doin light hiking? I'm 33 years old and have mild cerebral palsy. I go out of town occassionally with the folks and do some light walking/hiking from time to time to see various sights (normally a half mile at best). This weekend though, we are going to a place where I may have to walk up to a mile or two (round trip).
The problem is that my knees and ankles are not in the best of shape and tend to act up occassionally. Also, because of the CP, my leg muscles occassionally stiffen up on me (causing difficult walking conditions). It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does I need to either sit down or lean on something as I walk to support my weight (255 lbs) and to give me better balance in order to continue walking.
Most of these little adventures are on fairly flat/stable dirt or very light rocky ground (nothing too adventerous). I love going for these little hikes, but at the same time, I don't want to slow down the family too much. So I want something that will make it easier for me to get around and to improve my mobility for longer distances. Trekking poles sound like the answer but I don't know anything about them, and don't know which type will work best for my needs or for my weight limit. I plan to go to REI and a couple of other sporting goods stores tomorrow to see what they have in stock.
What type of trekking pole would be best for me?
The problem is that my knees and ankles are not in the best of shape and tend to act up occassionally. Also, because of the CP, my leg muscles occassionally stiffen up on me (causing difficult walking conditions). It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does I need to either sit down or lean on something as I walk to support my weight (255 lbs) and to give me better balance in order to continue walking.
Most of these little adventures are on fairly flat/stable dirt or very light rocky ground (nothing too adventerous). I love going for these little hikes, but at the same time, I don't want to slow down the family too much. So I want something that will make it easier for me to get around and to improve my mobility for longer distances. Trekking poles sound like the answer but I don't know anything about them, and don't know which type will work best for my needs or for my weight limit. I plan to go to REI and a couple of other sporting goods stores tomorrow to see what they have in stock.
What type of trekking pole would be best for me?