Re: Ever get a bruised knee bone from doing a long hike?

I don't have any real solutions.  Some people report that using trekking
poles or a walking stick helps.   Also some report that keeping the knees
slightly bent instead of locking them helps.  I.e. when the foot lands,
instead of having a locked knee that absorbs all the impact, have a
slightly bent one that bends with the impact -- this does require some
muscular strength and stamina.  A slower pace might help too, so instead of
landing with jarring force you can land your foot more softly.  Of course,
the steepness of the terrain may limit your ability to do these things.
I've found that I can somewhat reduce the impact by going downhill
diagonally, zigzagging from one side of the trail to the other, rather than
going straight down.

I've personally found all of those things to be helpful, but I cannot say
whether they will work for you.  They may not help if your knees are
vulnerable or still recovering from injury.

I would also say "have a lighter backpack" but that's moot and redundant,
given the name of this email list.  ;)


--MKT