I was born in the small town of Rainbow, Oregon. Me, my older brother and my parents lived on a small, one-acre farm with a forest right behind our property to hike and explore. Every weekday I got on the school bus at 7:30 am, and rode 30 minutes to my middle school. It didn’t seem that long because I was always busy socializing with friends. On Sundays, I worked on our farm with my dad and older brother. We grew tomatoes, corn, and squash during the summer and winter crops in the winter

The rays of sun coming in through my bedroom window warmed my cheeks. I hadn't opened my eyes until it hit me. SATURDAY!!! Saturday was by far my favorite day of the week because it was my one day off from school and work. I jumped up, tore off my PJ’s and slipped on my old Carhart overalls with holes in the knees, my hoodie without a hood and my running shoes. I ran down the hall, grabbed the fried egg sandwich my mom had made and barreled out the front door. My best friend Daisy was waiting outside for me. She was an Australian Shepherd with a grey coat and a white belly. 

The sun was out with random cloud fragments here and there. It was dark and damp under the tight nit canopy of douglas fir trees. Every step I took sounded as if I were snapping the dead bones of the trees. You could hear the creek churning in the distance, but not too far away. As I was walking, I came upon a path I had not seen before. It was thick with sticker bushes and dead logs, making my journey go much slower. After a good ten minutes of bushwhacking, the path opened up to a small meadow littered with pretty grass and wildflowers. Daisy ran in from behind me and started rolling over all the flowers. Everything seemed so nice until I heard a low growl coming from within the trees on the other side. Daisy jumped up and growled back at the creature. I shushed her and walked towards the sound on my tippy toes, trying to approach unknowingly. As I neared the other end of the meadow I could see the outline of a large figure. Daisy was right by my side and continued her low growl, almost imitating the creature. I shushed her again as I now realized I was standing feet from a Brown Bear. 

My curiosity got to me and I peeked my head through the tree line. The bear's foot seemed to be caught in a hunters trap. I knew that if I left it stranded it would die of starvation. So I got daisy to start barking and snuck around behind it. I took out the nails holding the trap to the tree and got back to Daisy without being noticed by the bear. Me and Daisy ran back down the hill and told my parents who were working in the field. The next day I woke up early before I had to work on the farm with my parents and went back up the hill. I kid you not, I saw the same bear and it grinned at me and then ran off deep into the forest.