Along with the landscape services of laying out, building, and maintaining hiking trails is the need for having a good hiking stick. Fortunately I also make a few dozen hiking sticks each year (already have an order for 50 with delivery in the fall of 2009).
After about a decade of use and inches of wear the first one I ever made broke (was tested to destruction) as I was getting it out of my car to go backpacking trip at the Walls of Jericho in early December 2007. This was shortly after I had misused it by knocking several small widowmakers down and out of the way along the 1.5 miles of private hiking trail on the 20 acres behind my parent's house.
Lessons learned from testing this stick to destruction, besides not beating widowmakers, include the qualities of the wood, some ideas on hiking stick length, and the many uses of a hiking stave like retrieving dropped items, defending against unleashed dogs, and pointing out interesting things along the trail rather than trampling on everything in between.
The species of wood I prefer to use for a hiking stave is Paulownia tomentosa. This is because it is one of the lightest, strongest, and easiest to harvest and work woods available. In addition it is an invasive exotic species, thus a sustainable annual harvest keeps them from reaching maturity and spreading further.
Other woods are being tested, but so far none have been able to match P. tomentosa for quality, quantity, and repeatable quality. In fact I discourage the use of "found" hiking sticks because they are partially rotten thus likely to break, especially tulip/yellow-poplar since it usually breaks into 3 pointed pieces, and would make for a very bad day if fallen on the wrong way.
A typical P. tomentosa hiking stick is 6 feet long, has a girth comfortable to grip, weighs a pound (per the estimated half a board foot of material and is consistent with the proportion submerged to achieve neutral buoyancy), and I would not be afraid to vault across streams just bigger than what I could jump, but you should use your own judgment. They are peeled to reveal a smooth light colored wood, but if any inner bark is missed while peeling it oxidizes to a dark reddish brown. Also a powdery black surface mold appears if the surface is unfinished and it is left exposed to prolonged high humidity.
Due to natural variations the most common shapes include straight, crooked on one end, a possibly ergonomic "S" shape, and bowed where the later three would respectively be tighter in a mailing tube (if they even fit) on the bent end, at a couple of places, or at both ends and in the middle.
A secret to the surprisingly balsa like light weight, but incomparable strength is a large hollow pith. This allows for a number of uses for scrap material with little or no drilling required, including neckerchief slides for Boy Scouts, large wooden beads, and even unique name tags if put on a lanyard.
Normally the only modifications are peeling, which can
only be done easily while still green, and cutting to the desired
length, the reason is that I recommend you do the customization to make
the hiking stick your own. Ideas include a custom
grip (with a hand loop), a scale for length, a scale for weight
starting with a center of balance mark, a retrieval hook, a fishing hook
and line, a storage compartment, plus various holes and notches or
medallions indicating the hikes made and/or distance traveled. Somebody may even want to carve an Appalachian Trail (AT) thru hike itinerary and/or progress record on their hiking stick, including a few inches worth training to allow for wear. Other fancy accessories might include tips and even camera mounts although these may require epoxy to be secure.
If desiring to order a hiking stave I recommend a length equal to either your height or arm span so most spider webs will be broken before you run into them especially if you like to be the first one on the trail in the morning, an estimated grip size determined by measuring a range of handle circumference that you feel would be comfortable, and an indication of your shape preference(s). Please send this info and at least your ZIP code so I can check the current stock for availability and get a shipping price quote, which may depend on what fines and/or penalties result if there is an overreaction at the post office should a stave is considered to be a weapon. The shipment will be made after full payment is confirmed, therefore allow the typical 4-6 weeks for delivery.
There is no warranty on these hiking sticks because the only failures ever observed have resulted from misuse such as repeatedly striking objects, and driving them into the ground with excessive forces that also resulted in bending them to a breaking point especially the ultralight ones.
