By Vani Srivastava April 29th 2009
Reporting From Charlotte - Sunday 26 April, 2009, it was a beautiful day to be outdoors and of course, taking full advantage of it were the “Outdoor Geeks”, ready for yet another hike.
This time we were headed towards the scenic Badin Lake, approx 63 miles away from Charlotte; It is part of the Uwharrie National Forest; if anybody has a clue how to pronounce that do let me know, I am curious.
The Outdoor Geeks started from Century Parkside at around 8:15 am. The first 2 hikes organized by the team were surprisingly "Surprise Free". So to make it up, the first surprise element was added at the home base by the GPS devices. Not one had the same or similar route to the destination point. IT was decided we will follow Shilpa's Car which had the best route possible but by the time we reached freeway I-85 the 5 cars had taken 5 different exits.
The next element of surprise and the highlight of the journey was the 3.5 miles stretch on a dusty gravel road which was the last leg to reach the trail head. All the car owners expressed their surprise about this unpaved road at our first stop near the "Group Camping Area"(This place is going to play a big role later in the day, so keep it in mind) , a forced stop taken to find out where we were really headed.
Once Parag had completed his scouting and found the Day Use Area, the touring party moved on to the final destination of our car journey. From here on, we had to carry ourselves on our own 2 feet.
But then none of it mattered after we had the first view of the lake. The view of the lake from the trailhead was breathtaking - placid waters, vibrant greenery enveloped by an azure sky. By the time we had even started walking, quiet a few people had started with fishing, water skiing or just zigzagging on their motorboat at the lake. 
The trail itself is a pleasant walk (uh ok a little more than a pleasant walk for people like me). On the way, we came across lots of folks camped out at various points near the lake, swimming, fishing, cooking - just having a happy lazy day at a perfect spot with friends family and pets.
If we had shrugged away the first 2 surprises, none of us had prepared ourselves for what came next. For about 2/3rd of the trek, everything was perfect and going very smoothly, a little too smoothly for Mr. Murphy, I think.
We reached near the Arrowhead camp and promptly got lost in, what I call, “the butterfly loop”. Not that no one had warned us, Parag did warn Gautam over the phone. But that did not help much. As per the warning, we managed to get lost. And to spice it up a little, when we started asking for directions, we realized we were not even sure where we had started, meaning we really didn’t know our destination either;
While we were trying to figure out the road network (it wasn’t a bus, ring or a star network like we are used to), Gautam dropped the map scaring a red and green snake to scurry and take cover in the safety of dry leaves. That gave us a chance to catch more than just a glimpse of the beautiful but possibly dangerous creature. Another Highlight of this trek.. I would say.
While we were at Arrowhead Campground, we asked for the way to the lake from a few campers and were pointed to a path which took us right back to where we started at. After that fiasco, we just crossed the road and hit the trail again, letting our instinct guide us.
We walked for a while until uncertainty set in; looking at each other and at the stars did not help, so we had to ask for directions again. With help coming over the phone (by our trailblazers who were already at the base camp) and directions being given by people camping, we figured we can either continue on the trail or take the road out, which was as good as saying you can either go left or right(yeah, very helpful!!). We abandoned the trail, which was 0.5 miles away from the destination ( as we know now) to take the gravel road which winded all the way to the parking, a detour of at the least 1 mile.
Along the way on the gravel road, we got the first hand experience of what our cars would have felt if they had any feelings. Caked in grey, we reached the "Kings Mountain Day Use Area" (yeah, now we know the name of the destination too); Thank God for the cool drinking water there, we washed our faces and felt human again. We had our packed lunches on the picnic tables overseeing the lake and headed back to Charlotte.
Albums
That's what Shashank and Gautam had in mind when they planned for a hiking trip to Latta Plantation first but when they felt that it's going to be a walk in the park, they changed it to Table Rock. Table Rock Mountain provides a towering backdrop for an upcountry retreat at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is in South Carolina and approximately 130 Miles from Charlotte.
