"They enjoy that, to get away -- a lot of them don't get out at all," said Sharon Haller, a nursing assistant who organized this year's five-day jaunt.

"It's kind of like going on a vacation."

Haller said that the camping trip is becoming more and more popular every year, both for the patients and the volunteers who help out every year.

"We set out a schedule to see who wants to come out and it's full in no time," she said.

The event, in its fifth year, attracts patients and volunteers from other floors, as well as people from other campsites.

People who receive home care also turned out for this year's trip to the park.

Anyone who wanted to attend was bussed out to the campsite. Most of the patients stayed for the day and then returned to the hospital at night.

Haller said that it was difficult to get them out on the beach in their wheelchairs, but they all had a good time.

She also stressed that without the volunteer help and donations from businesses in Yellowknife, the event wouldn't be possible.

Haller said the best part is seeing how much the patients enjoy the trip.

She remembers Joseph Rabesca's smile on the way back to the hospital after a day sitting in front a campfire in the sun. Rabesca can't speak English, but the smile on his face said it all.

"Just to see the appreciation on his face is what makes my day," she said. "You know he's had a really relaxing day. Otherwise he'd be in his room reading magazines."