BADIN LAKE CAMPGROUND IN THE UWHARRIE NATIONAL FOREST

After a frustrating day at work, my main objective was to soothe my soul by retreating to the woods. Of course it was a full moon Friday and nothing was going right so Vickie and I decided to go camping at Badin Lake Campground in the Uwharrie National Forest on Saturday. The light drizzle was predicted to stop around 4pm and clear up to blue skies on Sunday. Bailey and I met Matt, Vickie, Kaylee, and Sadie ( their dog ) at the campground. Badin Lake Campground has 35 sites for tent or RV camping, drinking water spigots, flushing toilets, and hot showers. Each site provides a picnic table, grill, fire ring, lantern post, and tent pads. Campsites 7, 9, and especially 11 had the best views right off the lake but they were taken. We did find a double site that fit our needs pretty well. We backed our trucks up to the site, unloaded, and set up camp. Matt pulls out some fishing poles and we all head off about 20 yards behind the campsite to Lake Badin. Matt was using chicken liver while Kaylee and I used Canadian Night Crawlers. Kaylee (5-6 yrs old) was the first one to reel in a bream. I caught 3 breams and 1 striped bass, Vickie caught a bream, and Matt was focusing on catching catfish. All the fish we caught were too small to keep so we kept fishing until dusk. Back at camp we all relaxed by a roaring fire eating cheeseburgers and potato salad. And for dessert, S'mores with jumbo marshmallows. Staring at a roaring fire for an hour or so will shut some eye lids fast. The temperature dropped to around the upper 40's during the night. Perfect weather for me. The morning sun quickly warmed thing up. Full from a hearty breakfast of bacon, sausage links, scramble eggs, and toast, we decided to hike the 5.6 mile Badin Lake Loop Trail. The trail mostly hugs Badin Lake to Arrowhead Campground. It cuts through the campground back to hugging the lake on the other side of the peninsula toward Badin Lake Campground. Kaylee did so well hiking that far. Back at campsite #20 we pack up and head home.

Hike: 5.6 Miles