Hmm! Strong opinions. Well, I've only played with an ice axe briefly, so this is mostly hypothetical -- my 2c.

But I can see some summer utility in certain situations. I often walk on trails where invasive, very spiny plant species are an ongoing problem. I have wished more than once for a long-handled digging tool to thin out the herd as I'm passing through. A shovel is too heavy to schlep along; a thin, strong pick on a walking stick would fit the bill.

To quote a movie that (purportedly) quotes a famous American: "I don't care what anything was designed to do, I care about what it can do."

IMHO some of the ideas put forward on this thread are a little unrealistic.

An ice axe is basically not suitable for general walking, it's a specialized tool for ice/winter climbing.

A typical hiker or outdoorsman will never need an ice axe. Unless you've had plenty of qualified instruction in winter climbing there is absolutely no reason to get an ice axe other than novelty value.

I guess you could carry an ice axe in summer on well established trails, but I just can't see why. A small hatchet and a hiking pole weigh about the same and will accomplish a lot more in that sort of situation.

But sure, an ice axe with a serrated pick does look awesome.

You can always think outside the box and improvise, but it may not always be worth the trouble. You could use a hunting rifle as a walking aid and for pounding tent stakes. Would it make sense? Probably not.

Tom,

Although I agree with most of what you said, I must disagree with this statement. I have used my glacier axe (a long one) many times as a walking stick for the approach. Although it may not be as good as my walking stick, it is very suitable. Like my walking cane on the city streets, it provides an excellent 3rd leg in unstable situations. My climbing axe would not, so it goes on my pack and I carry my segmented walking staff.

Again I would not buy one just for general walking - there are better choices IMHO. But they do work well if you have one of the right length and I would not hesitate to take mine if I felt it would be more useful on the particular trail than my staff.

Respectfully,

Jerry

And the spike at the end of the shaft is great for picking up trash, but, yes,it is a specialized tool for frozen water...

Colleagues, Dougwalkabout was correct, many strong (and useful) opinions! To all who were crtical of my planned use, thank-you. Your frank appraisals are appreciated and will require me to review and maybe reassess my plan. That's never a bad thing. To those who were supportive or semi- supportive, thanks also. You've given me some good ideas for plan improvement.

I had such a situation just last summer. The quite popular 9 miles trail, at one place going down along the small creek bed to the scenic waterfall on the ocean beach, had been quickly (in the matter of hours) worn out in one critical place to the level that there were no easy way to get back up the cliff from the beach anymore using just bare hands (people were jumping down the small cliff and eventually destroyed the natural "step stone" below). Those on the beach already were stuck at first, but then had to help each other to get over the cliff back pulling and pushing their friends over about 5.5 feet high obstacle. I'm sure an Ice axe would be a perfect solution there for a late solo hiker (no friends or strangers to help). If not just simply gripping the soft sedimentary rock over the cliff in one hit of the axe and pulling himself over - then using it to quickly dig a couple of dimples or steps in the wall to step on...

Pictures would help,but we must be dealing with some extremely soft rock! A lot would depend upon one's rock climbing/scrambling ability, but at 5.5' height a mantle move might be just the trick. If the rock is really that soft, almost anything, like a tin cup or even bare hands (used judiciously) would provide suitable indents....but that would be cheating. And I thought the Channel Islands had soft, crummy rock!

A trail of use,such as you describe, is not what comes to mind for the phrase "well established trail." It suggests something that is constructed.

Alex: Your story has some interesting social implications...

Dear fellow ETS'ers, are there any social stigma associated with bringing an ice axe to the beach at summer? Just askin'...

It seems I'm not the first one down this track. Petzl and Stubai both took a stab at a hybrid ice axe and telescoping trekking pole. Naturally neither is in production (too expensive anyway) but interesting to look at.


Petzl's version extends to 105 cm:




Stubai's extends to 95 cm:




Also, FWIW, I came across a Seattle company that makes a 100 cm single-piece ice axe (no affiliation): http://smcgear.net/ice-axes-hammers-accessories/capra-ice-axe-100cm.html

"The Lake Wenatchee Trail Helper" 1972

by District Ranger Richard Woodcock

"Universally the most accepted walking stick is the ice-axe"



From the book-