FISHIN’ TIME — Keiffer Owen gets in an afternoon of fly fishing along the Pigeon River at Camp Hope, a public park in Cruso owned by the town of Canton.
FISHIN’ TIME — Keiffer Owen gets in an afternoon of fly fishing along the Pigeon River at Camp Hope, a public park in Cruso owned by the town of Canton.
FISHIN’ TIME — Keiffer Owen gets in an afternoon of fly fishing along the Pigeon River at Camp Hope, a public park in Cruso owned by the town of Canton.
FISHIN’ TIME — Keiffer Owen gets in an afternoon of fly fishing along the Pigeon River at Camp Hope, a public park in Cruso owned by the town of Canton.
FISHIN’ TIME — Keiffer Owen gets in an afternoon of fly fishing along the Pigeon River at Camp Hope, a public park in Cruso owned by the town of Canton.
FISHIN’ TIME — Keiffer Owen gets in an afternoon of fly fishing along the Pigeon River at Camp Hope, a public park in Cruso owned by the town of Canton.
For Keiffer Owen, life felt almost normal last Sunday afternoon. His fishing rod and fly box in hand, Owen stalked trout along the banks of the Pigeon River in Cruso under beautiful spring skies.
“I do the outdoors whether I am social distancing or not. It’s never a bad time to be outside,” said Owen, a Realtor with RE/MAX Executive Waynesville. “Hiking, backpacking and fly fishing are my go-to’s.”
Owen loves heading deep into the backcountry, but when he has just a couple hours to kill, Camp Hope offers a quick escape.
Camp Hope was once a summer camp but is now operated as a public park by the town of Canton. It’s located along U.S. 276, 10 miles from the Bethel crossroads of N.C. 110.
Owen is grateful to live in a place like Haywood County during these times.
“At least we aren’t in a big city somewhere where there’s not the outdoors we have right here. We are so blessed. It’s a pretty amazing area that we live in,” Owen said.
Owen got in some backcountry camping over the weekend, as well. While the established campgrounds are closed, dispersed camping in the backcountry is still allowed in national forests.
It’s hard to call anything a silver lining in the midst of the coronavirus crisis that’s crippling society as we know it. But with more time on our hands than ever before, and with so little else to do, it’s a golden opportunity for families to connect with the outdoors that’s all around them.
“It is amazing how many people live right here in Haywood County that if they were asked about a hiking trail would be pressed to name one,” Owen said. “Maybe this will bring some more light to the outdoor recreation we have here in Haywood County.”
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Tired of being cooped up? There’s still plenty of places to enjoy the great outdoors. The Mountaineer will routinely feature spots to get in some outdoor recreation. Readers are invited to share their outdoor adventures tobjohnson@themountaineer.comor 828-507-9141.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.