I'm an old woodsperson and nature photographer living in King and Queen County in Eastern, Virginia.
My son and I were out the other day looking for salamanders in a swamp and cut a couple of walking sticks and I hit on an idea. Someone else might want to buy one of these. They're great for turning over logs under which a copperhead may be resting.or a black widow may be lurking. They're also good to keep you from falling in a hole or tripping over a vine. Good for aid in fording a stream. Good for an old man like me to lean on when I get tired. You name it. Besides that, if you go to cut your own in a state or national forest or on private property, you might get in trouble. Outside of a good knife, a walking stick is the thing you need when you're walking on a trail or on an urban road.
    What we offer you is a variety of species of wood.in 54" to 58" lengths. They range from 1" to 1 1/2" inches in diameter and weight generally no more that 2 1/2 pounds. As the wood dries, it gets lighter.
     These staffs are selected from approximately 1,000 acres of hardwood forest on the banks of the Mattaponi River in King and Queen County, Virginia. What I cut for you is hornbeam (my personal favorite), beech, hickory , oak (white, pink and chinquapin), red cedar, sweet gum, red maple, sassafras, poplar (I don't recommend this), american holly and ash. Every now and then, I'll find a black cherry or a honey locust.
     What I don't cut for you is dogwood (It's too pretty to cut), and pine (it won't last and gums up your hands)
       My son and I hit the woods and select these things. Want a neat experience? Walk in the woods with your child and talk. As to the sticks, I cut them to length and take them to the pickup where the bark is shaved off. I try and leave some of the sap wood because it lends character and is pretty. Cutting the sticks benefits the forrest. It serves as a thnning and gives the larger trees room to grow. Sometimes, our sticks are limbs from a large tree. You never hurt a big tree by pruning a branch or two.

     After shaving the bark, the sticks are ready to ship. If you want one finished, there are other places you can go to get them. What I want my friends, customers, and kindred spirits to do is enjoy the woods Buy an Audubon guidebook or two, take a camera or a sketch pad, get out at dawn or dusk when the animals are moving and enjoy yourself. When your ass get's overloaded, God's creations are a refuge. If you want a perfectly straight staff, go to the hardware store and buy a piece of PVC pipe or conduit. They'll work just fine as walking staffs. If you want to sit down on a river bank, in a scenic area beside a road or next to a campfire and whittle on a stick while you enjoy nature or the company of a child or a friend, you need a piece of wood. I've still got the one I made when I was 12. My initials are on it, there's a snake on it and there are symbols (whose meaning is known only to me) denoting places I camped. I may pass this down to my child. It's a memory stick.
    Take your stick and carve on it Catalogue the places you've visited. You can't screw it up. Don't varnish it. Let the natural patina of the wood come out. It's a special thing. Above all, use it and enjoy it.

Ordering Information and Terms

All orders must be prepaid. Personal checks are acceptable. We only accept orders from within the Continental United States. Place orders by U.S. Mail. to:
Eastern Virginia Hiking Sticks
Route 1, Box 37
Walkerton, Virginia 23177

The unit price per hiking stick is Twenty Dollars and 00/100 U.S. ($20.00)
Shipping and handling is Six Dollars ($6.00)per hiking stick. All orders are shipped via the U.S. Postal Service, priority mail.

While we try to accomodate customers by filling orders with requested species of wood, we reserve the right to substitute a species other than that requested.

Telephone inquiries are always welcome. --- (804) 769-4764

Last modified on Monday, August 23, 1999