Jamie Needham admits it was a sight he will never forget.

Needham of Kelowna and his friends had been snowmobiling in the Myra Canyon area Sunday and were headed home and came upon an unforgettable sight -- a small tree sticking through a man.

"It was almost like a joust, like a long tree that was sticking into the trail. It was harsh. The tree went right through his mid section and broke off. It was hanging on both sides and there was no blood."

Needham says the man, who was with at least three other snowmobilers, was conscious and speaking.

"He was just lying there in a lot of pain."

Rescue crews were called including a helicopter, but it couldn't land, so Needham and the other snowmobilers began ferrying up paramedics.

He says getting the man off the trail and into an ambulance required some ingenuity.

"There was no way we could put him on a bumpy snowmobile trail because the pain would have been too much."

Needham says they managed to get a pick-up truck up the snowy trail and load the patient in the back of the vehicle.

The man is recovering at KGH. Friends say the tree did not hit any vital organs.

"I really hope he pulls through and has a healthy recovery. It makes you think how vulnerable we really are."

Now, that has to be about as bad as a day of recreation that a guy could have.  I am sure this guy is very thankful that he was found and the extent of his injuries were minor in comparison to what they could have been.  To think of how an inch this way or that could of killed him just gives me the chills.  I would be curious to know if Mr. Needham lost control of his snow mobile or what the story the story really is.  Nevertheless, at least he is recovering and more than likely to tell this story to many over the years to come.