[Gocamino] hiking sticks/poles

[Patricia Rush]

Dear All--I will weigh in on walking sticks.  I use two collapsible hiking 
sticks; they've saved my knees going up, and especially, coming down 
mountains, over slippery rocks, and in propelling me forward.  I use them as 
one would use cross-country ski poles; they are especially useful when 
carrying a pack because they help balance.  They take some getting used to, 
but now I won't walk without them.

Before 9/11 I simply stuck them (collapsed) on either side of my pack and 
put my pack in the overhead.  Now, I either have my pack wrapped and sent 
through as checked luggage, or put my sticks in a separate mailing tube and 
sent through as checked luggage.  The airport in Santiago has a wrapping 
machine for 4 euro, I think, and other airports have them as well.

Patricia
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <cek954 at aol.com>
To: <Gocamino at oakapple.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 3:33 PM
Subject: [Gocamino] hiking sticks/poles


>
> I bought my baston in SJPP - it has carved flowers on it and I love it- 
> the flowers seem to give it a little personality and on hard days looking 
> at them cheered me up. Like the others who have written, I relied on it 
> with great results.
>
> Flying from Santiago through London/Stansted to Norway on RyanAir, I 
> checked mine unwrapped, with the luggage tag taped directly to the stick 
> and it made it just fine. But to get it back to the States I took it to 
> the post office and used a mailing tube. It now leans against the wall in 
> my bedroom, where I see it every morning when I  wake up.
>
> A woman I had walked with found a "Mail Boxes, Etc." store in Santiago and 
> had them ship hers back. As far as I know it also made it to the States 
> without any problem although I don't think it was a cheap service. I 
> believe the Tourist Information Office in Santiago gave her directions to 
> find the store. (There are several Tourist Info locations as I recall - I 
> think one is just down a bit and on the other side of the street from the 
> Compostela office. They also helped us find a hotel)
>
> When I walk again this coming fall I plan to get a different stick along 
> the way - I just don't want to have to check anything on the way, since 
> again, I'll be going to Spain rather indirectly through Norway and it 
> would have to make too many plane changes. I don't think the first stick 
> will mind!
>
> Carol
> for the time being from Florida, too!
>
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