The splash of cold mountain water on your body sounds like a dream mid-July. On a cold and rainy April day…not so much. But there was no turning back. Strapped into a life vest and perched in an inflatable raft, a paddle in my hands, I was about to embark on my first white water trip—with a group of strangers, no less. I was, naturally, somewhat on edge. But after the first rapid—mild, yet mighty—my discomfort began to ease. And even as I got cold and wet, I felt grateful knowing this experience was created for those who might not otherwise have the chance to participate.

I was on the Upper Clackamas River with Adventures Without Limits (AWL), a Forest Grove–based nonprofit that specializes in making nature expeditions possible for individuals with disabilities. Among the dozen or so others on the trip this day were Heidi Lee and her 30-year-old son, Alex, who’s autistic. Their family relocated to Beaverton from the East Coast in 2017 to be closer to relatives. “Before moving to Oregon, I never knew I could be a part of something like this,” Lee tells me during a lunch break. “This really gives me an opportunity to get outdoors with him.”

AWL began in 1995 as an outfitter for a summer camp and has over the years blossomed into a community staple that provides adaptive recreation to private and public groups, with longstanding partnerships with the likes of Guide Dogs for the Blind, Forest Grove School District, and Adelante Mujeres. During the busy spring and summer seasons, the organization hosts upward of 100 trips.

But AWL doesn’t cater exclusively to those with special needs. It also runs community trips—like my day on the Upper Clackamas—that are open to public. The goal, says outreach and development director Jennifer Wilde, “is to make the outdoors accessible for everyone.” That means designing trips that are welcoming to people brand-new to something like white water rafting or snowshoeing, welcoming to families, and mindful of older participants. “We have some older adults who just like that our guides go at a welcoming pace and meet folks where they’re at,” Wilde says. It also means accessible pricing, with most trips offered on a sliding scale based on an individual’s financial situation (an upcoming Upper Clackamas rafting trip, for instance, offers $45, $99, and $115 options).

All participants must meet a set of minimum safety requirements, such as being able to secure a personal floatation device or wear a helmet. For rafting, Wilde notes, a person must be able to hold their breath. Also critical to the success of AWL’s trips is a discovery period, begun weeks before the trip, to learn what kind of adaptive equipment the organization can provide to participants to make the excursion possible. These include outriggers (float pontoons that extend off the back of the boat), grip assists that can be added to paddles to help with grip strength, and specialized custom seats that provide additional trunk or lateral support. “On a previous kayaking trip,” Lee says, “they gave Alex special equipment to allow him to paddle and he took off.”

In some cases, the assistance isn’t about equipment. “We’ve taken groups of adults who are blind and low vision, providing additional visual cues, and information and descriptions of what’s happening around us,” Wilde says.

Back on the river, our two-hour adventure is complete, and we’re returning our wet gear. We gather in a circle for some much-needed hot chocolate and are invited to share what we’ve learned. I mention that though we started as strangers, we ended as a team. Though each response is unique, a common thread emerges: we all want to join another trip.