Blog
First off you will be looking for a good straight piece of wood which will reach to about belly button height. I tried a few variations of thickness and found a lighter stick is preferable if your going to be tracking over any distance, and less cumbersome when your down in the dirt. mine is about 2.5cm in diameter at the top with a slight taper down to the tip.
Once the wood is cut its a matter of removing the bark and deciding how pimped you want your stick. rudimentary sticks have the edge of the stick at its base slightly chamfered to prevent the wood splitting and fraying too quickly. I found that an alpine spike bought from any online stick supplies (I used Highland Horn,) not only lengthens the sticks life considerably but also makes it easier to use.
the only other essential addition is 3 or 4 tracking rings also known as castration or lambing rings which can be rolled onto the stick and left on the shank. These can be bought from most agricultural suppliers in boxes of 100 (or you can send a pound via Paypal to shop(at)wildpath.co.uk along with your address and ill stick 10 in the post to you)
I have added a small button compass to the top of my stick and have seen others that have been intricately carved or split in two like a pool cue for ease of packing, but essentially your stick is ready to go as it is.
Before you hop onto onto your nearest trail its worth rubbing the stick with a stain to take its shiny whiteness away as this can be a sure give away when you least want it to, it doesn't have to be a fancy shop bought stain a couple of used tea bags rubbed over will give a brown hue or even leaving it in the elements for a few weeks.
There you have it your very own tracking stick. I'm off to the beach to get some pics of how to use it, be back tomorrow for that.....
