I Accidentally my Hiking Pole!

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #15
Blowing Rock, NC - Wed, 4 Sep 2024. 1pm

I accidentally my hiking pole. Not today; all I've done so far today is get up and get lunch. It happened yesterday.

I slipped on the rocks at one of the waterfalls at the Doyles River Falls trail. I wasn't hurt; all that was injured was my pride. ...My pride, and my trusty hiking pole. 😱 It snapped in two when I fell on the rocks! (The photo above shows the top half of the pole. The bottom half got left in a puddle halfway down the face of a falls because I didn't feel like scrambling down there to retrieve it.)

I'm not certain how long I've owned this hiking pole. I'm sure it's at least 12 years... and it could be as upwards of 20. Whatever its exact age, the fact is it's been a trusty hiking companion for many years. It's prevented many a slip in places from deserts to glaciers, from above 12,000' elevation down to hundreds of feet below sea level, and in multiple countries in both hemispheres. It's even doubled as a monopod for my camera when I take waterfalls pictures.

I mention this today because while we're in touristy little Blowing Rock, NC, I figured I'd visit the three outdoors outfitters shops within a block of each other. Two don't carry gear like this; they're just logo apparel and maybe a few yuppie-brand outdoors shoes. And the one that did carry a full range of hiking/backpacking gear didn't have poles like this one.

I'm actually pretty picky about poles. I used a few different ones many years ago before making this one my trusty companion. I really like the ball grip on it. Most poles (95%+) have a pistol grip. The pistol grip works where you're generally holding the pole out in front of you and perhaps using it to pull forward, like you do when you're skiing, but this is a trekking pole. And yes, plenty of people use these skiing style poles for trekking, but notice what they're doing. They're using the pole primarily not for balance but to increase the exercise their arms get when they're walking. I don't want an exercise toy, I want a hiking pole for balance and support. And in certain cases to steady my camera with a screw mount underneath a screw-off cap.

Well, I didn't find what I was looking for at the store, so it looks like I'm going to go pole-less for the rest of this trip. I'll buy another one from REI when I get back home. Yes, they still have a ball-grip, cork padded model somewhat similar to this! And yes, I could go to an REI in North Carolina... but the nearest stores are each 2 hours away. So, I'll try going pole-less... at least for a day or two.

Silvervale Falls

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #16
Blowing Rock, NC - Wed, 4 Sep 2024. 1:15pm

After lunch today in Blowing Rock (and a bit of shopping) we're feeling more ready to go hiking. Except we're starting it easy, with a not-hiking hike. There's a drive-to waterfall just outside of town, Silvervale Falls.



Although this falls is right alongside the road it's a bit hard to find which road it's on. GPS maps indicate it's off the main highway, which... it's not. Unless you drive through some trees and over a cliff. Even walking over this cliff seems dicey. You might break more than a hiking pole trying that with how tall these falls are. 😂

Just because I barely had to do any walking for these falls doesn't mean they don't count as In Beauty I Walk. One, the word "walk" in the Navajo prayer I'm referencing is used broadly to mean the journey through life. And two, I did literally walk. It was all of about 50 steps round trip from my car to the base of the falls and back, but that's still walking. 😂