The dock…

For all the runners, nature enthusiasts, or simply stressed out students looking for Thoreau’s Walden to escape to – I have found the perfect place. Secluded on the far edge of campus – behind the Rec Center and freshman Botetourt complex – floats a dock that extends out into a small river. I’m not even sure the name of this river – maybe it runs into Lake Matoaka. But once I’m there, my location in relation to the rest of the campus is irrelevant. It is where I can go to relax, breathe, and realize how lucky I am to be in this beautiful place.

I made the dock discovery during my first trail run of the year. I hadn’t even known about the trails behind the Rec Center before hearing about them from a friend. With the ideal Virginia weather outside – the kind a Mid-Westerner never fails to appreciate – begging me to go for a run, I finally conceded. But make no mistake – I am no real runner. I make my attempts at 5k’s, and stare longingly at the legs of cross country runners, but I am not, nor will I ever be, a runner. But this day, at least I could pretend. And the dock made the ideal resting point to take a breather and stretch.

I now make it a point to return to this dock every month or so, even if it’s just on a pleasant walk through the woods. Jogging to the dock your freshman year is a great way to unwind and avoid that freshman 15. On my next trip I hope to make use of the row boats and kayaks students can rent to further explore, and secretly pretend I am Pocahontas, discovering what’s around the river bend for me the rest of this whirlwind of a freshman year. After that, maybe I will invite freshman hall-mates for a picnic on the dock. We are always up for a good excuse to procrastinate homework.

– Anna Mahalak ’12