I haven’t written about hiking poles in awhile, and this story in an Oregon newspaper offers a fine excuse. The article primarily focuses on “nordic walking,” which I define as cross-country skiing minus the skis and the snow.

According to LEKI’s Smith, people using poles “end up walking faster, and generally about 20 percent farther” than they would without poles. Their heart rate also increases with the extra arm motion, and the number of calories burned per mile walked goes up by as much as 40 percent, according to some researchers.

“You’re bringing back, chest and abdominal muscles into play, plus your posture is better,” Smith said. “One of the most important benefits of Nordic walking is posture improvement.”

Well, posture’s always nice, just ask your mom. A few things about poles to keep in mind:

• Poles cannot defy the laws of physics — they don’t "take weight off"
  anything, knees, feet, shins, etc. They merely redistribute weight more equitably.
• Poles add weight. If you’re obsessed with shaving off ounces, skip
  the poles and use dead tree limbs to hold your tarp up.
• Pole technique is critical: you have to develop a rhythm so that your poles
  move in sync with your feet — one step, one pole motion. It takes a while
  to figure it out, but if you don’t do it you’re not really getting the most
  use from your poles.
• Poles work your body much harder than walking — you can’t "burn 40
  percent more calories" without 40 percent more work. They may allow you
  to walk further but they can increase the risk of overall exhaustion, especially
  in hot weather.

I hike with poles all the time because otherwise my upper body would never get any exercise. Poles do make things a bit easier for my feet and knees, and they’re excellent to have around on tricky terrain. Nevertheless, poles add physical exertion, so don’t buy a pair thinking they’ll make your hikes easier. They won’t.