Had an epiphany while moving some fishing rods on the deck of the fish shack: Turn an inexpensive heavy duty fiberglass catfishing spinning rod from Academy or Wal-Mart into a hiking staff/trekking pole. It would be lightweight with ferrules and such removed, very sturdy, and have a long, padded grip area. The only issue is reinforcement of the small end ...
I think I'm going to do it. Will provide pictures if the experiment is successful.

work out. On the cheap ones, the rod itself does not go all the way through the handle, thus creating a potential weak spot.
But i DID find a collapsible crappie pole, whose main section is super light, and exactly the right height for my wife at 5-7. It has a nice, sturdy rubber plug for the small end, and a nice screw plug for the bigger end. I stripped off the line keeper, but I reckon the fishermen amongst you might keep the pole sections inside with it for fishing in far-away ponds and streams. gotta get a scale ...