Hiking along the base of White Butte, North Dakota (the state's high point)

[maddie7777]

This looks too cold to matter, but hiking poles can be helpful on this one, as there are rattlesnakes around. The extra vibration they cause helps alert the snake that you are coming. Just FYI.

[zeekzilch]

@maddie7777

Interesting info - thanks!

[field16]

Beautiful shots of the terrain but does the person in front of you really need the poles?!

[zeekzilch]

You bring up a good point - I, myself, have been blessed with 53 year-old knees that never have a problem. So, I'm told that using poles helps people with bad knees. However, I'm skeptical because it would seem poles weaken your knees over the long-run (as evidenced by the increase in arm strength by those who use 'em). Nevertheless, to each his own!

- Roger J. Wendell