How-To: Make a trekking pole from a branch
On my last backpacking trip, as I made my way to Cold Mountain one of my aluminum Black Diamond trekking poles snapped. The cause baffled me. I planted the pole in the mud, leaned forward, and as I did the pole just went. With over a day and half of hiking to go, I stopped and made a hiking pole from a fallen branch.
The following day I needed to put the stick away, but it was wood and much too long to do anything with so I was forced to carry it. As I walked back, ideas for how to make a trekking pole started popping in my head.
If you’re interested in making your own, keep reading. It’s actually pretty easy. You’ll need a few things, some tools, and about an hour to do the brunt of the work.
The king is crowned at the 2012 NBA slam dunk contest
Last year, Blake Griffin dunked over a car, Ibaka dunked from the free throw line and JaVale McGee dunked in two different hoops. This year, Jeremy Evans did his best to top these performances in the 2012 NBA dunk contest. Unfortunately for him, and for the other competitors, a virtual unknown took center stage.
bebeJosito, on his first and only dunk of the evening, walked up to the basket eating a stalk of celery, slammed the ball through the hoop, then mocked would be haters as fans piled on the court.
Backpacking in NC: Flat Laurel Creek to Cold Mountain
Two years ago my buddy, Coop, and I met a backpacker named Chris at the base of Shining Rock while backpacking in NC. Chris had just turned back due to extreme conditions, and we were looking for a place to camp before the sun went down. Before parting ways, the three of us exchanged contact information and have kept in touch since.
This past weekend, the three of us met up at Sam Knob via the Flat Laurel Creek trail off of NC Highway 215 (Lake Logan Road) to hike our way to the top of Cold Mountain. Coop and I took Friday to get an extra day of camping and an Anywhere5K to the top of Sam Knob’s 6,055′ peak, and Chris joined us on Saturday morning at the Black Balsam Road parking lot.
