What are your thoughts/experiences with using a random wooden stick you find in the forest as a hiking support?
I've been using them all the time recently and I like them a lot.
It's not always easy to find one I like, but they don't have to be perfect, they can be curved, as long as they support your weight.

The way I use them is like trekking poles just one-handed. So i strive with the wooden stick and the opposite foot at the same time. I switch hands every half an hour or just when I feel like it.
It's very useful for when you have easy terrain and you just want to walk fast. It increase the speed with which you can walk and it makes your legs less tired, by shifting some weight on your upper body.
It's also very useful for when you have to go steep up, as you can use it to pull yourself or balance yourself to stop you from falliing.
Even for going downhill it's great, because you can relieve some of the pressure that's put on your knees and once again it helps with balance.
It's also great to get rid of spider webs that are in front of you or clear the path of thorny bushes.
And if you don't need it anymore or you get tired of it you just leave it there, simple as.
If you find a really good one you can even keep it for a next time and carve some things in it or make it more ergonomic.
There's endless possibilities.

Also, the ones I use aren't as thick as the one in the picture, I think they don't need to be as thick if they're out of a hard wood like hazel or oak.