POCATELLO — CW HOG volunteer Jeff Hampsten remembers well how he became involved with the annual Pig Out fundraiser the group has been holding for years to help fund activities for people with disabilities.

     It was the first year for the event and Dana Olson was having trouble heating up the corn.

    “She was moving from one old Coleman camp stove to the next trying to pump them up and keep the water hot,” Hampsten said. “I laughed at her, and she told me, if I thought I could do it better, I could be in charge.”

    That was 32 years ago. Hampsten, Olson and additional volunteers like Sarah Jackson have been boiling cobs of corn for the event ever since. The pots are a lot bigger and large propane heaters keep the water hot.

    Both Hampsten and Olson were friends of Tom Whittaker, the founder of the CW HOG organization, before he was injured in a car accident and lost his foot. Like Hampsten, Whittaker was an avid scuba diver.

    After the accident, Whittaker’s eyes became open to the world of people with physical handicaps and the challenges they face.

    “He found out people look at you differently,” Hampsten explained. “It motivated him.”

    Whittaker decided to found an organization for people who needed help getting active again. The result was the Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group or CW HOG, which Whittaker formed in 1981. Volunteers like Hampsten and Olson jumped in to help.

    The early days of setting up the annual Pig Out were anything but a picnic.

    “We used to dig a big pit the day before, line it with rocks and build a big fire,” Hampsten said. Then whole hogs were wrapped and lowered into the pit to slow cook.

    That was the easy part.

    In 1987, a farmer donated two hogs for the annual fundraiser — with one catch. The hogs were live and Hampsten and Olson had to transport them to the butcher. All they had was an old van.

    “We removed all the backseats to make room for them,” Olson said. “The pigs weren’t happy. They were pooping all over the back of the van.”

    Hampsten laughed and said, “We realized we wouldn’t do that again.”

    There isn’t much the two volunteers wouldn’t do for CW HOG. Between the two of them, they have helped handicapped participants get involved in scuba diving, whitewater rafting, skiing, rock climbing and kayaking.

    Hampsten has worked with people who are deaf to teach them how to scuba dive and Olson has taken blind people kayaking.

    One adventure stands out for Hampsten.

    He was taking Kyle Packer, who suffers from cerebral palsy through a set of rapids on the Salmon River. Both were wearing float jackets and Hampsten had his arm locked inside Packer’s jacket to keep Kyle’s head above water. There was just one problem. Hampsten was looking downstream, but Packer could only look behind them.

    “About halfway, he told me he didn’t think this was such a good idea,” Hampsten said.

    But once the pair finished the float, Packer told Hampsten he wanted to do it again.

    Both Hampsten and Olson said that is the magic of volunteering with the CW HOG program — watching people with disabilities find new courage and strength.

    “Just the smiles make it worthwhile,” Olson said. “And the realization that people have the ability to do things they didn’t realize they had.”

    “They figure out they can do it,” Hampsten said.

    In addition to the CW HOG outings, both are involved in the All-Abilities Summer Camp for kids held each year. Hampsten said the program allows both able-bodied and handicapped kids to work together as a team.

    At each camp, Hampsten estimates he helps teach about 28 to 30 kids how to scuba dive. Since the camp began in 1992, Hampsten estimates he’s help introduce hundreds of youngsters to the activity.

    The two Pocatello volunteers have been involved in activities that have taken place in everything from rainstorms to blizzards.

    Hampsten said two major mottos carry all the volunteers involved with CW HOG: “Never let common sense get in the way of a good time,” and “Bad decisions make great stories.”

    The days of hauling live pigs around in a van might be over, but both volunteers say they would never give up the challenges and rewards that come from helping others.