Walkings: A Love Letter to Senior Year

/ Jessica / Leave a comment

I’ve taken many walks throughout my time at Virginia Tech. Now, as a senior, those walks feel different. I find myself reminiscing about the steps I’ve logged while still living on campus, when walking was a necessity and a form of escape. I lived in a dorm for two years, and during that time I often turned to walks on the Huckleberry Trail when I needed to “get away.” As I walked under the cover of night, my path gave me space to think, breathe, and escape the intensity of campus life. My walks were one of the only times where I could truly be alone, something that was hard to achieve while living in the dorms. 

I spent countless hours walking all around campus itself, wandering between classes, cutting through familiar shortcuts, and lingering in places like the Hahn Horticulture Garden. Those walks felt unplanned yet comforting. Now, I live at Brexx, which has given me a new kind of distance from campus. For my junior and senior year, I can quite literally step away from Virginia Tech. My apartment complex has a trail that circles the entire property, and on days when I feel restless or overwhelmed, I walk that path just to get out of my house and clear my head. While I enjoy those walks, I find myself missing the walking paths on campus. 

To commemorate my years here, I am revisiting the places I frequented as a freshman and sophomore while also finally seeking out the spots I always meant to explore. As my time at Virginia Tech comes to an end, these walks have become both reflections on where I began and small steps toward what comes next. Come along with me as I walk my way through my final year at Virginia Tech.

A is for Asheville

2.03 Overhead at Time of Day; Photograph and Text; October 11, 2025

Figure 01. The view from an overlook at the end of the hike in Asheville, North Carolina. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

For most of a hike, the view can be obstructed by tall trees surrounding the trail. Hiking in Asheville turned out to be this way, with trees surrounding us on all sides. We could see the sky peeking out at us as we made our way up the mountain. Finally, we reached the overlook and were met with a stunning view. Tall mountains blended into the sky that was turning all different colors. And the clouds were wispy yet full, making cover for the houses tucked away in lush forests. (90)

B is for Blue Skies

2.03 Overhead at Time of Day; Photograph and Text; October 16, 2025

Figure 02. On the way from Southgate to the Orange Bay Bus Loop, I stopped to take a picture of the sky near the south entrance of Lane Stadium. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

I get out of work every Tuesday and Thursday at 3PM. After my shift, I start my walk towards the Orange Bay. On October 16th, 2025, I paused to look up at the atmosphere. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. Just pure blue for miles and miles. My meteorology brain began to turn its wheels. No clouds must mean the atmosphere above us must not have much instability. Perhaps there’s a high pressure system in the region. I made a mental note to check nws.gov when I got home. (90)

C is for Crossing the Drillfield

2.04 Overheard, Less Context; Audio and Text; October 29, 2025

Figure 03. The sound of people talking on the Drillfield. You can pick out individual conversations throughout the clip. (Original Audio, Jessica Boalick)

There are always booths on the Drillfield. I passed by a pie-ing booth the other week. Above the sound of my footsteps, one sentence can be heard clearly, “I didn’t pie you, did I? No.”. At first it sounds normal, but when I thought about it more I became confused. Wouldn’t you know if you pied someone? Wouldn’t they know? Sometimes jumping into a conversation can be easy, especially when context is provided. However, there are times I just know it is better to be a listener than a participant. (90)

D is for Dragon’s Tooth

2.35 Go For A Hike; Photograph and Text; August 30, 2025

Figure 04. A view from the top of Dragon’s Tooth Hike in Southwest VA. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

Dragon’s Tooth hiking trail pushed me beyond my limit. As I scaled the mountain, words of encouragement filled the air as my boyfriend cheered me on. Sweat was rolling down my back, and as we got near the top, I could feel relief creeping into my body. Then my boyfriend turned back to me and said “And now we climb”. Rocks scraped my hands as I pulled myself upwards. Complaints ripped from my mouth. And as we reached the top, I found myself thinking “It wasn’t that bad after all.” (90)

E is for Enter Light, Exit Night

Prompt 2.08 Sporting Event; Photograph and Text; September 13, 2025

Figure 05. At the top of Lane Stadium right before the game starts. (Original image, Jessica Boalick.)

