That One Missing Box

Over six months have passed since we moved across the country. Seven months ago, I packed the last box, and in it were my two favorite stoves: the MSR Windpro and the Snowpeak. My GSI long-handled spoons.

But the last thing to go in…was my trekking poles, which were both ultralight and specifically designed for short women. And so much more. This box contained my favorite gear, which I used every week.

We still have boxes to unpack… but this box has yet to be found. Did the movers lose literally just one box? I have gone through the remaining boxes, and yet I don’t see it marked on the outside in bold black letters.

My mood grew more foul. Fall hiking season is here…and all I had were the “spare” lender hiking poles that weigh so much.

I thought about it hard and realized I had had those poles for a long time. I had bought them in early 2007.

And the trails (and non-trails) that those trekking poles saw. Up in Mount Rainier National Park, on the way to Byurroughs 2 and 3.

Deep in Olympic National Park, along the Elwha River, the poles formed the frame for my Anti-Gravity Gear tarp tent (I still own that tent – it is the lightest tent I have). I spent many a night in it.

Plodding along in a snowstorm, along the Pacific Crest Trail, those poles were my second legs constantly. I hiked all around the United States, Alaska, Mexico, and even took them to Antarctica.

A little history: My husband was hiking on a glacial moraine in Alaska and bit it bad on the marbles (that being the gravel on the moraine). His poles, which were also Leki, saved him. Yes, he fell, but he self-arrested with them, stopping a slide that could have been very bad. It was so jarring that he snapped his pole. When we arrived in Juneau, he was going to discard them in the garbage before we flew out, but after I contacted Leki, they sent us the parts to replace the pole. He had bought those in 2003, and it was 2021. The parts almost beat us to our house before we even got home. And they looked (and worked) perfectly.

So I have a loyalty to Leki. Their products are well-designed and built, and they back them. In today’s market of cheap, Chinese-made gear, that is rare.

But I finally thought about it long and realized – I had used them for so many years. Maybe it was OK to replace them. And if I do find the box of missing gear, then perhaps I will keep them as “lending” poles for hiking partners.

I finally broke and ordered myself a new pair of hiking poles this week. I decided on a pair of Leki Spirit Lite Compact poles.

These are the same, in most ways, as my original poles were. They are one of the few hiking poles on the market for shorter women. Not that men couldn’t use them, but that print is lovely on them. My original set had a shiny finish with flowers, and I prefer the matte finish they now have. At $110, it’s a fair price, especially as they are made in the Czech Republic, and not in China.

They pack down to 25.2″ inches, which is one of the shortest packing poles you will find – the old ones always fit on my backpacks easily. They weigh 8.6 ounces each, and will adjust from 90 to 125 cm (35.33 to 49.21″ inches). Keep that in mind if you plan to use your trekking poles to set up a tent or tarp, mainly to ensure they will be long enough. That is the only real drawback of the “compact” size of poles. It was only an issue a few times in the past for me. Otherwise, it was always nice to have gear that fit my shorter stature.

My new poles will be seeing the trail very soon….

~Sarah