One Oar, One Roller Skate, One Pedal on my Bike

[Gareth Griffith]

Why oh why oh why do people ask whether they need two trekking poles or could they get by with one as they like to have one hand free?
Just don't buy any poles and have both hands free!

When I go rowing my boat I always just take the one oar as it leaves me the other hand free to take photos as I go round in circles.

Cycling home afterwards is always a bit of an uphill struggle as i took one pedal off my bike so I'd have a foot free to kick out at any dog that came to attack me or just in case there was a game of bicycle football en route.

I bought a pair of rollerskates for Christmas and gave one of them to my friend so we can both go out rollerskating together with one skate each. I find it very useful to have a spare foot that I can use to push off with and it helps enormously that I have one foot safely encased in a sturdy boot for stability.

Why on earth anyone would want to buy and use two trekking poles is completely beyond me. The good Lord gave us two hands so that one could hold a pole and the other can be used for holding a drink, a cigarette or picking ones nose.

The fact that the manufacturers of the more expensive trekking poles sell them in pairs is purely a marketing ploy to double their sales. Alternatively, one of friends has suggested it could be for couples who go walking together. I highlighted to him that some of these trekking poles that are sold in pairs are marked L and R to which I got the withering response that he is right handed and his wife is left handed. How could I have been so stupid not to have thought of that myself!

Over the summer months I have been building myself an aeroplane with just the one wing to keep costs down and so that it fits in the garden shed a bit easier. Can anyone suggest what might be the reason I am having difficulty getting the thing up in the air?

 

[Martyduc]

because some of us are much happier using only one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gareth Griffith]

because some of us are much happier using only one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes for some people using two poles can be technically challenging and I am all for people making their own decisions after all 'it's your camino" and you can do what you like.
The point is that, like ears, eyes and breasts, one is OK but two is better.
PS I find cleaning under your keyboard keys with a paint brush can solve the problem when you have a keypad sticking.

 

[Gareth Griffith]

Because we walk the traditional way. Show me one statue of St James with two poles ...

Are you walking in period costume and your water in a gourd? Have you got your Osprey back pack and Salomon boots or is it just your walking stick that is traditional?
As mentioned previously I've no problems with people that want to use one pole. It's your camino, you can do what you like, you can poke a brush up your *** and sweep the streets as you go, there are no rules. But as mentioned previously one is good, two is better.
Look at it this way, if a stick is important to you.............why not take a spare. Stands to reason, don't it!

 

[Gareth Griffith]

. One of his pole tips got caught between the rocks and he dislocated his collar bone. An alpine rescue team flew in by helicopter to get him off the mountain and into a hospital

You say one of his poles got caught! Case proven methinks! The accident was caused purely by the use of that one pole.
I'm sorry but it is blatantly obvious that one of anything is OK but if you've got two it's better! If you've got two and you don't need two you can always give one away............

 

[Gareth Griffith]

I attach a photograph of a rescue helicopter coming to the aid of two bicigrinos that had come of their bikes, neither were wearing helmets and sustained serious head injuries.
If you are doing the Camino on a bike, ignore the issues of trekking poles and concentrate on the issues of helmets.
Don't be tempted to take selfies whilst freewheeling downhill either!

 

[wayfarer]

To each their own. That is what makes interesting our rich tapestry of life.
Now two rucksacks on the other hand................

 

[Gareth Griffith]

Forgot to mention I went out to a Chinese restaurant the other day. They gave me a pair of chopsticks.

The chap at the next table was really frustrated as he told the waitress that he'd prefer to manage with just the one stick.

But.........it's your camino (as has been said many times before) there are no rules. You can do what you like, when you like (this could lead to imprisonment of a heavy fine if you go too far). If you can only manage with one stick that's your prerogative, no one will point a finger and laugh at you.

 

[SYates]

If you are happy to walk with two sticks, I am happy for you.
As I am happy to walk with one stick (staff actually) why can't you be happy for me also?
Why do you feel the need to convince others that your way is the better one?
Buen Camino de la Vida, SY

 

[dougfitz]

Show me one statue of St James with two poles

I'm sorry, @Kathar1na, but relying on an artistic representation of a mythical event seems to me to be a poor basis for any discussion. Are you expecting future generations to believe in the historical accuracy of Blinky the Three Eyed Fish?

