| Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here. |
|---|
As we now know, this was a classic case of trolling the forum, but I suspected that was evident from close to the outset. Perhaps the moderators should have been prepared to apply Rule 13, which was an option, but perhaps not as clear an option at the start as is might appear in hindsight. I have already suggested that a joke that has to be explained so people see why it was humourous is generally not as funny as one might have first thought it was going to be.
I think the best that might be said is the the OP was trying to be funny, but that effort has proven to be a marvellous flop. It isn't the first time on the forum, nor do I suspect it will be that last.
As for using emojis to make humour more obvious, good luck with that!
Especially when you consider that forum members come from different cultures.I took the OP to be a joke and am surprised that some took it seriously. Humour is a very subjective thing however.
Switch blade tips. These may not be legal in California or the UK (just joking. . )
Tongue-in-cheek or not, this has been a fun and interesting post.
I especially like the "switch blade" poles!
I haven't laughed this much with a post for some time.
Good to have you back, Dave!
When visiting a church, please leave your poles (and cap or hat) at the entrance:no-one mentioned that often as we walk our camino we frequently stop to visit centuries old historic churches
The clue is in the name . . . 'Street feet'Say no to the rubber tips you can add to your poles. Here’s my argument.
What is the number 1 purpose of your poles? It’s to keep you from falling and suffering an ignominious end to your Camino because of a torn knee, twisted ankle or wrenched back.
What’s the purpose of the rubber tips? Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke. Instead think of the clicking as a Proustian Madeleine, something to warm future memories.
Adding the rubber negates the purpose of the hard tip. It will no longer grab on dewy grass, moldy leaves or muddy descents. The pole is now useless, an affectation not a serious hiker’s tool.
I will entertain no argument that you can take the tips off and on. Sure for the first 2 days and then you’ll stop. Or you won’t bother just for 10m of nastiness. It’s like saying you’re going to limit yourself to 1 drink at communal dinner. Ain’t going to happen.
I ask now that the moderators close this thread because all contra arguments will violate Rule 112b (section C).
Yours,
Bombay Bill, on his 2nd glass, upright and injury free in El Pito on the Norte.
The rubber tip does help in one instance: walking on paved roads - particularly wet paved roads. The rubber grips the road better much better than the metal tip. But, yes, I put the rubber tips on once for a rain. When I took them off, I never put them back on again. It's easier just to walk on the side of the road.Say no to the rubber tips you can add to your poles. Here’s my argument.
What is the number 1 purpose of your poles? It’s to keep you from falling and suffering an ignominious end to your Camino because of a torn knee, twisted ankle or wrenched back.
What’s the purpose of the rubber tips? Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke. Instead think of the clicking as a Proustian Madeleine, something to warm future memories.
Adding the rubber negates the purpose of the hard tip. It will no longer grab on dewy grass, moldy leaves or muddy descents. The pole is now useless, an affectation not a serious hiker’s tool.
I will entertain no argument that you can take the tips off and on. Sure for the first 2 days and then you’ll stop. Or you won’t bother just for 10m of nastiness. It’s like saying you’re going to limit yourself to 1 drink at communal dinner. Ain’t going to happen.
I ask now that the moderators close this thread because all contra arguments will violate Rule 112b (section C).
Yours,
Bombay Bill, on his 2nd glass, upright and injury free in El Pito on the Norte.
I agree- I kept them in a pouch around my waist so it was no trouble to put them on/ take them off. I finished the Norte in May and used my poles everyday!Actually rubber tips are much better on concrete, slippery tile (like in parts of Portugal) and cobble stones. I wouldn't walk the Camino without them and that is without ever considering how loud the alternative is. But you do you.
I’m surprised how quickly a debatable obscure technical point turned into personal attacks (especially by some of the established voices) on a forum where tolerance is frequently espoused but not always practiced.I took the OP to be a joke and am surprised that some took it seriously. Humour is a very subjective thing however.
Thank you @wisepilgrim for your excellent app that has been my constant companion for many Caminos. It is even now bringing me down the final Ks to SdC.Amen! This is why I take the tires off and maximize my traction by rolling on bare rims.
