
Subject: The Scout Staff.. 
From: jim.
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 94 08:05:00 -0500

Article #23
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The Spirit of the Staff
Greybeard
Leader Magazine, May 1989.

A staff is a basic tool for the outdoor traveller.  For thousands of years,
the walking stick has been symbol, weapon, record, and support for the tired
feet and legs of the wanderer.  Even today, on the trail or in camp, it has
a hundred uses.

For centuries, labourers used the staff to support loads and defend themselves
against man and beast.  Egyptian hieroglyphics picture travellers with sticks
in hand.  The Bible is full of references to staffs.  The ancient Druids, who
believed each copse had its own living spirit, apologized to a tree before
cutting it for a staff.  Banned from owning conventional weapons, the poor
of many countries traditionally turned to the staff for protection.

The staff is also a symbol of authority and power.  Moses used his to part 
the sea and to get water from a rock.  In Egypt, the staff and the shorter
rod were the Pharaoh's symbols of office.  Today, the mace, an ornate and
stylized version of a staff, symbolizes the power of parliament.  At the same
time, the staff, especially a staff with a crook, has always represented the
humble shepherd.  Truly, this is a stick for all men.

In B.-P's day, the staff was considered an important part of a Scout's outdoor
equipment.  Today, a stylized figure with a staff marks trails in many modern
parks and is often used to indicate the availability of hiking trails in 
recreation and wilderness areas.  In many countries, the same symbol indicates
a hostel - a place of rest for a weary walker.

As a weapon, a stick or cudgel was once a match for the sword, at least in
legend.  Sensei (master) Frank Lee of Martial Arts International says two
major forms of the staff are used in modern oriental martial arts, but he also
says that "unless a person is trained to know the spirit of the staff, it is
just a stick."

Record keeping is one of the oldest uses for a staff.  The ancient Norse used
a notched stick called a skor to keep track of numerical information, and the
word stuck around to become today's "score".  Some native American peoples
carried coup sticks decorated with carvings and feathers to commemorate
victories in battle.  My wife and I first encountered a modern version of this
kind of record keeping in the Alps, where every town and tourist attraction
sells little metal crests to tack onto a walking stick.  We came away with
dozens of tiny tin memories of the places we hiked.  Now, you can buy the
same kind of metal plaques in Canadian holiday areas such as Banff.

On the Trail

People tend to personalize their walking sticks.  Frequently, they are
ornately carved.  Many Scouts "keep skor" by carving a mark for every so-many
kilometres hiked or inking in the names of trails covered.  At the 1971 World
Jamboree in Japan, for example, Scouts who climbed Mount Fuji were issued a
staff at the bottom.  At each checkpoint along the way, it was marked with
Japanese characters.

Decorated or not, a staff belongs on the trail.  "A hiking stick helps make
the miles glide by," wrote Robert Birkby in Boys Life magazine.  "It swings
comfortably in your hand, offering balance and a rhythm to your gait."

In dense overgrowth, use the staff to push aside brush and cobwebs and to
prevent branches from whipping into your face.  If the trail is wide enough,
slip it behind your hips and hoist your pack to give your back a break.  You
can lift up underbrush to search for berries or pry up logs and rocks to 
satisfy your curiosity about what's underneath.  When it's time for a rest,
put your pack on the ground and brace it with the staff for an on-the-spot
easy chair.

On more adventurous terrain, the walking stick is even more useful.  It is a
handy balance aid when crossing log bridges.  Used as a brace to lean on, it
can be a life-and-sprained-ankle-saver on hills, rocky ground, and slippery-
bottomed streams.  Marked with a measuring scale (zero at the bottom), it is
useful for measuring water depth and the size of specimens.  And, it's much
safer to poke into holes and behind rocks with a staff rather than your hand.

A staff is handy in many emergency situations, as well.  Two staves make a 
quick litter or stretcher.  One can be a reaching aid for a comrade struggling
in the water.  It will support you if you fall through ice.  You can use it
as a crutch if necessary, or make it into a mast for a sail on a canoe. 
Whenever it saves you the time of having to find and cut a pole, you will
appreciate having it handy.

In camp, especially above treeline, the staff can become a makeshift ridgepole
or tentpole.  It is instantly available for lifting hot pots off the fire or
proppping up a billy of tea.  With a few staves, you can produce a flagpole
or a camp gadget.  Weighted with rocks, snow, or dirt, it becomes a "deadman"
to replace those lost tent pegs.

A staff is fun to play with, too.  In winter, slide it along the snow in a
game of Snowsnakes.  In summer, hurl it like a javelin or build it into a
pioneering project.  And for sheer relaxation on a rainy day or quiet evening,
there is little more pleasant than sitting under a tree or tarp and carving
a staff.

My favourite hiking stick was one I started with when I first left home.
Carved on top with the head of a bearded woodsman, it recorded my climbs and
hikes, went with me on my honeymoon, saw my move into the country, and was
hurled into the air at the birth of my first son.  Over the years, such a
staff becomes very much a part of your life.  When our pup chewed it half
through, I was sorely tempted to use it on the mutt and, when it broke shortly
after, I felt I had lost a friend.  Perhaps Sensei Lee and those old Druids
were right.  A staff is more than just a piece of wood.  There is a spirit 
to it.


Making a Staff

You can make a walking stick from almost any type of wood.  Green wood is not
suitable and sound conservation practices mean never cutting a living tree.
Hardwoods such as ash, oak, and maple are good choices if you can get them.
Old Robin Hood would have preferred yew or sweet chestnut.  Bamboo is light
and strong and, in some areas, diamond willow and saskatoon are popular.
Poplar, aspen and birch are okay, although I find them a bit heavy.  Conifer
saplings are usually straight, light, and strong.  Use whatever you can find
in your area.

Choose standing deadfall that is straight and free from checks (splits) with
the bark firmly attached.  When you are ready to strip off the dried bark, a
draw stroke works best.  It isn't necessary to take off all the bark: simply
smooth the stick at the handgrip.

The length of your walking stick is pretty much a matter of taste.  Some like
a short, light stick just above waist level.  Others choose one about chin
height.  For balance and utility, I've always preferred a staff above the
level of my eyes.

Your staff needs to be thick enough to be stong, thin enough to be light, and
comfortable to carry.  A pole three to four centimetres diameter at the base
and four or five at the butt (thich end) is find for me (I'm on the small
side).  I carry the butt up because I find the balance better that way, but
some prefer butt down and others whittle the butt so that the staff is of 
uniform diameter for its whole length.

When you smooth the handgrip or if you personalize the staff by carving spirals
or rings, take care not to cut too deeply.  I've seen many carved staffs break
at a crucial time.  It's best to keep the carving on the head only for safety
around the top.

You can protect the lower end with a metal ferrule to reduce wear.  A short
piece of iron pipe works well.  Carve the bottom of the staff until it is
just barely too big to fit the pipe, then heat the ferrule with a torch or
boiling water.  Using a glove or cloth to handle the hot pipe, drive it
firmly over the end of the staff.  When it cools, it will grip tightly.

If your staff wasn't properly dried, the ferrule may loosen.  Drive in a wedge
or glue it on with epoxy cement.  More simply, you can glue on a rubber cane
or crutch tip.  This is definitely preferred if you bring the staff into a
hostel or hotel room.

Those who are not into rough and rustic can sand or plane the staff and add
a finish of any outdoor varnish or occasionally apply a coat of stain or oil.
But raw wood takes on a beautiful sheen from persperation, and you may
achieve all the finish you want just by handling your staff kilometre after
kilometre.
