well i'm only suggesting 10 foot poles in the long run of the scheme if it were to become widespread,
as far as DIY, 3-6ft poles would be more realistic
the ground around here in northern minn/wisc is a swampy mess; sometimes its hard to not let your feet accidentally sink a foot below the ground, nevermind a pole. You could probably push a 4 ft spike into the ground with ease, and then hammer it the rest of the way down if you have to