Desiree and I do a fair amount of walking amid downfall and steep inclines while at the cabin. I like to use a walking stick when doing so. Several years ago, I chanced upon the perfect natural walking stick at the edge of our cabin property. The stick is lightweight, straight, and incredibly rigid and strong.
The
stick is not a branch; rather, it is the entire length of a mature but greatly
stunted lodgepole pine. In optimal conditions, lodgepole pines can grow to a
height of 75 feet. Typically, such trees will reach a height of 6 feet in 10 or
11 years. But in cases where clusters of seeds germinate together, creating a
tightly packed cluster of trees, the trees suffer from sharing limited
resources and will remain stunted. I counted the growth rings of my stick as
best I could and derived an age of something over 40 years. Most lodgepole
pines will reach 30 to 50 feet in height at this age. I estimate my stick was
something near 6 feet in height when it died.
I
gifted the walking stick to Desiree. On my next trip to the cabin, I intend to
scour the small section of stunted forest to find another for myself.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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