My favorite for a long time was one I found along the trail - a nicely ergonomic handle and just the right height. Another foundling was the mop handle I found on the beach at San Miguel Island. I really needed that one - I had banged up my wrist a few days earlier, the trails were wet and slippery, and I really could not chance a slip and fall.

One thing to be said about the adjustable hitech poles - their smaller diameter makes a significant difference when fording fast flowing streams. They are definitely easier to maneuver and place. The other situation where any stick, any stick at all, really shines is in rattlesnake country. I just whisper the famous Indiana Jones line - "It looks dangerous, you go first" - and away we go, my stick leading the way.