I myself and the five others of our group that will be hiking the Canol Trail do not use trekking poles at all. The suggestions we have read in taking the poles is to aid in some crucial spots along the trail such as the river crossings. The trail itself is mostly in wide open country such as seen below and as you can also see there can be a dearth of suitable downed trees for obtaining a decent stick....if and when it would be needed. We do not want or physically require the poles as daily walking assistants, rather we would carry them strapped to the packs and used for the river crossings as seen in the second photo below