I use a lightweight canoe paddle as a walking stick up north--it affords stability while walking, plus balance while crossing beaver dams, and in a simple fashion I think it might provide protection from a black bear encounter.
Steve On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 5:42 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > James: > > Should you ever need a walking stick again I would like to recommend > dogwood. The stem almost always grows in a hook or "L" shape to the ground > and the options for a handle are incredible. I use a walking stick on a > daily basis on both my leisure and work related walks through the woods of > West Virginia. Once dry, dogwood becomes extremely light and it is very > strong and I have found that with daily use the stick will wear down at the > rate of about 1/2 inch per year. > > In terms of finding dogwood, I know it has become quite scarce in some > areas since dogwood Anthracnose nuked a lot of the population but they can > still be found and are worthy trees for the purpose. My personal favorite > walking sticks have been carved from dogwood trees between 1" and 1.25" > outside the bark that were growing on level or moderately sloping ground. > Before selecting a tree I also study the crown structure a little....if the > tree has the slightest lean or curvature, especially related to phototropic > influences, it should not be harvested for walking stick use because it will > warp too much as it cures to be useful. > > Because of Anthracnose I try to select trees as close to death as possible > to utilize for walking sticks and have found that once the trees are totally > dead they rapidly become brittle and useless to the point of being > potentially dangerous. > > Finally, if you ever do harvest a dogwood tree for a walking stick, > complete most of your carving before it dries....if you don't you probably > will give up on making it into a walking stick. The wood is the softest and > easiest to work in early summer and it is extremely hard to debark in > winter. > > And....nothing beats the feel of a walking stick on your hand that has been > polished smooth by your own DNA. > > Russ > > > > ------------------------------ > Stay up-to-date on the latest > news<http://www.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntaolcom00000024>- from fashion trends to > celebrity break-ups and everything in between. > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org You are subscribed to the Google Groups "ENTSTrees" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