I have just quickly reviewed the thread, and I don't see much in the way of "personal attacks." Sure, there was strong disagreement with the assertions in the original post, and there were a couple of posts (maybe 2 or 3 out of 121 posts) that were somewhat negative in a personal way, but given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the OP I don't see that they were out-of-line or surprising.I’m surprised how quickly a debatable obscure technical point turned into personal attacks (especially by some of the established voices)
The number one purpose of a trekking pole is to provide an opportunity for your upper body to participate in the work of walking/hiking. Safety is a side benefit. Now I am in agreement with you that the best practice is to hike without the rubber tips. But this only applies to outside of the city. A thoughtful walker will take the tips on and off as they go in and out of a city, this is especially important when leaving a town in the early morning. What you may consider a Proustian Madeleine, might be the death of a thousand clicks by locals who have to endure the clacky clack each morning of inconsiderate walkers.Say no to the rubber tips you can add to your poles. Here’s my argument.
What is the number 1 purpose of your poles? It’s to keep you from falling and suffering an ignominious end to your Camino because of a torn knee, twisted ankle or wrenched back.
What’s the purpose of the rubber tips? Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke. Instead think of the clicking as a Proustian Madeleine, something to warm future memories.
Adding the rubber negates the purpose of the hard tip. It will no longer grab on dewy grass, moldy leaves or muddy descents. The pole is now useless, an affectation not a serious hiker’s tool.
I will entertain no argument that you can take the tips off and on. Sure for the first 2 days and then you’ll stop. Or you won’t bother just for 10m of nastiness. It’s like saying you’re going to limit yourself to 1 drink at communal dinner. Ain’t going to happen.
I ask now that the moderators close this thread because all contra arguments will violate Rule 112b (section C).
Yours,
Bombay Bill, on his 2nd glass, upright and injury free in El Pito on the Norte.
Tracking poles might help with stability.
( Just check the surface you are walking on, carpet, floor boards or tiles.)
Some of us have excellent focus and are happy to do the on/off adjustment with tips depending on the surface. Asphalt, marble and concrete can be slippery with tips, so put your rubbers on!Say no to the rubber tips you can add to your poles. Here’s my argument.
What is the number 1 purpose of your poles? It’s to keep you from falling and suffering an ignominious end to your Camino because of a torn knee, twisted ankle or wrenched back.
What’s the purpose of the rubber tips? Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke. Instead think of the clicking as a Proustian Madeleine, something to warm future memories.
Adding the rubber negates the purpose of the hard tip. It will no longer grab on dewy grass, moldy leaves or muddy descents. The pole is now useless, an affectation not a serious hiker’s tool.
I will entertain no argument that you can take the tips off and on. Sure for the first 2 days and then you’ll stop. Or you won’t bother just for 10m of nastiness. It’s like saying you’re going to limit yourself to 1 drink at communal dinner. Ain’t going to happen.
I ask now that the moderators close this thread because all contra arguments will violate Rule 112b (section C).
Yours,
Bombay Bill, on his 2nd glass, upright and injury free in El Pito on the Norte.
For you perhaps. Different people may use them to different purposes. For some, the primary purpose may be to help with balance and stability. For me, when I purchased my first step, it certainly wasn't to get an upper body workout but to reduce strain on my knees.The number one purpose of a trekking pole is to provide an opportunity for your upper body to participate in the work of walking/hiking. Safety is a side benefit.
I often wonder whether we overstate the disruption we might cause to locals with early morning starts and tapping poles. I lived in Coimbra for nearly three months this year. The unit was perhaps 50 m from the nearest bar that closed at 2:00 am, and above the street that carried walking tourist traffic during the day, and students, etc returning from the lower part of town throughout the night. It was possible to almost completely block out the noise from these things with the windows and shutters. If we wanted to enjoy the sounds of the local night life, we could, but we didn't need to.It would be a nice gesture to carry your poles as you make your way through a sleeping village at 6 o’clock in the morning, and yes, I have heard that the only function of the rubber tip is to prevent the metal tip ripping your backpack.
This is an absolutely hysterical storyThis reminds of of a clickity clacking perigino I wrote a short story about:
It is a pleasant day strolling along country lanes with hardly a person in sight. In fact, on this camino there are so few fellow peregrinos I usually never see another one while walking, only catching up with a few each evening at the albergue.
But this afternoon I hear the clickity clack of walking sticks on the bitumen and soon another peregrino catches up with me. With a pleasant ¨Buen Camino¨ he passes and continues on his way clickity clacking along the very narrow road with its high stone fences.
After a while he disappears out of sight around a bend ahead and I am alone on the road apart from a German bloke some 100 metres behind me.
Then, suddenly, the peregrino reappears and he is coming straight at me at a rapid rate of knots with his walking sticks also clickity clacking at a great rate of knots.
