The trip to Hunts Cove was my first trek with these (or any) poles on the trail.  It took me quite a bit of time to become accustomed to the rhythm and gait needed to swing and step while placing the pole correctly with the opposing foot.  Luckily I had read up on proper use and how to hold the handles without having my hands in a death grip (google search for "Pete's Poles Page").  The key to not causing fatigue in my hands was to be sure to put my hands thru the straps from below, causing them to wrap around the back of my hand and up between my thumb and pointer finger.  I then must be sure not to hold the handle in a firm grip, but rather loosely balancing or swinging in my hand.  The strap and back of my hand will take the bulk of the strain when load is applied during use.

Once I had the method down, I could pay attention to how it felt.  The first half of the trek was on a fairly low grade slope, which was perfect for becoming accustomed to their use.  I spent some time playing with the height adjustment and found it quite easy to use and adjust.  I had no problems with slippage on the adjustment locking mechanisms.   The poles adjust by rotating the section to be adjusted counter clockwise, loosening the locking mechanism, then pull or push that section until it is at the desired length.  Once adjusted to length, simply rotate the section clockwise until it is tight and does not slip when vertical pressure is applied.  Occasionally, I was not able to tighten a section after adjustment.  This seems to be caused by over loosening the section for adjustment.  The solution is to fully extend that section until the locking mechanism is almost exposed, then begin to tighten it.  Once you feel a “grip”, then begin to readjust to your desired length while at the same time continuing to tighten (rotate clockwise) it.

There was one stream crossing over rocks and logs for which I found the pole most invaluable and even helped keep a companion, who I let borrow them for the crossing, from falling in when he slipped on a rock.

The final part of this hike was at a much steeper grade, for which I shortened the poles and used them to assist in climbing.  There was about a mile of this trail that was still not cleared from the early spring growth and I did find that the baskets would become snagged or entangled.  It was not until some months later that someone told me I should have just removed the baskets to prevent this from being a problem.

Where I noticed the most benefit was the next day on the return trip.  With the poles at full extension, I made it back to the trailhead with out an ounce of pain in my knee that I had become so accustomed to suffering through.

The trip to South Sister was the second time out with these poles on an extended trip.  My observations as to the relief of my knee pain were still true.  This trip also had a much steeper and continuous grade on a scree covered trail with occasional light bouldering.  I relied much more heavily on the poles on both the ascent and descent, being now familiar with their use and swing.

On the return from the summit, I was able to use the poles much like one would ski poles in a "jump and skid" style of descent on the scree.  This made my descent much faster, while not adding pain to my knees.

Finally, I used the poles on this trip to guy out the fly over my Hammock, adding yet another facet of utility to these poles.