Union Gospel Mission wilderness program helps men overcome addiction

GARIBALDI PROVINCIAL PARK — Looking out on Cheakamus Lake, Tom Sauls recalls how he would often stand at Crab Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and gaze north at the mountains, dreaming of someday escaping homelessness and addiction to find refuge in the wilderness.
Sauls, 57, would take swigs of strong beer beneath the stars and picture himself climbing the green hills to look down upon the glimmering city. In his mind, Burrard Inlet would finally separate him from the shou