Since last year, my knees have started acting up. They hurt badly whenever I climb stairs, and both knees ache at the same time. I rushed to the hospital, and after hearing my description, the doctor didn’t even touch my legs but confidently diagnosed me with moderate osteoarthritis. Question: How to treat it? Answer: No treatment, just use them sparingly.
I like this doctor for two reasons. First, I appreciate honesty, and second, I have a hospital phobia—I get dizzy just walking into a hospital. So when he said “no cure,” I actually felt relieved. From now on, I won’t go to the hospital for this condition. I’ll treat my bones like a pension fund—spend them sparingly. But there has to be a smart way to save. To me, cutting back on my quality of life is pointless. I’ve been an “outdoors enthusiast” since the 1980s. If I have to give up exploring the wilderness just because my knees hurt, I might as well be put out of my misery.
But as a once-famous “outdoorsman,” I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve. I immediately ordered a lightweight, high-performance carbon fiber trekking pole online. On the weekend, I took it with me to visit my father-in-law, mainly to use it for climbing the six flights of stairs to his apartment. When I walked in, I scared the old man half to death—he thought something terrible had happened to me. Judging by his instantaneous expression, he must’ve thought I’d been in a car accident. After explaining, he finally relaxed. That was the first time I’d ever used a trekking pole as a walking stick, and also the first time I noticed how differently people look at those who use canes.
The last time I used a “cane” was last year when I climbed the volcanoes in Wudalianchi. Summoning the courage of a seasoned outdoorsman, I took the shortest but steepest mountain path. But that day, I truly felt my limits—I was so weak in the knees that my legs gave out. Luckily, I had brought a photography monopod. My Zhongzhong monopod ended up doubling as a cane, and I hated having to rely on it the whole way up. When I got back, I found the rubber tip was almost completely worn down. But because I was using a monopod, none of my companions realized it was actually a cane.
I’m in my fifties—not quite old, but definitely not trying to pretend I’m young either. Still, I’m nowhere near the age where I need to “lean on a cane waiting by the door.” If I went out with a cane, people might think I’m a professional beggar. And if I walked around the city with a professional trekking pole, they’d definitely say I’m putting on airs. What’s the solution? Save my knees while still saving face.
When I got home, I unscrewed the handle from the trekking pole and removed the tripod head from the monopod, then screwed the head onto the trekking pole. Voilà—instant three-in-one tool. It’s a trekking pole for hiking, a cane for stairs, and a monopod for photography. A few months ago, while traveling, I was told at the security check in Beijing Capital Airport that trekking poles couldn’t be carried on board. I pointed to the spherical tripod head on the pole and said, “This isn’t a trekking pole—it’s a monopod for photography” (because my tripods and monopods have never been banned from carry-on before). The security officer checked my camera bag, took a closer look at the head, asked me to wait a moment, and then led me to his supervisor. The supervisor carefully inspected this very light “stick,” shook the tripod head, and said it was the first time he’d seen such a monopod. Then he let me through. I was proud of my creativity all the way.
Recently, I switched to an iPhone 5. Aside from being fascinated by the various fun apps on the smartphone, I’ve been amazed by its excellent camera performance. I plan to use it to take a series of photos and even put on an iPhone 5 photography exhibition—should be a lot of fun. A friend said I’m getting more amateurish the more I play with photography, but he doesn’t realize that countless joys lie in being “amateur.” Just like Peking Opera fans—their enjoyment is something professional actors will never experience. Getting off track, but back to the point: having gotten used to a DSLR, I find it hard to hold a light phone steady for photos. Thank goodness I was born in an era of abundant resources. I quickly found an online mount that lets me attach my phone to a tripod. Now, my trekking pole has become a dedicated monopod for mobile photography. If one day you see someone walking down the street with a trekking pole topped with a phone for taking photos—that’ll be me.