Enter light, exit night, take my hand as we squeeze through the massive crowd funneling into Lane Stadium. Entering Lane Stadium is like a fastpass to an anxiety attack. People on all sides of you, sticky from the late summer heat. People shove and push, desperate for that brief moment of personal space. Then there’s yelling, “STOP PUSHING,” as we all take a massive step forward. As I make my way into Lane, my eyes are burning, on the verge of tears. I haven’t been late to a game since. (90)

F is for Formerly Known as The Retreat

Prompt 2.24 A Meditation on Garbage; Photograph and Text; October 13, 2025

Figure 06. Two red solo cups are seen in front of my house. A crushed beer can lingers in the background, all leftover from the weekend fun. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

I live at Brexx, formerly known as The Retreat. Along with the name change came a change in the standards of cleanliness in the neighborhood. As I walk around, I see trash littering the ground. A crushed beer can, red solo cups, leftover cardboard boxes. I know that they’re all leftover from the parties that our neighbors throw, but that doesn’t mean it annoys me any less. From a young age we’re taught to clean up after ourselves, it seems that some of us still need to learn that lesson. (90)

G is for Going to Class

2.02 Shoe Portraits, Shoe Memories; Photograph and Text; November 4, 2025

Figure 07. A picture of my favorite pair of shoes surrounded by the fallen leaves of the fall foliage. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

Walking to class in the fall reminds me of why fall is my favorite time of year. The air is crisp, the leaves are vibrant, and my pants are baggy and long. This means I get to wear my favorite pair of shoes, which are conveniently the ones tall enough to prevent my pants from dragging on the ground. I have had these shoes since 2020, so they have seen the many phases I’ve been through since that year. They’ve walked countless miles with me, and they’ll walk countless more. (90)

H is for Hahn Horticulture Garden

2.09 Hahn Horticulture Garden; Photograph and Text; October 17, 2025

Figure 08. Walking through the Hahn Horticulture Garden as the leaves begin to fall. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

When I lived on campus, the Hahn Horticulture Garden was my safe space. If I was overwhelmed or sad, I would walk over to the garden and just sit. My favorite parts of the garden are the pond with the bench, or the area with the benches and the plants hanging overhead. I find that those two areas are so calming and dreamy. I don’t like the parts of the garden close to the road, as I feel the sounds of cars take me away from the peacefulness of Hahn. (90)

I is for Indoor Walk

2.12 Indoor Walk: Illustration and Text; November 10, 2025

Figure 09. This is a basic layout of my apartment. I’ve labeled all of the important rooms in pink. The thick black lines represent doors, and the thick blue lines represent windows. The orange arrow represents my path. (Original Drawing, Jessica Boalick)

I consider taking a walk to be an outdoor activity that lasts about 10 minutes. I’ve never considered walks to be ones you would take from the fridge to the couch. I often don’t even register these walks, even though I take them multiple times a day. Most of these walks are taken in the dark on days I don’t feel like turning on the light. And 30 to 35 steps is all I need to get from my room to the kitchen, my two favorite rooms in the house. (90)

J is for Just Imagine

2.01 Campus Map of the Imagination; Illustration and Text; November 17, 2025

Figure 10. This is a hand-drawn map of the VT campus. From this map, you can see which parts of campus I frequent most. (Original Drawing, Jessica Boalick)

I would say that I know campus like the back of my hand. However, when it came to actually drawing it out, I realized that there’s a lot of details that I don’t know or remember. The most detailed part of my map is around Harper Hall, as most of my classes are in the surrounding buildings and it was my freshman year dorm. As I got further from that area, the shape and scale of the buildings became more questionable. In fact, entire buildings began disappearing from my map. (90)

K is for Keeping Count

2.13 Step Counting Metrics; Photograph and Text; November 29, 2025

Figure 11. This is a screenshot of my step-counting metrics from the week of Thanksgiving break. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

I wear my apple watch everyday, which means I’m always counting my steps. On average, I get 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day per week. This Thanksgiving, I participated in a turkey trot, so naturally I counted my steps. It was the most steps I took during the whole break, about 10,000 for that day. Every other day, I got under 5,000 steps and I didn’t feel my best. While I’m not the most devoted step counter, I think it is definitely linked to my mood. (90)

L is for Looking Back

3.01 Reflective Preparatory Writing; Photograph and Text; October 24, 2025

Figure 12. This picture was taken during one of my walks around the Brexx neighborhood. I love this walk for its beautiful views of the mountains. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

When I’m feeling joyful, I take a walk. If something is frustrating me and I need clarity, I take a walk. Depending on the type of walk, I’m either listening to music or walking in silence. I’m typically a fast walker, but the beat of my music usually determines my pace. Throughout my time at VT, walking has become an integral part of my routine. When I lived on campus, I would walk around the Hahn garden. Now that I’m at Brexx, I walk around the trail spanning the neighborhood. (90)

