Then, I switched to an even lighter aluminum walking staff. That was great for many years.

But recently I have doubled my assist. I got a pair of poles made by a German company called Leki. From my observations of other hikers, this is the top choice nowadays. Leki trekking poles have both adjustable lengths and adjustable wrist straps as well as shock absorbers.

After using my trekking poles for a few months, I learned the hard way that adjusting them to the proper length is crucial. At first I had  mine adjusted too long. That put too much pressure on my already-painful left shoulder.

These trekking poles also have sharp metallic tips that give excellent purchase on the rocks. But I generally prefer to use optional rubber tips to avoid the clatter of the metal tips. Since one reason why I go to the woods is for silence, clatter is the last thing I want to add.

Three U.S. firms – Black Diamond Equipment, Fittrek, and Exerstrider – as well as Finland’s Excel, and Norway’s Swix Sport, which pioneered the activity in Europe, also offer a large selection of poles. Sometimes called trekking poles, sometimes Nordic walkers, and sometimes fitness walking poles, they are similar. By whatever name, they all make walking and hiking easier and safer.