Debra McDonald and her mother Pat Gauthier went for a hike to Eva Lake on Saturday. No big deal, except for the fact they both have multiple sclerosis and are unable to walk.
Instead, they got there with help from the Shuswap TrailRider Adaptive Adventure Society and 20 volunteers from Revelstoke and Salmon Arm.
They used TrailRiders to get there — basically a wheelchair designed for hiking trails. A TrailRider has one seat and one wheel and is propelled by two sherpas — one at the front and one at the back. More people can help out on steeper terrain.
"It was pretty awesome," said McDonald, who made her first trip to Eva Lake since she was a youth, when she could walk. "It's not a flat trail by no means. It was a test."
The two TrailRiders were purchased for about $7,200 each by the society last year and are available for rent in Salmon Arm.
The Eva Lake hike was set up to demonstrate the equipment along the trail. "I was trying to get it out there for people in Revelstoke to see," said McDonald. "They can rent the ones I have if they want to, or they can go ahead and purchase them."
The volunteers consisted of Ashley and Katherine Ladyman, Dan and Sabrina Gauthier, Crystal Johnson, Grant McDonald, Jason and Logan Ancell, Jordie Anderson, Kim Floyd, Laurel Corrigan; Lisa, Todd, Bailey and Brooklyn Embryk; Paula Hill, Tom Madlung, Colin Pike and Lisa Larson.
For more information, visit www.shuswaptrailrider.com of the society's Facebook page.