Flo: I use a stick most of the time for walking, either city streets, or hill and dale. I actually have three walking sticks, one, which is a folding one for travel (Trac brand) and two other wooden staffs. It is much more fun to use the wooden ones as they have my collection of cane shields from many of the places we have walked. They become conversation starters when you are walking many YRE's where there are not a lot of Volksmarchers about and more of the "locals."
I chose my stick based on my height, whether it was straight enough when I pushed on with it. Both of my wooden sticks are just that, one is made of sassafras and the other dogwood, so it has the natural shape of the limb it once was. I have always put a rubber crutch tip on the wooden ones to keep them from slipping on wet surfaces and I have also moved the leather lanyard to a more comfortable position for slipping on my wrist. I have never really found one just right for me from the stockpile. When persons look at them, they should realize you could shorten the length very quickly with a small saw and readjust the lanyard easily by drilling another hole in the stick.
You may wonder why I have two wooden sticks . . . well, when we went to the 1997 convention, we were well on our way when I realized I had forgotten to put my stick in the car. We first spent a week in Gatlinburg and I knew I would be very uncomfortable walking without a stick. So, one of the first things we did was visit the woodworking shops for a new stick, before doing any serious walking. Of course, now I have another one to fill with cane shields!
I had a leg bone operation many years before starting to volkswalk and had used a cane during recovery, but it eventually caused wrist problems for me and I finally stopped using a cane. However, in walking over rough terrain or city sidewalks, I decided I would feel more comfortable with something and decided to try a stick. It allows me not to bear weight on my wrist, but supports and balances me when going up and down large steps or in the woods (I am rather short, so my leg reach is less than most, most fifth graders are taller than I.)
Jean: I use a walking stick always on a 4 or 5. For a 3, I take it in the car, then decide, based on the territory I just drove through, the scuttlebutt at the tables if I'm a late start, answers to my questions at the start table, or my intuition.
I'd rather NOT use a walking stick if I don't have to, as I find it restricts my stride, i.e., I start to walk in stride with my stick, not vice versa. My problem.
I'm 5'1", so shortness is the big criterion in my choice; not all sticks can be cut off for me without losing their balance. And I must have a wrist-loop. And the handle must feel good for my full stride, i.e., stroked forward, at my side, and behind me. After all those, beauty.
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