My old poles were shot: the tips worn down to nothing, wrist straps gnarly, adjustment gaskets with near zero performance. Before heading to Alaska, I bought a set of poles from Cabela's: this written on the label: mountain series, 4 season, with the flicklock mechanism to secure proper adjustment. I checked....yes, there is a screw to tighten this mechanism if/when it should ever slip. As long distance hikers all know...nothing stays tight forever.
I chose these Black Diamond brand poles because they were light yet solid. The snow baskets came with, however, I won't put them on until we get snow on the trails.
My first test was on the Winner Creek Trail. It had board walks and wide paths, some mud made worse by days of rain. I did a short video of this hike in the rain. The camera is not water proof and so the footage is not idea. You can see this video at my youtube channel, or at
http://thefemalesurvivalist.blogspot.com.
Blueberries are nearing the end of the season. You can still find some if you get off the beaten path. I crossed a wide Iditarod bridge and found plenty.
However, the farther down this narrow trail I went, the more overgrown it became. Knowing black bear and grizzly frequent this area, I finally turned around.
My bear spray is clipped via a carabiner to my belt loop. But, just playing it safe instead of sorry, I headed home.
The trekking poles did wonderfully, never loosing tension, feeling very good in the hand.
I love my black diamond poles! I have had them over a year now and they have held up well.
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