Long, Cold Walks on the Beach

by Travis Rocha

It’s my favorite time of the year… cold. That’s not sarcasm, I love the chillier months from November through February. It feels great to bundle up in a cozy sweater and just relax in the warm of my common room. Oddly enough, hot weather can deter me from going out, but cold weather doesn’t at all. I do love relaxing indoors during autumn and winter, but I also find myself going out everyday.

In fact, my friends and I actually went to the beach last week. Around Christopher Newport, there are plenty of beaches that are only a short drive away. Even Virginia Beach is only about a 40-minute drive. Now, I acknowledge that it’s definitely not prime beach season, especially in Virginia. Our trip to the beach was definitely a cold one, but since it’s so close, why not go? We didn’t jump in, but we did talk and relax there in our winter coats until sunrise finally hit. It was a long night, but it’s also something I’ll never forget. The sunrise was absolutely mesmerizing and washed us all in a delightful yellowish orange hue.

It may sound silly to go to the beach in the freezing cold on a wintry November night, but those are the experiences that we will remember most when our college days are gone. Education is the primary reason we’re here at Christopher Newport, but once you actually become a Captain, you realize there’s so much more to be offered. We may have caught colds from being out there in the cold for so long, but bonding with my friends during an unforgettable night makes it all worth it. I couldn’t imagine having these experiences anywhere else.