H ere is a section entitled, "Unfavorable Terrain," culled from the information-packed e-book entitled: "THE WILDERNESS WALKING STAFF ELECTRONIC BOOK" (©1999).

	Part 1

	Walking and Walking Staffs.

B efore I talk about assembling what for several years I've called a Wilderness Walking Staff (W.W.S.), I'd like to devote this part of the W.W.S.E.B. to showing you some of the advantages of walking with a simple staff or stick. Any staff, whether it is fashioned from a dead, small jack pine tree, a straight piece of driftwood or even a broom handle, will do. I want to show you that a hiking staff has a fundamental place in every walker's inventory, no matter if you're a novice hiker, or, an experienced backpacker.

The first topic I'd like to discuss is how a walking staff provides a walker with

	Support.

As you'll see, a staff will support a walker under an assortment of difficult conditions, especially in

	Unfavorable Terrain.

Whether ascending, descending, or walking a level terrain, a staff that can support my full weight can be invaluable; in many cases, necessary to safe passage. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, I've noticed that blow-downs and dead-falls often pose a hazard to safe footing, especially with exposed boot laces, backpack straps or loose clothing (not to mention an errant arm or foot). Sometimes I've had to cross large, heavy-foliaged branches lying at the trail's foot or, once, a hundred year old Balsam Fir torn from its root during a particularly windy Autumn. Branches lay in a chaotic line, extending from the tree trunk like a wall. Many branches were snapped, broken from the tree's impact with the earth and more debris was strewn about; nature renewing itself can pose quite a barrier. Obviously, it's wiser to walk around these obstacles, but often times I can't; the circuitous route being an even greater hazard. In such cases, I am glad to have a staff with which to push or hold branches aside or underfoot (not only for deadfalls and blowdowns, but for stinging plants such as Hemlock, Stinging nettle and others) while I pass unencumbered (read unstung) over them. For small boulders, rock-like mounds of compacted earth and potholes lying under or beside fallen trunks such as these, a staff is a good probe, for obvious reasons. I want to be aware of these "blind" hazards before I come to them.

In other words a staff guides me, turning an often unstable, unsafe crossing into one that can be traversed with confidence. Smooth, rain-soaked rock and leaf-littered surfaces for instance, abound in Autumn. These surfaces make for treacherous walking, with or without a load. With a staff, I'm on three legs instead of two. I'm more secure in my person than I am without one. In "The Complete Walker III," Collin Fletcher writes, "...[A staff] converts me when I am heavily laden from an insecure biped into a confident triped."

During the Winter months, a hiking staff distributes my weight more equitably over snow and ice, reducing the risk of slipping or even, collapsing into depressions such as ice pockets. Ice pockets form in the low spots on a trail and often get covered with fresh snow or ice. If I can't go around them, I can punch into these areas with my stick before I walk over them. Eskimos have long used what they refer to as "Oonoks" (hunting poles) to help them travel the Arctic ice fields and to stay clear of ice pockets. If an Eskimo falls through the ice the Oonok serves as a horizontal anchor, holding the Eskimo's weight over a wider surface area and thus allowing the person to crawl or squirm to safety. This technique saves Eskimo lives every year.

As in the Arctic ice fields or on high-elevation trails, in bog country, swamp, muskeg or other spongy ground, deep, hidden pockets also pose a problem. Often the only solid footing in Canadian bog country is on hummocks of vegetation such as sparse willows, smaller arctic birch and spruce trees where the roots appear in clumps at their bases. Moss and various grasses grow on these "islands" as well, providing a rather precarious, but surer footing than what you would find between them, which is, where the caribou moss grows, the hardpan that made the bog. Sometimes the hardpan can be as deep as six feet below the surface. In "Outdoor Lore and Woodcraft," outdoor guru Clyde Ormond writes, "If you do fall in boggy terrain, try to land "spread-eagle--that is, with arms and legs outspread. This distributes the weight over a greater surface."

If I do chance a fall in such terrain, spread-eagle or otherwise, my staff can catch solid foundation, which means I'll be able to pull myself to safety. By carrying a staff in such areas, small jumps or hops between "islands" are made much safer, reducing the risk of falling considerably. A pocket one meter across, for example, doesn't pose a problem even when I'm carrying a heavy backpack; but, I don't expect to travel great distances either. A staff will also protect against tipping in difficult terrain; will take a considerable impact when I land (better a broken staff than a foot), and allows me to vault potholes I couldn't otherwise cross.

Other types of crossings are also made safer, not to mention possible. Fording fast-flowing streams, creek beds or even rivers are just a few examples. In each case, particularly if through murky water I can't see the bottom (often you can't see the bottom even when it's clear), a staff searches out loose boulders and rocks, muddy soft spots and holes. In the far north, where rivers are quick and unforgiving, having a staff can make the difference between crossing and staying on the same side. In cases where a shaky log bridge is available to cross a stream, creek or even river, a staff acts as an important balancing aid.

For larger rocky outcroppings in deserts or elsewhere, a staff will not only help keep my balance while walking a curvy, loose sand- or soil-ridden section, but lends a helping hand in case I need a push up and over or down and out of a difficult stretch. On a gravel, dirt or forested slope or hill, whether on my way up or down at night or day, whether the earth is wet or dry or windy, a staff lends the support that is vital to walking safe in unfavorable terrain.