Lake Ouachita, AR
Early in our relationship, Brandi and I began building our hiking and camping equipment collection. We discovered it was something that we both loved but had little experience doing. So we made it a goal to change that. Although calling ourselves avid hikers would imply a greater frequency than true, we try to squeeze in a trip anywhere we can. Both being arts majors, we had little time in college and our weekends were by no means our own, so we generally stayed within a few hours drive of Lafayette. Lake Ouachita, AR was pushing the envelope of “weekend trip” in terms of distance, but lordy was it worth it.
Lake Ouachita is located in the mid/Midwest region of Arkansas on the eastern side of the Ouachita National Forrest. We hit the road before sunrise and made it to the trailhead in a little under 7 hours. (If this is a trip you’re thinking of making, I’d suggest staying 2 nights if possible to make the trek worth it. Depending on where you’re coming from, of course). The terrain and scenery of the area are diverse, filling the voids in sensory experience left by city living: rolling hills, wind through piney trees, the smell of brush and sounds of moving water, all the bits of life we don’t experience enough.
We camped on a small peninsula of sorts that jutted out into the lake. In retrospect, it was a poor choice for setting up camp being that the ground was gravely and hard (and our lack of proper equipment didn’t help)… but it was great nonetheless. Waking up to the sounds, smells, and 50 degree breeze the next morning is something I’ll never forget.
If you haven’t taken the time recently to get out to a State Park, National Forrest, of even the field next to your house… do it. It’s too easy to forget how beautiful of a rock it is that we inhabit. You’ll be happy you did.
