My entire upper body is sore, very sore. Especially my forearms. Ouch... But its all worth it. I have a new favorite sport, a sport that gives me exercise, fun and a huge rush. Snake chucking! Just kidding, rock climbing. It is amazing. Today I spent all afternoon climbing indoors at Crux Climbing Walls, an amazing indoor climbing place in downtown Eugene. My friends Dylan, Daniel and my sister Grace and I had alot of fun. Then, Dylan, Grace and I were walking up towards Skinner Butte, when my friends Dustin and Lisa Smith drove by on their way to the Skinner Butte Columns. So, I went for my first outdoor climb, and all I can say is, I'm still shaking from the excitement! I climbed a fairly hard one, it was about 60 feet. I cannot wait to buy some gear so I can do it more often, like every week. I learned how to belay, next I'll try lead climbing...
I didn't have my camera, but I found these pictures of the Columns online...

Maybe it's because I can relate to them, but I have always had a place in my heart for drifters, homeless and less fortunate peoples of the world. They really are nice people, and I get extremely frustrated with people who treat them less than they really are...
All that being said, tonight my parents hit a homeless kid. He was in his early 20's, heading for California, and he ran out in the road to get his puppy. Unfortunately, it was dark and my dad was going 55, and the kid Frankie's head went through our windshield. Miraculously he lived, and the dog was OK too. He had for friends with him, all heading to Modesto California on the next train they could hop onto. After everything was cleaned up, mom and I took his friends over to the hospital to check on his friend. A lot of people probably thought we were crazy, picking up some drifters late at night in a dark parking lot, but they were the most thankful group I have ever seen. They were very worried about there friend, and I feel like we were doing what Jesus would have done. He wouldn't have cared that they were dirty, possibly had been drinking(or doing drugs), and didn't have the cleanest language. He still would have done all He could to help them.
It just makes me so mad when people, especially people professing to be Christians, have no sympathy for them. I have had very good friends who are homeless, and they are no different than you and me, but have run into hard times.
But to make a long story short, Frankie will be OK. He got busted up pretty bad, both legs broken, but he is alive and that is pretty incredible. Tomorrow, we'll go try to get him some new Carhartt overalls, because the paramedics cut off his very worn pair he was very fond of.
Anyways I am so thankful God allowed me into the lives of these young drifters, and hopefully will show Himself to them through our actions.

I just got back from a weekend of looking for the big buck of the Southern Oregon woods, but he is safe for now. Tyler and I left on Friday and hunted all day Saturday and some of Sunday. It was fun, and we saw near around 40 does, but not a single male deer... besides the scads of fawns we saw. We stayed at Tyler's friend Mitch's ranch, a sprawling 2,000 acre land of magical wonder for a guy who likes guns, machinery and wide open space. When we got there on Friday night we were informed by Mitch we were going to try to catch some poachers who cut the locks on his gates and shot some deer. We waited till all hours of the night armed and ready, but to no avail... they didn't show. We saw several herds of elk every day, so that might be a fine place to go come elk season. For now we'll just hunt around here, but maybe later we will go back. I am very jealous of his ranch, and his gun collection which includes several very nice pieces, such as an M1 Garand, M14, FN Fal paratrooper model, 1895 Winchester in 30-40 Krag, a Krag, and a whole bunch more... I could have spent weeks there shooting all his guns. Maybe next time I'll get pictures.

Oh man.... My calves are so sore. I started running seriously again today, hopefully keeping that up for a while. It was hard for me for a while, with the hospital and after effects, but now I am doing good. I am going to a food allergists to see exactly what foods I am allergic to. I already know I'm lactose intolerant, but it is suspected I am also gluten intolerant. That would mean I have to stay away from all wheat products, and most other processed foods. But the good news is, by eating like that, I will be eating better than most other people in America. Lots of meat, fruits, vegetables and lots of rice:) Which is good, cause I love rice.
On another note, I'm going to sight in my rifle tomorrow for deer hunting:) Yeah!!! So much fun. Hopefully I'll go on a bear hunt or two before that, maybe even getting one with my handgun. That would be sweet...

I just got back from the Shakespeare festival in Ashland, it was amazing!!! I went last year as well, and considering its considered the best Shakespeare plays in the country, it was very well done. This year we saw All's Well that Ends Well, Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth. I have to say Macbeth was my least favorite, it was too dark, depressing and hard to follow. The other two were hilarious. It is an amazing thing to go to, so if you haven't ever been, I highly recommend it. Ashland is centered around this festival, and people all over the world attend it. I even met two girls from Italy there!!! I went with our English class, so my friends and I also wandered around Ashland checking out shops, listening to live music of all types and playing football and Frisbee in the parks. I didn't get any pictures, but my friend did, so I may get some to put on the post...

Hey, its been a while since I've posted anything, but wow! It has been a busy summer. I am especially stoked because tomorrow morning, my friends Dylan and Brannon and I are heading up to Clear lake to hike down the McKenzie River Trail. We are making it a three day backpacking trip. It started out with my friend Dylan saying we should run it, making that a 20 mile run. But we decided to save that for fall's cooler weather, opting instead to make it a fun camping trip. So yeah! I will bring my camera along and hopefully have some good pics to post on for any interested readers.