3 rods and a cane: Why disability doesn’t have to define your outdoor adventure

ON THE DOCK

Before we knew it, early June had arrived and we were piling our gear onto the dock at Cochrane Air Services, which has been flying anglers and hunters into northern Ontario outpost cabins for more than 60 years. When I contacted the company to ask about the accessibility of the dock, paths and cabin layout, they had all the info at hand. Clearly, Pete was not the first mobility challenged sport they’d welcomed, and the crew knew exactly how to help him climb up into the plane.

As our de Havilland Beaver lifted off the water, the vast northern wilderness unfolded beneath us, with lakes, rivers and boreal forest stretching to the horizon. Pete pressed his nose against the window like a kid, taking it all in. And when we landed on French Lake—a two-kilometre stretch of Canadian Shield pike and walleye water—Pete’s delight was unmistakable. Aside from our cabin and dock, there wasn’t a single man-made structure—just lake, forest and sky.

“I knew it would be like this,” Pete said, leaning on his cane, “But actually seeing it is something else”

“Welcome to nowhere,” Wes said, slapping him on the back.

 

There was one complication when we three suburban dads started planning our fishing adventure: none of us had a vehicle big enough for the trip, or at least a vehicle our families could live without while we were away. Enter Toyota Canada, which generously loaned us a 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road. It boasted a turbocharged 2.4-litre, four-cylinder engine, plus off-road enhancements such as Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control and Bilstein shocks. It handled the long haul up Ontario’s Highway 11 with ease, while delivering surprisingly good fuel economy. And during our many hours on the road, we appreciated the plush interior as much as the vehicle’s capabilities. Learn more at www.toyota.ca.