Wednesday, March 23
You've seen people hiking with walking sticks.
Some are interesting, some plain. Some have been enhanced with a leather strap for ease of carrying or maybe even a bit of paint to personalize it.
But where do you get one, besides some store that wants to overcharge you for something you could probably make yourself?
Check your backyard. Or, when you're out for a hike yourself, look for fallen branches. Ones the length you need, or slightly longer, are good for a second look. So are ones with an exciting shape.
For a walking stick with an interesting texture, take a fallen branch off a cholla. When fresh, cholla limbs are thorny like a cactus. Once fallen, though, they lose their thorns and have a beautiful, almost woven pattern to them. For a smoother walking stick, try an old aspen branch. Find them in our tree nursery.