 

[Gareth Griffith]

If you are happy to walk with two sticks, I am happy for you.
As I am happy to walk with one stick (staff actually) why can't you be happy for me also?
Why do you feel the need to convince others that your way is the better one?
Buen Camino de la Vida, SY

I'm more than happy, I'm delighted that you've discovered the joy of sticks!
I've said repeatedly that it's your Camino, it's your choice, you can do what you like (provided you've got a good excuse and can find a good lawyer). I enjoy rowing my boat with one oar. It's my choice. Live and let live is my motto. I'm not trying to convert anyone to two sticks. Why anyone needs a knife AND a fork is beyond me.

 

[Doogman]

If two poles are much better than one, maybe three would be better than two. Or would four be better than three?

 

[Gareth Griffith]

I like your thinking Doogman!
However until I get three or four hands I consider two will continue to be the optimum number for me personally. But let's be fair here, if anyone wants to use three or four (and some might want to use five) it's their camino and nobody should stand in their way, (especially if they're hurtling downhill towards you waiving multiple sticks in their hands and other body orifices).

 

[PEI_Heather]

Why oh why oh why do people ask whether they need two trekking poles or could they get by with one as they like to have one hand free?
Just don't buy any poles and have both hands free!

When I go rowing my boat I always just take the one oar as it leaves me the other hand free to take photos as I go round in circles.

Cycling home afterwards is always a bit of an uphill struggle as i took one pedal off my bike so I'd have a foot free to kick out at any dog that came to attack me or just in case there was a game of bicycle football en route.

I bought a pair of rollerskates for Christmas and gave one of them to my friend so we can both go out rollerskating together with one skate each. I find it very useful to have a spare foot that I can use to push off with and it helps enormously that I have one foot safely encased in a sturdy boot for stability.

Why on earth anyone would want to buy and use two trekking poles is completely beyond me. The good Lord gave us two hands so that one could hold a pole and the other can be used for holding a drink, a cigarette or picking ones nose.

The fact that the manufacturers of the more expensive trekking poles sell them in pairs is purely a marketing ploy to double their sales. Alternatively, one of friends has suggested it could be for couples who go walking together. I highlighted to him that some of these trekking poles that are sold in pairs are marked L and R to which I got the withering response that he is right handed and his wife is left handed. How could I have been so stupid not to have thought of that myself!

Over the summer months I have been building myself an aeroplane with just the one wing to keep costs down and so that it fits in the garden shed a bit easier. Can anyone suggest what might be the reason I am having difficulty getting the thing up in the air?

Hahahaha! This is great!
(I am a strong proponent of the two hands on two hiking poles, one hand on each pole!)

 

[Tia Valeria]

One oar - then it is a coracle. One wooden pole, sturdy enough to take my weight when needed and not for tripping over when it (or its mate) gets under my feet. I like a hand free for many reasons and can change hands with my single pole as needed. Having a hook style top end means it will hang over my chair/arm/bar etc and I can use it also to get my pack out from the bus storage, having pushed it right back with the stick for security reasons. Much more versatile than walking poles , and my knees are in better condition now than they were before walking the Camino.

 

[Purple Backpack]

One hiking pole or two? As Eldridge Cleaver once said, "Too much agreement kills a chat."

 

[C clearly]

Thanks for the funny post @Gareth Griffith . This is a fun day on the forum!

 

[Purple Backpack]

I'm sorry, @Kathar1na, but relying on an artistic representation of a mythical event seems to me to be a poor basis for any discussion. Are you expecting future generations to believe in the historical accuracy of Blinky the Three Eyed Fish?

Blinky is real!

 

[dougfitz]

Blinky is real!

Did you get that image from the Doubtful News site?

 

[Purple Backpack]

Please. How can you doubt websites such as Gajitz, Gizmodo and Mobypicture.com? And...with a little bait and fishing line, yet another use for one hiking pole.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@gareth-griffith , hi

Having left I forget how many somehere I prefer no walking poles at all.

But when I do have them I have found so many uses, a few of which I list below:

1) moving blackberry (for example) out of the way

2) suspended over a gateway to hand newly washed clothes to hope they will dry quicker

3) camera monopod equivalent

4) to rest on when looking at fruit or whatever

5) discourager for snarling dogs getting too close

 

[Gareth Griffith]

There's an old saying that sex is good for one but great for two. Nuff said.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Very fun read, good thing we have no rules to what or how we how we walk one by one two by two..