A few weeks ago I was on my way to my school’s football game (App State), the air was cool and crisp, bright, sunny skies, a really pretty fall day, but I had a real pang in my gut, it took less than a minute for me to realize why — I realized it was my first fall away from the coast since I started surfing at the age of 12. Maybe I felt slightly robbed of my summer due to lackluster swell in town and long working hours (I love my job, but as with most jobs, it is a job). At that moment, I decided that the next week I would make the 6 hour drive to the Outer Banks.
The mountains are really pretty in the fall, but I am so consumed with school, I was having little fun, so I got out. This particular weekend there are plenty of events going on — the Volcom LTKRF Cooterfish contest, Hurley was holding a surf contest, ASG is playing at my favorite night spot, and the 40th annual Easterns started Sunday.
Thursday my classes were finished by 10:30 a.m., so I figured I would use one of my absences in my Friday class and head down early. I stopped off in Raleigh to pick up my friend and go to Whole Foods. I had a blast in that store! It was my first visit and I could have spent all my money there. I made it to my friend’s house near Nags Head Pier by 6:30, was bodysurfing by 6:40 then hit up Lucky 12’s across the street for a late dinner.
Friday morning I woke up pretty early in the morning to try to track down a board to ride for the weekend and found a 5’6 NSP Fish at the lifeguard station (my boss finds the coolest stuff on the beach) and went down to the pier where there was a decent knee-waist wave breaking. I went out a few hours, kind of frustrated because my sea legs were a bit dried out and the NSP is really heavy. I was also tired of the sea lice feasting on my bare skin.
All of my friends were working Saturday so I had two options surf or laze around town. The Volcom contest was postponed so after grabbing a West 3rd from Front Porch, I met up with a local friend and we headed down to the Pier to check the waves. Swell was running ok, but I guess not surfing for a while makes anything look ok. Probably knee-waist, breaking pretty shallow, I had a feeling the waves would get better as the tide filled in. After surfing the fish most the day I finally became comfortable with it and had a lot of fun. Not too many people in the water due to the weekend’s activities. As predicted the swell increased a bit throughout the day with the increasing tide and the winds stayed pretty light until 3pm or so- by then I realized I had been in the water since 10 and i should probably get a bite to eat. I ran across the street to Lucky 12’s had a awesome portobello sandwich and fries. I watched folks surf for a bit and decided I should go back out (after all I only had a few days) I stayed out until my friends got off work and surfed with them for another hour. Went out that evening to see ASG play, unfortunately the acoustics in the Brewing Station hurt the performance, but the boys rocked out as always!
Sunday morning surf check was bleak, so it was time to say goodbye head back west to catch up on school refreshed with a surf stoke I did not have all summer!
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