Which monopod?

I like hiking and macro/bug photography and prefer not to carry too much in my pack. Can anyone suggest a sturdy monopod that can double as a hiking stick as well?

Hi Gary-- I sent you an email about my monopod. I do suggest that, with a monopod, you either don't use a ball head but instead a padded "Y"-shaped yoke to support your camera and lens, or else use a ball head with a QR plate. I'd been using a no-QR ballhead for most of my macro shots this summer, and I actually wore out the threads on it. I am really relieved that I was screwing it into a tripod-foot-extender and not the lens's or camera's socket, because there's quite a bit of wear on the socket's thread, too, and I'd be miserable if I had done that to the foot of my 70-180 Micro Nikkor.

Gary, the monopod I ride with these days is the Manfrotto 680B. Good for a walking stick and self-defense, too. Rock solid, not too heavy, not too expensive, can hold up a railroad boxcar (well, not quite, but pretty close.)

If I'm leaving my tripod at home, I pull the ballhead off the tripod and put it on the monopod. The ballhead is the Manfrotto 486RC2 with quick-release plate.

Hi Rosemarie and Steve
Thank you both for your suggestions. I checked out the Manfrotto 680B and this is really a very very sturdy stick (which u can literally put a box car on) but it is a tad heavy for my liking: so I ended up buying a lighter and cheaper stick by a local manafacturer (Jenova). Also bought the 486RC head which is really great.