M is for Make Your Own Path

2.17 Desire Paths; Photograph and Text; November 7, 2025

Figure 13. The destiny path I take every Friday after radar class. It’s located on the far end of the Drillfield near West Campus Dr. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

When I get out of radar class on Fridays, I always look for the fastest route to get to the bus loop. And it happens to be the destiny path that cuts diagonally across the far side of the drillfield. It goes from the far right side of Price Hall to the far left side of Davidson. It is a well-defined path, so I know that other students have used this same short-cut. When I see paths like that, I wonder if VT will ever take action to pave them. (90)

N is for New Classroom Building

2.05 A Good Bench; Photograph and Text; October 29, 2025

Figure 14. The bench I found to sit on in NCB while taking refuge from the cold. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

Whenever my 11:15 class gets cancelled, I end up taking the 11:35 bus in order to make my next class at 12:05. This leaves me with an awkward amount of time before my class starts. I usually end up wandering around and sitting outside. But today was a particularly windy day. I walked into NCB, hoping to find a warm place to sit. And low and behold, a beautiful big bench appeared in front of me. I was grateful for this bench saving me from the cold. (90)

O is for On the Trail

2.11 Huckleberry Trail; Photograph and Text; November 17, 2025

Figure 15. A picture of the sun setting along the Huckleberry Trail. It creates a lovely view as it peaks through the trees. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

I’m a big fan of the Huckleberry Trail. As an avid walker, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the different places it could take me. My favorite is the walk from Foxridge to campus. One of my friends lives there and one day we decided to walk the trail. It was approaching sunset and we were walking along the creek. The sun started to peek at us through the trees creating a beautiful image I just had to capture. You never know what sights you’ll see on the huck! (90)

P is for Pick Up Your Trash

2.24 A Meditation on Garbage; Photograph and Text; November 4, 2025

Figure 16. Trash that I found right after walking out of the bus. Although I don’t know what it is, I know it’s trash. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

One morning on my walk from the Orange Bay to Wallace Hall, I documented 5 pieces of trash for an assignment due the next day. I thought there was no way I’d find all 5 pieces on this walk. But I immediately ran into a piece of trash as I stepped off the bus. I was shocked as more kept appearing. Before I knew it, I had everything I needed. Although I completed my work, I was disappointed at how easy it was to find so much trash on campus. (90)

Q is for Quickly Eating

2.32 Shortest Walk; Illustration and Text; November 30, 2025

Figure 17. This is a drawing of the paths from the kitchen to the couch, as well as the path from the kitchen to the table. (Original Drawing, Jessica Boalick(

Kitchen to couch. Or kitchen to table. A very important question. Environment makes a meal. When eating, comfort matters. The couch offers comfort. Table is more formal. It’s also faster. The microwave beeps. The plate burns me. I hesitate briefly. I must decide fast. The plate grows heavy. Food cools fast. Two steps taken. Then another. Decision shifts mid-walk. A few more steps. Hardwood turns to carpet. Plate goes on coffeetable. I sit down. The couch greets me. Eating begins quietly. I’m satisfied. Small journeys count. Daily distances shape living. (90)

R is for Red Maple

2.10 Favorite Tree, A Note of Appreciation; Photograph and Text; October 30, 2025

Figure 18. In this picture, we can see the gorgeous Red Maple Tree right outside of Southgate on the VT Campus. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

Dear Red Maple, I love how you turn a brilliant shade of red during autumn. Your color is so vibrant, I stop every time I see you to just stand and stare. I pass by you when I head into work, and it gives me a little boost of energy. At this time of year, so many other trees have already lost their leaves. They are bare and sparse. But you still have every leaf. I hope you can hold onto your leaves for a little longer before winter hits. (90)

S is for Stargazing

3.14 Star Gazing; Photograph and Text; October 24, 2025

Figure 19. A picture of the sky as I walked around the VT campus. The path I like is near the Veterinary School. (Original image, Jessica Boalick)

Star Gazing is one of my favorite things to do when I have time to myself. There is a path that goes around campus that I like to walk during nighttime, and when there aren’t many lights around, the stars really begin to pop. When I walk with my eyes in the sky, I feel like I could reach out and touch them. I find myself walking slower and pausing at the darkest part of the path, where the stars shine the brightest. I love when the darkness surrounds me. (90)

