Yurts, Firefighters & A Bucket

This past June, I went on a three-day, two-night cycling trip along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail from Kelowna to Naramata. Our halfway stop was at the rustic yet charming Chute Lake Lodge. Everything, lodging, food, and equipment were covered, thanks to Accessible Wilderness Expeditions (AWE), the Central Okanagan Realtors Committee (COR), the Kelowna Firefighters Charity, and CRIS Adaptive Adventures. My role was primarily to show up, pedal in spirit, and not fall out of anything, which is sometimes a big ask for me.

The adventure started at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m., courtesy of Tora shaking me awake. We rolled into Kelowna, hung around the CRIS office, and met the rest of the crew. Troy and a firefighter helped load me into the van, which was so perfectly air-conditioned that I thought, “Oh… so this is what AC feels like.” (Mine’s been broken most of the summer, so I’d forgotten.)

When we got to the trailhead, I chilled in a camping chair while everyone sorted out gear. My chariot was a seat mounted to the front of a bike, piloted by Eric, a firefighter, cyclist, and apparently amateur tour guide. He kept pointing out the beautiful scenery; he was trying so hard to keep me engaged, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’m blind. I just nodded along with the appropriate “Wow, amazing!” tone.

*Eric had my wrists tied down like it was some BDSM scene or something!*

By the time we rolled into Chute Lake Lodge, we were all ready to decompress. Tora and I got assigned a yurt, something I didn’t know the definition of until that moment. Turns out, it’s like a hotel room without a bathroom: two queen-sized beds, a couch, chairs, a dining table, and a wood stove. Essentially a glamping upgrade, minus plumbing.

The lodge grounds themselves were a mix of hills and gravel, which meant any time I wanted to go somewhere, the firefighters had to help tow me around. No complaints here, it was VIP service, just with more grunting and teamwork.

That night’s dinner was burgers with mountains of fries. The dining hall was insanely loud, the kind of “wall of noise” that makes conversation tricky, but it gave me the perfect excuse to sneak away for a quieter chat with my friend Chelsea, who was also a participant. Then it was back to the yurt for some well-earned rest.

I woke up feeling fresh as a daisy, or at least as fresh as someone who slept in a giant canvas cylinder. Then I demolished a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, and enough coffee that would make the Energizer Bunny jealous.

Later that morning, AWE and CRIS rolled out accessible water gear such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. I opted for a canoe trip on Chute Lake, which was equal parts peaceful and fun.

*I am on a boat Mofo, take a look at me!*

Now, let’s address the bathroom situation, because I know we are all wondering. Yes, there was an accessible washroom at the lodge, but getting there required hauling me over gravel and hills. Since packing light was the goal, I didn’t bring my commode, so I decided on the “bucket in the yurt” approach. Don’t worry it wasn’t a “squirt in a yurt” shituation. You gotta do what you gotta do.

That evening, the group gathered around a campfire while Dan the Guitar Man provided live music. As it got dark, a group of firefighters, including Eric and his gorgeous wife Angelique, helped guide me back to the yurt. After Tora jokingly told the firefighters to give me kisses, Angelique surprisingly gave me a whole slew of “nighty-night” smooches. The next morning, I told Tora I wasn’t washing my cheek, ever! Sorry, not sorry, Eric.

For the final leg from Chute Lake to Naramata, Eric and I led the pack. The day started sunny enough, but halfway through, we were hit by a brief rainstorm. I had dressed for a summer day, t-shirt and optimism, so the rain quickly turned me into a human icicle.

The crew scrambled to cover me with anything they could find, jackets, towels, possibly someone’s leggings, until the AWE team met us with fleece gear. Within minutes, I was warm and ready to roll again.

Riding through the Adra Tunnel was especially cool, and from what everyone tells me, the views along the way were absolutely stunning. I’ll take their word for it

We wrapped up at Abandoned Rail Brewing in Naramata, where we devoured pizza and let the reality sink in that the trip was over. My other PA, Judy, met us there to give me a ride home as Tora had her own ride home.

*enjoying one last slice of pizza and reminiscing before heading home*

What stood out the most wasn’t the scenery (which, as you may recall, I didn’t exactly see), it was the people. Every single person on this trip treated me like… well, me. No condescending “Hey there, buddy” or “How’s it going, big guy” nonsense. Just genuine camaraderie… oh, and let's not forget about the breakfasts.

I’m grateful for organizations like CRIS and AWE that make adventure possible for everyone. Thanks to them, there’s no excuse not to get out there, even if “out there” involves yurts, rainstorms, and the occasional bucket.

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