Why does a hiking stick make a great gift for a young person in your life?

A hiking stick is a symbol of journey. It is not disposable. Once you have walked with a stick over an arduous day or a string of days, one is reluctant to send the stick back from whence it came. A curious relationship has developed, memories have been transferred to the stick for safe keeping.

A beautifully crafted walking stick is the gift of tomorrow. It is the gift that stands by a door, always visible to its owner, always tempting you to wander. Goading you to get off the computer, put down the book and go for a walk to explore country. A gifted stick offers adventure, confidence and practicality. The first thing your loved one will do is hold the stick. Allow their hands to run all over it, feel the heft, acknowledging it as a thing of tactile art and a companion for the journey. They will examine the foot, the taper, the tip, the finish, the lanyard. You will bear witness to the yearning in their eyes, eager to take it for a walk and challenge themselves.

The gifted stick offers the perfect launchpad for the philosophical discussions required for the broader formation process of your young person. Take some quality time to go walking and allow the conversations to flow, the contest of ideals to be laid out. 

Stick walking makes a statement. It tells others that you are on a journey and that you are passing through. But more importantly it puts the bearer of the stick into the present. That other world, the world where technology, social media and commerce don’t matter. It enables an immersion into your immediate environment, be it remote country or a suburban linear streamside reserve. It enables time out, an opportunity to process everything going on in the real world.

As an aside, the stick doubles as a self defense aid.

“Walk softly and carry a big stick”

So consider the humble stick as a gift for a birthday, graduation or other significant event. It makes a unique and thoughtful present.