Starting at 8 years old, Owen was mentored for a decade in earthskills at an acclaimed nature connection program. His passion for leatherworking, basket making, friction fire and plant studies compelled him to become both a student and instructor of each craft. He began working in outdoor education at the age of 14, and has since worked with people of all ages in workshops and backcountry expeditions of all sorts.

As a teenager, Owen chose to be homeschooled in order to focus on primitive skills and outdoor education, spending two years living outdoors during that time. He studied with Natalie Bogwalker at Wild Abundance, apprenticed with herbalist Will Endres in Hillsborough NC, and attended a variety of earthskills gatherings across the Southeast. He completed 4 seasons of the  Wilderness Immersion Program at the Maine Primitive Skills School, and went on to teach wilderness skills there for 4 years.

Owen has over ten years of earthskills experience, and possesses a high degree of focus and attention to detail. He spent 6 winters living in various primitive shelters, three of them being in Maine. He is currently drawn to primitive shelter building, hide tanning, fire by friction, bicycle touring, and continuing his pursuit of year round foraging.