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Balance
<ol> <li>using the stick</li> <li>reflecting on the history of the stick</li> </ol>
The act of using the stick as they reflect on its use for balance, and the history of the importance of using this type of tool for balance.
The walking stick is not as heavy as it looks but is still hefty. The width of the carved sections give a feeling of security, as though you are ballasted against wind or uneven ground. Walking using the stick made me feel supported, but not as though it was weighing me down. I did not have uneven or uphill terrain to try this on, but could imagine using it to walk up a fell, and that it would provide a feeling of security. Knowing the story attributed to this object – that it was carved and used by George Smith, who has been given the moniker ‘the Skiddaw Hermit’ – makes it very evocative to hold and use. I not only imagined this stick being used to aid walking on a fell as a leisure activity, but also for someone living in a cave on Skiddaw, as Smith was. I could feel how difficult it would be, to be living your entire life on an incline and uneven terrain. Reports say the area where he lived was covered with moss, which adds an even further level of jeopardy to walking. With this in mind, the security offered by the wide, stable walking stick seemed not only helpful but entirely necessary for everyday life. Stories from the time say that Smith’s clothes were covered in mud, leading me to think he was also being weighed down by muddy and likely often wet clothes, which would also have made navigating the terrain harder.
For me this stick makes me feel safer and steadier on my feet. The idea of living on the side of a fell with constant risk of slipping or tripping over makes me feel afraid – I have previously broken a wrist and so the idea of falling feels scarier than it did before this incident. The stick therefore makes me feel safer, as I imagine it steadying me when I am at risk of falling. Knowing the story to be that Smith gave the stick to a police officer to avoid detention, this makes me feel sad and concerned – going back to his home on the side of the fell without the stability offered by the stick could have been frightening.