[littleknife]

I came across several walking stick related blogs:

http://www.theslowadventure.com/2012/10/walking-with-sticks_15.html

http://www.theslowadventure.com/2012/10/making-walking-sticks.html

http://www.woodsmonkey.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=169:walking-sticks-the-outdoorsmans-most-versatile-tool-&Itemid=63

Nice walking stick related stories:

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/20/travel/with-walking-stick-on-solid-ground.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

http://www.messagemedia.co/millelacs/outdoors/columns_blogs/article_c3e0febe-0432-11e3-b5dc-0019bb30f31a.html

http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/debbysdepartures/2012/11/15/coincidences-or-small-miracles-how-i-got-my-walking-stick-and-hiking-pole-along-the-camino-de-santiago/

Enjoy!

 

[AAAndrew]

Thanks! Always love reading about new obsessions.

 

[AAAndrew]

These stories reminded me of something I just heard on the radio. A journalist is retracing the steps our hominid ancestors made out of Africa. He's walking the same paths and reporting on every 100 miles. Very cool. Here's his latest trail notes. One of his companions is an old hand at walking long distances and he has his walking stick. http://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/16/trail-notes-tracks/

 

[littleknife]

Thanks for the interesting link, AAAndrew!

The companion appears to use a crook handled cane.

In the past the crook handled walking stick/cane was widely used in the outdoors, hence its traditional English name: 'tourist handle walking stick'. There are many old photographs showing 'ramblers' with their crook handled sticks in hand.

It is a recent development that it came associated with the injured, infirm/old.

Even today crook handled tall canes are sold for hiking purposes e.g. in Spain, where they are called 'baston(es) de montana':

http://www.tiendashop.com/detall.asp?id=3406

http://www.tiendashop.com/detall.asp?id=3405