<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Hope you don't mind, Elyn. She just mentioned that the Leki poles are
<BR>telescoping so provide some ease in traveling. Mine is called a Malaki Super
<BR>(or something like that) and has a nice spring action in the bottem. It also
<BR>has two different feet, one for asphault and one for rocks, packed earth,
<BR>etc. I found it invaluable because it gave me some superb stability. When I
<BR>was descending into El Acebo, my Leki acted like a mountain goat! It also
<BR>provided a way to keep the blood from poolign in my hands. Inevitably, they
<BR>would be swollen at the end of th eday, and holding th epole in different
<BR>hands seemed to help. I also saw many pilgrims who used two and was told
<BR>that this helped with tendonitis. I don't think one is better than the other
<BR>(wooden staff or Leki pole), but I do think one should use something up and
<BR>down the more difficult parts.
<BR>
<BR>Hope this helps.
<BR>
<BR>Gabrielle</FONT></HTML>