Walking Cane

One of my favorite pictures of my dad is of him sitting against a tree carving a walking stick. Carving is such a satisfying time. Diamond Willow is beautiful as a walking stick but I wanted to have a cane done before I needed to use one. For the hand grip I used a door knob I found at an Antique store.

 

Walking Cane

This walking cane is from a diamond willow. 

It is 38 inches long.

Walking Stick

Using a walking stick has several advantages. It helps with your balance over rough areas, it takes some of the stress off your legs, and it can be used as a weapon to fight off the bears. This walking stick was carved from a Diamond Willow. It is said that the willow tree grows diamond shaped cankers in response to a fungus. The cankers seem to result from the tree growing away from the site of attack. I don't know how true this is because I'm carving one stick with cankers covering all three sides. I guess it doesn't matter how it gets there, it does make a nice walking stick or cane. It is a softer wood to carve. The stick is 57 inches long and the hand grip is just over my elbow level. I'm ready for my walk in bear country.