  We have proposed and implemented a modification of the well-known wall
follower algorithm to identify a backbone (a current-carrying part) of the
percolation cluster. The advantage of the modified algorithm is identification
of the whole backbone without visiting all edges. The algorithm has been
applied to backbone identification in networks produced by random deposition of
conductive sticks onto an insulating substrate. We have found that (i) for
concentrations of sticks above the percolation threshold, the strength of the
percolating cluster quickly approaches unity; (ii) simultaneously, the
percolation cluster is identical to its backbone plus simplest dead ends, i.e.,
edges that are incident to vertices of unit degree.
