Trout day has marked the start of a season in the area for many years. Obviously, trout fishing, a huge pillar of the communities that surround Roaring River State Park. But, there is much more that comes with it.

I was raised in this area, and now I am raising my daughters in the area. I have never been an avid fisherwoman, despite my last name, but that doesn’t stop the numerous trips to the park every year. 

When my husband moved here, a few years before I even met him, he found some good friends who took him to the park to show him the Roaring River way. Again, despite his last name, he was not the fisherman you might have thought. But being here, in this community, that has changed. 

I remember the first Thanksgiving after we met he told me his family added smoked trout to the Thanksgiving dinner spread. I thought that was adorable, what better way to celebrate a Troutman Thanksgiving than with smoked trout. 

For me though, I am drawn to Roaring River for the many other beautiful amenities. The hatchery was always a blast when I was younger. We would show up and demand quarters from whichever adult was near, and walk the lanes tossing the fish food in watching the baby trout jump and flip around for their treat. 

We had school trips to Roaring River where we would learn about plants, animals, and hike along a trail or two. I think it was my fourth-grade year when we took one of those trips and for a school project had to make a poster using nature. I chose to make a rabbit which my dad sketched out for me. I glued sticks along the lines he drew for the outline and smeared more glue down which I packed with dirt to make the fur of the little brown bunny. I remember picking daffodil petals and gluing those to make a white bushy tail. That, however, was against the rules, but for the life of me I couldn’t come up with something else to use. 

We would camp at Roaring River regularly, and we still venture to the park to visit family when they camp there. We build fires, grill hotdogs, make smores, and let the kids play in the cold water during the hot summer months. 

Since Kyle and I have been together, we often take visiting family to Roaring River. Our first year together, our oldest daughter and I would often wake up on a Saturday morning to find Kyle had already packed up and head to the park for some early morning fishing. That never bothered us much because we aren’t really morning people anyway. But she always made sure not to completely miss out.  The next morning, she would plan a picnic lunch. We would pack a blanket, chairs, fishing gear and our picnic and head to the river in the early afternoon, when the sun was out and it was warm out with a slight cool breeze off the water. 

She and Kyle would fish, or Kyle would fish in between helping her prepare her pole and cast, which she would immediately reel in before he could get his hand on his own pole. While I laid back reading. It was a beautiful time too unplug and just enjoy our little family. In fact, we didn’t even have cell service there until recently.

This little tradition was a huge part of our summer throughout COVID-19. What better way to get away from people than to be at the river. 

By the next summer, we were expecting our newest little Troutman, and I unfortunately was often too sick or tired to make the trip. Kyle and Ellie would still venture out, and sometimes I would accompany them, but as I neared my due date, they stayed closer to home. 

I remember telling him to go fishing one Saturday, to which he expressed his fear that I would go into labor and not be able to reach him.

Last summer was a bit weird for us as well. With the new arrival of baby Olivia, and learning of her heart condition, we again kept it pretty close to home. Her heart surgery was in June, and there was a healing period. We decided to plan a trip to the beach for our little family to get away from a lot of the stress that had built up. In the end, we didn’t visit the park as often as we would like. 

But March 1, is the beginning of a new season. 

A season of taking our girls to Roaring River, a season of Sunday picnics, a season of watching their dad teach them how to fish, a season of soaking up the sun with my feet in cool water. Perhaps this year I will take advantage of the wonderful hiking trails to meet my fitness goals. 

TroutMom says, you can always find something beautiful at Roaring River State Park, whether it is the scenery or the moments and memories you create with your family.