Stolen poles

[jo_nz]

I hope whoever stole my walking poles in O Pino last night really need them. I have been walking injured for weeks now and relied on them. To have them stolen from the Albergue with only 2 days to go - I hope you are happy with yourself!

 

[henrythedog]

I’m sorry to hear that.

Were they an expensive brand? Most albergues have a few abandoned or donated poles which someone in need could have easily obtained.

 

[wayfarer]

Stolen or taken in error?

 

[jo_nz]

I’m sorry to hear that.

Were they an expensive brand? Most albergues have a few abandoned or donated poles which someone in need could have easily obtained.

They were Leki brand. Have walked with me over 2600kms.

 

[falcon269]

I have used poles since 1999, so I too would be heartbroken and angry. Only once has someone headed off with my poles. I met them at the door, and they were very apologetic for their error, returning to their bed to get their actual poles.

 

[jo_nz]

Stolen or taken in error?

Mine were the only poles in the receptacle at reception so there could have been NO error!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I’m sorry to hear that.

Were they an expensive brand? Most albergues have a few abandoned or donated poles which someone in need could have easily obtained.

Does the cost matter? 2600km of history snatched away.

I saw a Japanese pilgrim bow in silent sadness when he left his poles behind at the Pilgrim Office.

 

[Walkalong]

Attachment to one poles / staff, can be a real thing. Walked with a guy who named his diy staff after just 4-5 days of a very demanding mountainous trek. Later discovered that people name parts of their kit to which they become attached.

Perhaps you will be reunited with them. Met a guy who found a set of poles supposedly abandoned by a mojón who was able to return them to the owner at a rest stop 4-5 km further along the path.

 

[Marbe2]

Mine were the only poles in the receptacle at reception so there could have been NO error!

I have expensive poles, and I never put them in the receptacle when staying in an albergue. Rather, I collapse my Leki poles. Then I put them inside my backpack before I enter the albergue. Sometimes, this necessitates taking other things out of my pack. in addition, I place my shoes in a large plastic bag and take them into my area and attach them to the my pack. Unfortunately, whether intentional or not, waking up without your shoes and/or sticks is a bummer.

 

[Bradypus]

Does the cost matter? 2600km of history snatched away.

I saw a Japanese pilgrim bow in silent sadness when he left his poles behind at the Pilgrim Office.

I agree. Plus the disappointment of the theft and the practical inconvenience if you really are dependent on the poles.

On the Shikoku pilgrimage pilgrims traditionally carry a wooden staff which represents Kukai walking alongside the pilgrim. So it is treated with respect. I couldn't bring mine home in my luggage so I posted it back. Took so long that I thought it had been lost in transit but it eventually turned up. Delighted to be reunited.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I agree. Plus the disappointment of the theft and the practical inconvenience if you really are dependent on the poles.

On the Shikoku pilgrimage pilgrims traditionally carry a wooden staff which represents Kukai walking alongside the pilgrim. So it is treated with respect. I couldn't bring mine home in my luggage so I posted it back. Took so long that I thought it had been lost in transit but it eventually turned up. Delighted to be reunited.

View attachment 176837

Now that's rather lovely.

 

[RJM]

There's a YouTube video where two peregrinas discover their trekking poles missing in the morning. The hospitaltero takes them in his car and off they go and actually locate the thieves walking in the Camino just a few kilometer away and who are definitely embarrassed for being caught red handed but unapologetic which I found repulsive. They just have dumb, sheepish looks on their faces when confronted.

 

[Jarrad]

I can empathize with your aggravation. I had a pair stolen when I placed my stuff for 4 minutes outside a restroom near a gondola overlooking Chamonix, France (the trail just happened to go past it and it was time for a pit stop). I'd used those poles all over the US and Europe, including a very special trip with my son, and had one more day of left on my trek when they were snapped up. They had all-cork handles that I loved, but REI no longer carries that particular model. On the up side, I came across a pair of Leki poles recently that also have cork handles and fit my hands even better.

Honestly, it was time for new poles anyway. I hope the loose locking nut that allowed one pole to keep collapsing didn't cause their new owner any problems on the very steep descent.

 

[Othorne78]

They were Leki brand. Have walked with me over 2600kms.

Those weren't Leki brand, they were YOUR Leki brand poles, 2600km, I would have cried

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have Leki poles that I've used in Colorado, but do not bring them on the Camino.
A bit off topic, but my most treasured hiking pole was a stick I found on the Via Francigena a day after leaving Lucca where I'd started walking. It was absolutely perfect and I chose it from a heap of sticks we passed by and my hand "fit like a glove" curled around its top. I surprisingly became extremely fond of it for the nearly four weeks of walking. Sadly, I abandoned it outside of Rome against this wall; knowing it was ridiculous to bring it home...it was just a stick.

 

[Gobsmacked by the World]

I am so sorry to hear this...for those of us who use hiking poles, they are an extension of our limbs, so having your poles stolen is (metaphorically) like losing a limb.
I've seen people accidently taking others poles as, in the early morning, with brain fog, and all the poles pretty much being black, people have taken other poles by mistake.
I attached a ridiculous amount (see below) of reflective tape to my Leki poles. It allows motorists to see me (I like early starts), prevents others from taking them in error, it also (I hope) makes them distinctive enough to dissuade thieves as they are too distinctive. I also hope that it will make me more visible to the aliens, so they can beam me up to the mothership.

With regards to your stolen poles, may I recommend:

https://www.amazon.ca/PATYGR-Halloween-Christmas-Ornaments-Knitwear/dp/B0CGVKF84S/ref=sr_1_6?sr=8-6

(joking, of course)

 

[jo_nz]

if it was just waking to the mother ship that would have been ok, the fact I actually needed them to walk was a totally different matter !