Photo: Contributed

West Kelowna firefighters and Community Recreational Initiatives Society are gearing up for another epic outdoor adventure.

The Fire in The Mountains outing isn't about putting out fires, it's about lighting the fire of adventure. Each year, firefighters and volunteers from CRIS Adaptive Travel take disabled Okanagan residents on the backcountry experience of a lifetime.

Last fall, they took Bob and Kyle on a four-day paddling expedition on Murtle Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park.

The largest non-motorized, paddle-only lake in the world, Murtle Lake requires outdoor enthusiasts to portage 2.4 kilometres along a wilderness trail just to reach its shores.

The team used all-terrain TrailRiders to get Bob and Kyle to the lake, where they loaded up kayaks and canoes to traverse the majestic mountain lake to their wilderness camp for the next three nights.

The participants were overcome with emotion at connecting with nature in way they thought impossible.

“That’s the reward for us – seeing the difference it makes," said one of the firefighters.

Kyle even led the group into the frigid mountain waters in his wheelchair.

“I didn’t think they were serious when I first agreed to go in, but it sure was cold," he said.

“I thought I would never be able to see and feel places like this again. It has opened my eyes to the magnificent opportunity you guys are making available," Bob said of the journey.

And his wife agrees. “He has a new lease on life and is looking at things through a different lens, in terms of what is possible, since his return," she said.

Applications for this year's trip are now being accepted. Interested parties are asked to write a letter explaining why they would like to participate. Email [email protected] or send snailmail to Box 25141 Mission Park PO Kelowna BC V1W 3Y7 by March 31.