Smith Rock, Central Oregon

Smith Rock is an amazing place, just a scant 8 miles from my house.  It shows the cumulative force of ancient volcanos and the erosive power of water.  Millions of years ago there were major volcanoes here in Central Oregon, and after a long time the lava flowed into the canyon and established a new path for the Crooked River.  The multicolored formations of rock are knows as "welded tuff" in which volcanic ash formed under conditions of extreme heat and pressure.

It's a beautiful 5 mile hike around, and early this morning there was just nobody there.  I came across only 5 other people as I was ending.

Monkey Face is a 350 foot spire that is called the centerpiece of Smith Rock.  From a certain angle it resembles the face of a money with a mouth, nose, and eyes.

Monkey Face wasn't summited until 1960.  It's actually the location of one of the toughest free climb routes in the world, Just Do It (real name...).  It's a 5.11 plus free climb, first climbed in 1992.

Monkey One.  Monkey Two.  You decide which is which...

Smith Rock is also one of the 10 best climbing places in the country.  Rock climbing is such a paradigm for faith in so many ways, in that you have to have trust; trust in the rocks to hold you up, trust that the one who is belaying you is going to support you when you fall, and trust that your God-given strength will help you overcome the challenge to reach your goal.

It's also a paradigm for life, because whenever you fall as you climb, you get your bearings, learn from your mistakes, latch on to the rock, and begin your climb again.  You don't just figure, well, I failed, and now it's best that I just pack up and quit.  You keep going, pick up where you left off, learn from your fall, and take the next step until you overcome the challenges in front of you.

Here Mr. Cougar.  Nice Kitty, Kitty.  Would you like to meet Mr. Mace?  How about you, Mr. Rattlesnake?  I have one for you, too. 

Even though it took me 2 years to get my Tenderfoot Badge before the Boy Scouts kindly asked to to resign from their organization (they kicked me out when I was 10...) I will always remember their motto to Be Prepared!

It's a beautiful place.  Gotta love Central Oregon!

Check in next week for another adventure.  Who knows where it will lead us!