I used to think hiking poles were for old knees until a ranger in Yosemite told me one thing
I always skipped poles on solo trips because I figured they were for folks carrying 40 pound packs. Then a ranger at the Tuolumne Meadows station pointed out that on steep downhills they cut the pounding on your knees by a lot, and after using them on a 22 mile loop I felt the difference. Now I'm trying to figure out if cork grips are worth the extra $40 or if foam is fine, what do you all use?