I rapidly conclude that he has either had something drop of his backpack or realised he left something behind in the albergue where he slept last night and is now hurrying back to retrieve it.
But I am wrong on both counts as soon becomes evident when a tractor roars around the bend chasing the pilgrim.
There is just no space on the road as the tractor fills up every bit of the asphalt between the stone fences and the poor pilgrim has had to turn around and go hell for leather to get away from this behometh and save himself from being squished flat on the bitumen like an ant.
I chuckle to myself as I watch the peregrino head towards me with the tractor up his tail. There is nowhere for him to go as he is closed in by the fences on each side.
It is the funniest thing I have seen since I started the camino.
Then it slowly dawns on me that, uh oh, I am on the same road and the pilgrim, still clickity clacking rapidly, and tractor are coming at me. Therefore I am in the same predicament.
My laughing quickly stops as I also do not want to become roadkill. I look around. No escape anywhere.
Rather than turning around I keep on walking desperately looking for a bolt hole. Then I spot a piece of the fence that has broken away. Quickly clambouring up, I stand on top of the fence and watch as the peregrino continues to be chased by the tractor. Now that I am safe I again find the situation quite amusing and reach for my camera and take a quick snap as the tractor chases the clickity clacking pilgrim.
Just as it catches him the pilgrim reaches a little clearing in the roadside and jumps into it as the tractor roars past.
Soon the tractor gets to where I am standing safely on the fence. With a huge grin and a wave to me the driver passes on and I again look along the road.
The other peregrino has reappeared, turned around and is once more clickity clacking towards Santiago. I never see him again but often wonder what he thought.
That night, as I tell my story and show the photo around the dinner table, there is considerable merriment among fellow pilgrims. Some laughing at me as much as at the other peregrino.
ExactlyThe op was being humorous and joking around. The debate now seems to be how one should make humor recognizable so it is not mistaken for being meant serious.
Say no to the rubber tips you can add to your poles. Here’s my argument.
What is the number 1 purpose of your poles? It’s to keep you from falling and suffering an ignominious end to your Camino because of a torn knee, twisted ankle or wrenched back.
What’s the purpose of the rubber tips? Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke. Instead think of the clicking as a Proustian Madeleine, something to warm future memories.
Adding the rubber negates the purpose of the hard tip. It will no longer grab on dewy grass, moldy leaves or muddy descents. The pole is now useless, an affectation not a serious hiker’s tool.
I will entertain no argument that you can take the tips off and on. Sure for the first 2 days and then you’ll stop. Or you won’t bother just for 10m of nastiness. It’s like saying you’re going to limit yourself to 1 drink at communal dinner. Ain’t going to happen.
I ask now that the moderators close this thread because all contra arguments will violate Rule 112b (section C).
Yours,
Bombay Bill, on his 2nd glass, upright and injury free in El Pito on the Norte.
Oh for Heaven sake. You can put them on and off depending on walking conditions.Say no to the rubber tips you can add to your poles. Here’s my argument.
What is the number 1 purpose of your poles? It’s to keep you from falling and suffering an ignominious end to your Camino because of a torn knee, twisted ankle or wrenched back.
What’s the purpose of the rubber tips? Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke. Instead think of the clicking as a Proustian Madeleine, something to warm future memories.
Adding the rubber negates the purpose of the hard tip. It will no longer grab on dewy grass, moldy leaves or muddy descents. The pole is now useless, an affectation not a serious hiker’s tool.
I will entertain no argument that you can take the tips off and on. Sure for the first 2 days and then you’ll stop. Or you won’t bother just for 10m of nastiness. It’s like saying you’re going to limit yourself to 1 drink at communal dinner. Ain’t going to happen.
I ask now that the moderators close this thread because all contra arguments will violate Rule 112b (section C).
Yours,
Bombay Bill, on his 2nd glass, upright and injury free in El Pito on the Norte.
Apparently not.“Only to salve the sensitivities of the aurally woke.”
Seriously?
I had a similar problem until I realised that the cheap and cheerful pole tips that I had been buying did not have a metal washer spreading the load on the rubber. Once I started purchasing reasonable quality tips, they started to last much longer. In the past I have found the tips from Black Diamond amongst the best, and recently I bought a couple of pairs of tips from Decathalon that seem to be wearing well.Rubber tips never last me much more than a day before the tips are poking through the bottom of the rubber. I gave up on them years ago.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?