Gear Review - Trekking Poles

So the next piece of gear I want to review is the Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Cork Trekking Pole. I bought these trekking poles near the start of the season in 2018, around April, and used them for the entire summer. It took me until the end of April to buy the trekking poles because I was pretty skeptical that they would actually help. However, Roslyn bought a set and I tried them out, finding I quite liked them.

Usability

I found these trekking poles pretty versatile. They have quick-lock clamps for sizing, which makes it fairly painless to lengthen or shorten them when ever you need to. There is also a long choke handle below the cork handle that makes it comfortable to quickly shorten you grip by about 6 inches. I found this very helpful on the up hills because I could just shift my hand position down without removing them from the wrist straps and they remained comfortable and effective.

Durability

These trekking poles have been used is the snow, rain, and heat, for both cruising over flat terrain and for helping with rocky climbs. I've leaned on them both with the direction of the shaft and side on, and they never creak or seem like they are going to break. I've also gotten them stuck in cracks between rocks and yanked on them pretty hard by accident and they survived. The tungsten carbide tip is still in create shape as well, even though I've been slamming it into bedrock all summer. I would say that these are very durable and will last you for a long time as long as they're used for their intended purpose.

The only part of the trekking pole that I think might wear out is the cork handle. It shrinks a bit as it dries out, especially in high heat environments, and your hands will slowly chafe away at the cork material causing it to fall off. There is an option for an EVA grip which would last longer, but I went with the more comfortable option.

Comfort

The cork gripped handle is amazing. After using it for a few weeks it completely conformed to my hand, kept them from getting too sweaty, and stayed tight in my grasp the entire time. The extra handle is made out of EVA foam, which is comfortable as well, but I prefer the cork as the main handle material.

While in use, the poles also generate very little vibration that your hand feels. This helps reduce fatigue in your hands and forearms, making extended use more comfortable and less taxing.

The quick-locks also provide a lot of comfort in my eyes. They easily snap in and out of the tight position, and are much nicer to use than the twist-locks.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a light weight, sturdy, comfortable trekking pole then these will work perfectly. There are aluminum options as well which are a bit heavier but less expensive, and a more durable 3K version of the carbon fiber pole which is more expensive. I think the regular carbon fiber is a nice balance between all the options.

Epinnette Trail - Day 1

Date: September 15, 2018

Length: 23.4 km

Elevation: 161 m

Time: 7 hours 10 minutes

The Epinnette Trail heads east from the highway in Sprucewoods Provincial Park and winds along the top of the valley. Roslyn, myself and our friend Joel headed out on it to see what it had to offer. This was Joel's first long distance trip, and he was pretty sore by the end of it carrying all the backpacking gear. Overall though, he said he enjoyed himself and were planning another trip with him this summer!

We spent most of the day walking the trail, as per usual. The weather was overcast with a breeze, which was nice when we were moving, but a bit chilly when we stopped for a break. We made pretty good time on the trail as its about 3 to 6 people wide and well kept. We made it to the third campsite it good time, setup the tents and enjoyed supper and hanging out at the picnic table.

Overall, the hike was okay. Roslyn and I enjoyed being out in nature and hiking with Joel, but the trail left something to be desired. There were no spectacular views or entrancing wild life sightings, which was expected given were we were travelling. The trail was also fairly easy (sorry Joel!) and didn't offer the challenge that we normally enjoy. All in all, the Epinnette Trail system is perfect for people looking for a leisurely hiking for the purpose of getting out into the woods, but lacks the extra punch of a challenge or spectacular views for the more experienced hiker.

Cedar Bog - First Hike of 2019!

Date: Febraury 11, 2019

Length: 2.6 km

Elevation: 37 m

Time : 42 minutes

Yay! First hike of 2019 complete! Roslyn and I went out for a night hike yesterday when it warmed up to -12C, we needed to get out side pretty badly after all the cold weather. Cedar Bog trail was a nice little loop, about three people wide and pretty level. About 300 m in there was a tree decked out in Christmas decorations, which was pretty interesting to stumble across in the dark.

The hike was short, but a good outlet for some energy we had built up. It was snowing the entire time, which turned my beard into block of ice. Other than that, there's not much to say about this short but sweet trail.

Gear Review - Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX Hiking Boots

Last summer I used the Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX Hiking Boots. I bought them early in the year and broke them in when the snow was still on the ground before wearing them all summer. So far, the boots have seen snow, rain, high and low temperatures, and 400+ km of use. They are an all around sturdy boot that I would recommend to anyone wanting a heavier backpacking boot. Here's a more in depth review.

The Break In Period

The break in period with these boots was quick and painless. I started wearing them and was worried they would be stiff at first, but after about 5 km of walking in them they started to conform to my foot and by the end of 10 km they were happily broken in. Since then they haven't changed much and are holding up well.

Support and Protection

These boots have kept my feet in one piece through some rocky and hill trails in the Canadian Shield. When laced properly they provide excellent support for both the arch of your foot and your ankle, and have helped prevent numerous rolled ankles. They are also rugged enough that I haven't hurt my feet yet by accidentally kicking a rock or step while doing a climb.

Temperature Control

Like all waterproof foot wear, these boots run a little warm. I was concerned about how they would perform heat control wise last July when we were hiking in temperatures of 30 degrees celcius, but they were still relatively comfortable and I wasn't really suffering from warm feet more than I expected. I also found that there were no hot spots in the boots where they were causing and sores to appear on my feet or heat rashes, so all in all I'd say they did quite well.

I have also been using these boots as my winter foot wear for the last few months in Winnipeg, Canada. With a decently warm sock they are good at keeping my feet warm down to about -20 degrees celcius. Any colder than that and my feet tend to start getting colder after about 25 to 30 minutes. They've been serving me pretty well during the polar vortex were experiencing (temperatures of -40 degrees celcius before the wind chill) as my commuting foot wear.

Water Proofing

The water proofing on these boots works very well. I've used them to walk through low streams and pools of water, stood in pools of water with them for 5 to 10 minutes, walked through dew soaked grass and bushes, and taken them out in a down pour. In all cases, the only time the boots were wet was because of operator error (I forgot to wear water proof pants once in a rain storm).

With that being said, the boots take forever to dry out if they do get wet. On a good day your looking at 4 to 5 hours to get them to dry out if its warm and you can get a good breeze blowing in to them. If its cooler, say around 15 degrees celcius, and there's either no breeze or its humid out, your looking at 10+ hours to get them to dry. When these boots were soaked on our hike of the Pisew-Kwasitchewan Falls trail I had them off and tried to dry them out for about 15 hours but the humidity and temperature meant they were still soaked the next morning. This is a pretty common problem with water proof boots that I new about before hand, but it still sucks to put wet boots on.

General Wear and Tear

These boots have been used pretty well and so far are holding up very well. All the eyelets are still in good condition, the arch support is functioning properly, the tongue is in good shape, the treads aren't deteriorating too quickly, and the laces are working well. Not much else to say here except that they are pretty sturdy.

Conclusion

I would recommend these to boots to people that are expecting to be putting in some miles in rugged terrain or with a moderate or greater amount of weight. For day hiking these boots are probably a bit more than you need, but on multi-day hikes like the Mantario trail with lots of elevation changes you would benefit from using these.