T is for The Shortest Walk

2.32 Shortest Walk; Video and Text; November 12, 2025

Figure 20. A video showing how it only takes 5 steps to get from my bed to my bathroom. (Original Video, Jessica Boalick)

From bed to bathroom. Five steps, you’re there. Always the same distance. Anytime of day. My sheets fall away. Carpet turns to tile. I know the way. I move by memory. No light needed. The door creaks open. My eyes stay closed. I flip the switch. The light blinds me. The fan turns on. Air hums above softly. Water starts running. Then drips to stop. Everything else turns off. I turn around. Back to bed. Another five steps. Shortest walk, quietest too. I slip into bed. Ready to repeat again. (90)

U is for Up, Up, Up

2.22 Stairs versus Elevator; Audio and Text; November 12, 2025

Figure 21. This is an audio recording of me and my friends heading up the stairs to class. You can hear our conversation, although slightly out of breath. (Original Audio, Jessica Boalick)

There is always a limit on how many stairs I’ll go up before defaulting to an elevator. I climb up three flights of stairs in Smyth Hall every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The biggest reason for taking the stairs is that I actually don’t know where the elevator is. And taking the time to find it is simply too much effort. The other reason is that all of my friends take the stairs. If I took the elevator, I would miss out on our slightly out of breath stairway conversations. (90)

W is for What’s in My Bag

2.23 The Things You Carry; Photograph and Text; October 31, 2025

Figure 22. This is a picture of my purse that I carry around everywhere with me, as well as everything inside of the bag. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

This is my everyday purse. I carry it everywhere. In my purse, I usually carry my wallet, glasses case, small mirror, touchland hand sanitizer, pressing powder for if my face gets shiny, mini tajin, two travel size perfumes, two lip glosses, and hair mascara. I also have my keys, but I tend to carry them or attach them to the outside of my purse. When I unpacked my purse, I realized that I carry duplicates of items. However, I probably won’t take them out since I am a chronic overpacker. (90)

V is for Visiting the Library

2.29 Public Library; Photograph and Text; November 30, 2025

Figure 23. As I walked toward the adult fiction section, I snapped a picture of the Blacksburg Public Library. I couldn’t help but think of the differences between this library and the one in my hometown. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

I used to love the public library. My parents would take me all the time as a kid. I would spend hours picking books for the next week. I always picked based off of the cover of a book, and then I would keep it if the story seemed interesting. Nowadays, I rarely go to the library. Not because I don’t want to go, but because I barely have time to read. In the future, I hope to get back to the library, as I feel they are important spaces. (90)

X is for Start Here

2.29 Public Library; Photograph and Text; November 30, 2025

Figure 24. As I walked through the library, this book caught my attention. It reminded me of a time when reading was the best part of my day. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

My library walk is different from my regular walk. When I’m searching for a new book, I walk sideways and very slowly. I look for a cover that will catch my eye. While I was doing my library walk, I found “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black. As I picked it up, I felt like I was transported back to 2020 when I first read it. Back then, I fell in love with the world building. It allowed me to travel out of my home during a time of quarantine. (90)

Y is for You Should Be Prepared

2.23 The Things You Carry; Photograph and Text; November 30, 2025

Figure 25. This image captures all of the things I usually keep in my backpack in order to prepare for the school day. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

When it comes to packing my backpack, I make sure I am extra prepared. My days on campus tend to be long, so it’s bad if I’m missing anything. I always have Tums and ibuprofen just in case I feel like I am dying. I have my laptop and iPad for all of my schoolwork. Nowadays, I always have to carry my laptop charger because it dies quickly. I also carry chapstick, a pencil case, my lunchbox, work uniform (which includes a shirt, pants, and cap), waterbottle, and an umbrella. (90)

Z is for Zoning Freshman Year

2.34 Directions for a First-year Student; Photograph and Text; November 29, 2025

Figure 26. This is a picture of the Hahn Horticulture Garden from my freshman year. I used to go there a lot as a freshman. (Original Image, Jessica Boalick)

Dear Future Hokie, Welcome to VT! I’m sure you’ve been on campus before, whether it be for a tour or just a visit, but there is so much more to campus than you know. At first, you will probably use google maps to find your way around. But the sooner you become familiar with the campus the better. A place you must visit is the Hahn Horticulture Garden. While it is not in the most accessible place, it makes it a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of VT. (90)

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