, and if I think of it, I'll take a couple pictures.

I like to carve them, and I like that they're all unique.

The aluminum telescopic ones are probably the most optimal choice, but it just doesn't have any soul. A wooden stick grew somewhere, and there's always a story about how I happened upon it.
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Ref: "and there's always a story about how I happened upon it."
I always enjoy reading the stories of how someone discovered a knife or stick, as well as viewing photos of said items. I do look forward to the time when you share with us. It's the next best thing to picking up a dated Field & Stream magazine with dog-eared pages.
 
Walker & the Bear

1980-ish LB7 Uncle Henry Bear Paw
...and a walking stick I worked up from a deadfall branch with my Buck 703 back in 1986.

A friend gifted the LB7 to me a couple of years back, and I'm finally getting around to spiffing it up some. It looks to have never been sharpened, and maybe never even used. However, it spent a lot of time in the sheath over the years - likely a 1980-ish model, but I'm not sure - S/N T8938.
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Knives and Sticks - They just seem to go together.
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DirtDawg said:
Walker & the Bear

1980-ish LB7 Uncle Henry Bear Paw
...and a walking stick I worked up from a deadfall branch with my Buck 703 back in 1986.

A friend gifted the LB7 to me a couple of years back, and I'm finally getting around to spiffing it up some. It looks to have never been sharpened, and maybe never even used. However, it spent a lot of time in the sheath over the years - likely a 1980-ish model, but I'm not sure - S/N T8938.
View attachment 2404779

Knives and Sticks - They just seem to go together.
View attachment 2404778
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Wowsa to both the knife and the stick!
 
Some very nice looking sticks! I have several. Started with a Shovel Handle in Hickory, 49 inches long. Right now in my bedroom, as I had a left knee replacement and if needed provides a Third Leg for balance. Then a very good friend, Side Hill Gougher, brought back a walking stick from South Africa, 37 inches long made from Stink wood, also known as Cape Olive or Laurel. Got a French Army Mountain walking stick, either hazel or Hawthorne, cannot remember which one, that is 44 inches long. Had a metal tip, so wrapped it in 100 MPH tape until I could put a small crutch tip on it. Next is a Carbon Fiber one from Shakespeare, who not only make fishing rods, but also make flexible antennas for our Military. They were giving them away at a Military Trade Show I was working and is 47 1/2 inches long. The one I use the most is a laminated wooden walking stick, my daughters got me for Christmas many years ago from Duluth Hardware. About 23 laminations and slightly curved. About 50 1/2 inches long and I have no idea how many times I have been stopped and had people comment what a good looking walking stick it is. John
 
When I graduated High School, my classmates and teachers said I would never make anything of myself. They said I'd never be anything.
Yet here I am, rockin' it as a budding rabologist. I'll show them! Heh-Heh.

From left to right:
Walker - 1986 - Unknown Wood
Patch - 2023 - American Sycamore (raw state)
Dusky - 2023 - American Sycamore Driftwood (more on Dusky to follow)
Liberty - 2009 - Cedar (gifted to me by a friend - I did not make this one)
Un-named - 1986 - Unknown Wood (hard and strong)
Baldy - 2023 - Bald Cypress
Walker, Baldy, and Dusky have Shoe Goo tips for a much improved grip on most surfaces. Note! I've not tested them on ice and snow yet.
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Maybe it's time to break out the Whittler...
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DocJD said:
I know this to be true in tiger country . :cool:

I would want something a little more than just that . :oops:
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Nope! The mask on the back of your head? The tigers figured it out! I saw a documentary on it! The attack rates went back up on the villagers with the face mask worn on the back of the head.
 
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