DIXON — A Mission Valley nonprofit is making sure people with disabilities can experience everything Montana's outdoors has to offer — including its rivers.
Tim Brown knows firsthand how a disability can change a person's relationship with the outdoors. In 2011, Brown suffered a spinal cord injury in a skiing accident. He had been an avid outdoor athlete, but his injuries were life changing.
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"I can move my arms a bit, but I don't have any motor functions in my hands or any real muscle innervation below my shoulders," Brown said.
Brown says it took years to accept his new reality. That's when he found organizations like Hydrologistics Montana.
"Being a person with a disability it's very hard to find access to outdoor spaces where you really feel like you're in a remote area, and out fully immersed in nature," Brown said.
Stephen Smith founded Hydrologistics Montana in 2019 after his longtime friend suffered a disabling injury. Smith said they both loved the outdoors, and he wanted to find a way to keep his friend — and others with disabilities — on the water.
"My friend ended up in a wheelchair, and it got me thinking about this and I finally got the opportunity to buy a boat," Smith said.
That boat is a drift boat equipped with an accessibility ramp, so passengers like Brown can get on the water and enjoy the outdoors.
"The way to share the outdoors is to be patient, and make them feel comfortable in this space and make them feel comfortable and that makes for a great day," Smith said.
Donors and sponsors help fund the program, giving people with disabilities a chance to experience the outdoors — a step that can feel daunting.
"If you haven't been out on the river before, and you're disabled somehow it's big step….I know I am not a lot to look at but you have to believe I can row a boat," Smith said.
Brown also hosts a podcast called "The Unexpected Journey," through which he works to humanize people with disabilities — showing the world they share the same hopes and dreams as anyone else.
"It looks different but it is the same as anyone else, hopes, dreams, desires, I learned that I can still have those things," Brown said.
Hydrologistics Montana thanks the town of St. Ignatius and their sponsors for making the program possible each year, you can find more information here.
