Yup, gotta look cool with latest carbon/titanium trekking poles with matching iPod, Garmin GPS, Gucci sweatband and on and on......

Hiking in the Whites the last few years, I noticed more and more people using poles, and just kinda shook my head. I just never feel the need for poles on a day hike. Some of my friends use them when we'll hit some snow, and I can see their use there. And they can be useful for balance when carrying a pack with some weight and walking on uneven ground. But, on a sidewalk??? I haven't seen this yet out here in the burbs, but give it time.

My aunt uses these poles instead of a cane, as does a co-worker with MS. The advantage: they collapse for storage or when not needed. They also have a convertable tip for icy conditions.

Not to mention that they make a handy club if anybody wants to mess with the gimpy woman - including nasty geese.

For hiking in the woods, I got my husband a big knobby wooden walking stick at REI, made by a German family in business for several centuries. It wasn't expensive, he loves it, and it has such character! I think it is called a "Gastrock Walking Stick" or some such.

I've seen people rollerblading with ski poles.

re: the mountains. It took glaciers centuries to scratch out their tell-tale marks on the rocks along the mountains. It only took about ten years for "pole hikers" to scratch their own marks into the granite.

What's wrong with using a good-old stick? Like what people used before carbon fiber, graphite, and tungsten carbide?