THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601120171
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
When Peter C. Micken Jr. goes walking in the woods and sees a tree branch on the ground, he doesn't see kindling wood.
He sees the possibility of a walking stick.
If the stick has been wrapped in vines, all the better. He sees the gnarled curves as decorative embellishments. The same goes for little worms that get under the bark. Their etchings in the wood make a handsome walking stick, too.
Micken's imaginative mind sees a hole or holes in the wood as a mouth, nose, or eye that give a walking stick personality. He can picture a bend in a branch as the perfect handle for the top of a stick.
This offbeat way of looking at wood has led the former Navy man to a sideline business he calls the Virginia Hiking Stick Co. Formed in May 1994, the little company competes for time with Micken's retirement job as a training specialist.
Micken's back fence is lined with rough sticks, or ``blank sticks'' as he calls them, which he has gathered over time because he sees walking stick possibilities in each. That way, a prospective owner can pick the stick that fits his or her hand, height and imagination.
``A hiking stick or a walking stick is a very personal thing,'' Micken explained. ``They'll walk that fence, looking and looking. All of a sudden, one stick will say, `This is it!' ''
Sticks sell for between $50 and $95. ``The price is based on the rarity of the stick plus the amount of work I put into it,'' he said.
Making a walking stick begins with stripping the first layer of rough bark off and sanding the bare wood. The final step may call for a little paint and always a protective wood stain. In between, depending on what a customer wants, Micken will improve on nature.
He may carve bands or shapes, like diamonds and bricks on the stick. He also will carve the customer's name and anything else he or she may ask for. Customers include folks in his Haygood neighborhood who want a walking stick primarily as passive protection and groups who want to give a ``retirement'' stick to an individual.
Neighborhood walkers might choose a novelty stick, one with eyes, nose, mouth or a character all its own. ``Fred'' is Micken's personal stick. With big eyes and a mouth, Fred goes to meetings, where Micken is making a presentation on his craft, ``and keeps his eyes on the audience!''
Retirement sticks are primarily decorative and take a lot of carving on Micken's part. For example, a Navy retirement stick will have the person's, name, rank and dates of promotions, along with various duty stations. He's done sticks that track a family's history or a Boy Scout's advancement to Eagle Scout.
Micken finds his sticks in a variety of ways. He will not cut live wood unless he knows an area is about to be cleared. He often goes in after the bulldozer, too, to see what interesting roots have been turned up. ``There are no real differences in wood,'' he said, ``as long as nature has embellished it with some beauty.''
Micken said he can walk out in the woods and find all the straight sticks he could ever want. But he searches for the odd shape or look, such as a stick with a dark hole where live wood has grown around dead wood.
``Nature makes a small percentage that have vines wrapped around them,'' he said. ``Nature makes another small percentage where the stick is doubly blessed. It fell to the ground and it's infested with worm holes under the bark!''
Other than carving sticks as a Boy Scout, Micken hadn't thought about walking sticks until one day several years ago when he happened to pick up a stick while walking in the woods. He fooled around until he came up with a walking stick. Later he want walking with it in First Landing/Seashore State Park.
``A man said he wanted it and he bought it on the spot!'' Micken related.
That was the start. Now Micken's sticks are on display at the park and a portion of sales go to the park's Friends group. His sticks also can be seen at several local outfitting stores or at his home where he can be reached by calling 456-9242.
P.S. The Herb Society of America is meeting at 1 p.m. today at Norfolk Botanical Garden. ``Seeds from Around the World'' is the topic.
BACK BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE is the topic at the Virginia Beach Audubon Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church. Refuge manager John Stasko will speak. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARY REED BARROW
In his sideline business, Peter Micken makes custom walking sticks.
``Fred'' is Micken's personal stick. With big eyes and a mouth, Fred
goes to meetings, where Micken is making a presentation on his
craft, ``and keeps his eyes on the audience!''
KEYWORDS: WOOD CARVER by CNB