HINDSIGHT

Hindsight

Hindsight is a great thing. Should have hunted that area, should have gone out for Fairy potatoes last week and the list goes on. I learned the hard eay that one also needs to anticipate future transportation needs. What to consider when your partner or partners or you yourself are beginning to have difficulty managing to get around

Eight years ago, my wife needed a walker and a wheelchair due to Multiple Sclerosis. Decline seemed very slow, so we opted for a four by four truck with a swing-out seat and a crane in the back to transport the wheelchair. We were very thrilled at first and she even managed the Myra Canyon Trestles out of Kelowna, all twenty-six kilometers, while I had to walk. We were thrilled with our choice enjoying outings together and I could also head up to the back country lakes as well and do some hunting.

A few short years later our bubble burst and she could no longer stand to even transfer from the wheelchair into the swing-out seat. An overhead lift was required to lift her into and out of the wheelchair. Given the expense, we were stuck with this option.

If we had known, IO would have gone with the other option. That being a Van, preferably a four by four, fitted out so that we could drive the wheelchair in, instead of transferring. This would have given her four more years of enjoying trips in natural areas.

Now that she has passed away, I will continue to work towards more wheelchair access to wilderness experiences and also press for more access for the average family vehicle not just for four by fours and Atv's. Once I get my act together and start forging in the hills again, I hope to be back posting more regularly on here.

Happy hunting, fishing and gathering.