monopod goes for a ride

Monopod on a bus.

This Spring I began using trekking poles on my walks with Piper. I tried them at my Physical Therapist's suggestion (and with the loan of her own extra poles) during a period when a spike of pain in my knees was making it no fun at all to walk...

...even with Piper!

...even in the woods!

At the same time, a retired fellow in England who blogs about his walking adventures in entertaining detail, kindly answered my email enquiry about types and features of poles. Mike's descriptions of personal experiences - and fatigue delayed and serious injuries avoided - confirmed that trekking poles were well worth a try.

The first time I heading into the woods with the poles, I admit I felt a little...silly. I mean, this was a walk. On an old cart road. Not exactly snowshoeing crosscountry through trackless forest, and come to think if it, I never used poles to do that, and I was also carrying a pack full of equipment at the time. Blah blah blah. I've gotten a lot better at not berating myself with these pointless comparisons, but sometimes that inner voice still pipes up for a minute or two.

BUT. It was a relief to soon discover: even on a very difficult day, I could still force myself to get out there with two poles and take Piper for at least a short wander. And on a gentler day, even using a single pole could make a big difference in how far I wanted to go before heading back. I saw sections of trail and forest I hadn't visited in several years.

I usually used only one pole, as I've nearly always got a camera in one hand. So I recently decided to invest in a "monopod" - the same sort of collapsible walking stick but with a threaded bolt on top to mount a camera. The idea being that I will still have the camera Right There at all times, but will also have two hands free to use two poles in the woods when I want to.

Shortly after making that decision and budgeting $25-40 for a simple adjustable model, I found one, used, at a tag sale!

For two dollars!

I started using it right away.

The hyssop is still blooming and the bees are still visiting.
Both bloom and bees have slowed down considerably, but still...
blooming and visiting!

In the past few weeks, I've put that monopod through it's paces; not just in the woods and at home, but with more "travelling" than I've done in a very long time. First, the monopod went on a chartered bus trip to the Big E where I saw the quilts and the Clydesdales, and then it accompanied me on Saturday's trip to the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. In both cases, it was great to have my camera Right There for the sudden photo-opps, but the bigger benefit was being able to walk and stand for more than ten minutes - not always comfortably, but only a couple of times having to say, "I'm sorry, but I must either walk or sit down right now," in the middle of a conversation. And that is a big deal.

Don't worry: I'm not going to turn this blog into a record of all my physical ups and downs; it would bore you all to bits. Heck, it bores me and I'm living it. But I'm trying to get a little more comfortable about not editing out any mention of pain when it's actually an aspect of what I am writing about. Like my joy in discovering that a trekking pole is a tool that can sometimes make a little walk in the woods (and the resulting revitalizing thoughts and hundreds of photographs and one very happy dog) possible.

And who knows? Maybe a person reading this will think, "Hmmm, I wonder if a trekking pole might be a handy thing for me to use from time to time?" and then one day find themselves leaning on a trekking pole by a stone wall they haven't visited in ages, listening to the wind in the trees and thinking how incredibly lucky they are to be right there in that exquisite moment. So my suggestion would be: if you think some simple thing might be handy...give it a try. And then tell the rest of us about it in case we might find it handy too :)

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