Senior bucketlist: Fredericksburg hidden treasures and sunrise hikes

By CAITLIN WILLIAMS

Coming into college as a freshman, most of us have a set of personal goals that we hope to accomplish. For example, we have all seen the Buzzfeed and Odyssey articles, “College bucket lists.” Some of these give examples such as chugging a beer or going streaking, but others focus on more concrete goals such as traveling.

In college, funds are skimpy so we do not have a lot of money to just throw away on expensive trips or weekend adventures. Because of that it may be hard to achieve everything on your bucket list. Here are some cheap and easy things to do or go see in or around Fredericksburg.

First, everyone should go to the swimming hole at Alum Springs Park Waterfall at least once. This hidden gem in Fredericksburg is so much fun. In the water hole there are rocks to jump off of. I am terrified of heights, but jumping off was doable and worth it. It is a pure rush of adrenaline for the first time jumper. After that initial jump, it is nothing but pure fun.

Then, take a picture with the brick wall paint in Downtown Historic Fredericksburg. It is incredibly hard to find and it will take a little bit of walking around, but once you find it, it is the perfect spot for a couple’s photo or a photo with your best friend. All you need is someone to snap the perfect shot.

Finally, make sure to do a sunrise hike up Old Rag at least once. Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park is a hard hike, especially in the dark. The drive from Fredericksburg to the park is about two hours, so if you are going to make the sunrise, you have to leave Fredericksburg at 1 a.m. If you are not a night owl or a morning person it can be incredibly hard to do, but let me tell you, it is worth it.

Like I said, it is a difficult hike, so you will want to plan accordingly. There is a rock scramble at the top, so make sure that you know what you are doing especially in the dark. The hike is about 9.1 miles, so bring lots of water to keep yourself hydrated. Even though this does involve a lot more planning than the other two, if you wake up and go, even on a cloudy day, you can see some of the best sunrises of your life. It is one of the most eye opening, jaw-dropping experiences, and in my experience, it made me feel extremely small in the world.

These were just a few things on my bucket list that I wanted to do before I graduated and I’m sure that there are many more that will pop up throughout my senior year.