Phil,
Even in my 30's, I found that humping packs on steep and/or uneven terrain was a LOT easier when I had a pair of lightweight ski poles along. Fewer stumbles, easing a bit of strain off of the legs etc... Enough so that it easily compensated for the pound of extra weight. Do you use them? A single pole? Hardcore it?
Regards,
Scott
I am surprised nobody has come up with a little do-hickey that allows ski poles to be quickly and quietly clipped to form a set of shooting sticks..I am not talking about rubber bands or Velcro, but a male/female pivoting quick disconnect fixture which allows the poles to be used for walking as normal but still convert to shooting sticks when required..