I was a trekking pole hater. I made fun of trekking poles every chance that I had. My water bottle even had an anti-trekking pole sticker proudly displayed on the front of it. If someone had suggested to me that someday I would own a pair of trekking poles, I would have fallen off the trail laughing.

For the first time ever, I got sick of carrying my trusty broom handle.

It turns out, the joke is on me. Not only do I now have a pair of trekking poles, I’m a proud owner.

To keep from falling flat on my face, some form of hand-made walking stick has always been part of my hiking gear. However, I couldn’t never justify shelling out the money for ‘real’ poles when my broom handle with a rubber tip had worked just fine for well over a thousand miles - and maybe even a thousand more.

On a recent trip I had packed out too much weight, or maybe it was just me who weighed too much. Whatever the reason, I was having a hard time walking. For the first time ever, I got sick of carrying my trusty broom handle.

Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. When I arrived in town, I bid farewell to my broom handle and hiked out with a shiny new pair of ultra-light trekking poles.

The walk out of town was uphill. Right away, I noticed that my posture was better. I could not believe how much easier it was to hike. With two poles, I now had four-wheel drive. I was literally pushing myself uphill. Instead of using all leg muscle, I was now using arm, shoulder and back muscles as well. This took a lot of strain off my knees, especially going downhill.

The poles saved me from splitting my head open more than once. I’m still amazed that the carbide tips will not slip on even the wettest moss-covered rocks. It’s kind of like having hand rails everywhere I go. A couple of times, I lost my balance and all 240 pounds of me went straight down on the poles. I was certain at least one of the poles would snap in half, but they didn’t give.

The poles’ ergonomic hand grips puts my wrists in a natural position. Combined with their light weight, they were very easy to use. I tried loosening my grip to see what would happen and the wrist straps kept the poles in my hand with minimal effort.

A friend of mine once had to delay the start of his Appalachian Trail hike for a week because the airline had lost his sentimental wooden (and very heavy) hiking stick. I doubt this would have happened if he had a pair of lightweight collapsible trekking poles strapped securely to his backpack.

In camp, the poles become the tent poles for my tarp. I can even adjust the height of them if needed. In a survival situation, the pole sections could be used as a splint, or a spear for fishing or hunting!

Like walking sticks, not all poles are the same. A good rule of thumb would be to pick the best poles you can afford and then buy a pair that is one step better.

Trekking poles will not help you walk on water or turn Ramen noodles into steak. What they will do is help you have a safer, more enjoyable hike with less stress on your body and your mind. From now on, you won’t see this hiker on any trail without them.