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Catching the Spirit on BCMOS Trail Hikes This summer, after a week of training for peer leaders, Catching the Spirit officially got under way July 11-12 with a Girl Power Camp. Ten girls aged 13 to 15 camped in Pacific Spirit Park for one night, and then helped with the BCMOS Summer Sport Festival Day. BCMOS, the British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society, provides opportunities for people with disabilities to access BC's outdoors and participate in recreational activities while experiencing nature. The Summer Sport Festival Day consisted of hourly trail hikes throughout the day, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. In order to allow disabled people to access nature trails, BCMOS developed the TrailRider vehicle. This vehicle resembles a cross between a wheelchair and a wheelbarrow - it rides on one large tire that enables it to easily go over rocks, roots, and other bumps on trails, and has two handles at the front and two at the back that allow two able-bodied helpers to maneuver the TrailRider through the forest, with the disabled person reclining comfortably in the padded seat. Although no peer leaders participated in the actual camping, Laura Super, Ahlaam Mahmood, and myself came and helped with BCMOS's hourly trail hikes. For all the volunteers that day, these hikes basically meant pushing or pulling a disabled person in a TrailRider through Pacific Spirit Park. On July 12th, the Summer Sport Festival Day, all of the trail hikes started at Spanish Banks, followed Pioneer trail to Chancellor Boulevard, and then returned to the beach on East Canyon and Pioneer. This route involved steep uphill sections to climb up from the beach, and then equally steep downhill parts to return. Pulling the TrailRiders on these trails, as Ahlaam, Laura, and I did, was physically tiring, strenuous, yet also gratifying, work. When Ahlaam, Laura and I arrived at Spanish Banks at 1:00 pm, the Girl Power Camp participants were just leaving after helping with the trail hikes all morning. The girls looked tired, even exhausted, but happy and satisfied. They seemed to have enjoyed helping with the trail hikes, and found that, despite the hard physical work, it was rewarding. Ahlaam, Laura, and I then received a short orientation about using the TrailRiders, and before we knew it, the hike was starting! I was alone in front of one TrailRider, while Laura and Ahlaam pulled another one, each on one handle. The work started right away, as the steepest, most tiring section was also the first part of the trail, rising quickly from the beach. When we got to the first junction, I was already tired, sweating and breathing heavily. After a short break, we continued the hike, and I found that, despite being physically tired, I was enjoying myself. The opportunity to experience nature in Pacific Spirit Park together with the disabled person and the person who was pushing the TrailRider, and to work together as a team, gave me a new perspective on appreciating nature and the outdoors, which I had never gained from simply walking, jogging, or biking through the park on my own. When we finished our first hike, we said goodbye to our disabled friends amidst many thank you's. Our second hike had fewer participants, so that Ahlaam, Laura, and I shared the job of pulling one TrailRider - two of us pulled while the other person traded off whenever necessary. This hike was just as enjoyable as the first one, but not quite as strenuous since we had the luxury of having extra volunteers. After we had completed both hikes, we sat down to rest and to reflect on our experience. Ahlaam said to me, "I'm so tired from pulling the TrailRider together with Laura - I don't know how you managed to pull one up on your own the first time." After trying both methods - with one or two people pulling - I find that I prefer to pull the TrailRider on my own; it is easier to keep the TrailRider balanced and to get through tight places, and the load is evenly spread out over your whole body, not just focused on one arm. Although we disagreed on the best way to pull the TrailRiders, Ahlaam, Laura and I did agree that despite the strenuous physical work involved in the BCMOS trail hikes, we had all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and found it to be very rewarding. BCMOS offers trail hikes such as the ones we participated in, as well as full day trips, throughout the spring and summer as part of its Wilderness Access program. There are various day trips geared toward different abilities, interests, and goals, including trips to Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Lighthouse Park, Cheakamus Lake, and Cypress, or Environmental Education Hikes such as bird watching or visiting the Seymour Demonstration Forest. There are many options available, as long as you "Dare to dream! Dare to do!" For more information on any BCMOS programs, contact Danielle or Stacey at the BCMOS Wilderness Access office at 604-222-1312 (May to August) or email [email protected]. To contact BCMOS during the off-season, from September to April, call 604-688-6464 or email [email protected]. Or you can simply check out their website at http://www.reachdisability.org/bcmos any time of the year. |
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