Behind every stereotype lies some fragment of truth.
I first heard of Duck Beach on February 10, 2009. Why is that date etched in my memory? It’s not. I had to look for it in Gmail. But from that very first moment, I knew I wanted to go.
Here’s a little background: every Memorial Day Weekend, hundreds of graduated LDS singles gather in Duck Beach, North Carolina. They rent multiple beach-front mansions and spend 7 days playing volleyball, swimming, tanning, and socializing. Some have described Duck Beach as “Spring break for Mormons,” although the funniest description I heard was “EFY with bikinis”.
My spot was secured with a $300 payment (a bed for a week and food for 4 days). Flights from Boston to Norfolk, VA are $150. The rental car worked out to $35 per person. Round up, and we have a $500 vacation.
Whenever Duck Beach was raised in a conversation, party lines were drawn. The two factions were the “Duck Beach is just an excuse for people to throw their morals out the window and play for a week” and “I’ve actually been to Duck Beach and it was incredible”.
Last summer I went on a similar trip, the Massive Moab Trip, and it was phenomenal. Absolutely incredible. I had no doubt that Duck Beach would be the same.
It was.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and went immediately to the beach. After 30 minutes, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and we promptly all fell asleep on our towels. I cannot begin to describe how relaxing it was.
Sufficiently rested, we headed to the houses to get moved in. Friday night was a social night. Dinner was simple – frozen pizzas – but most people were more focused on mixing and mingling. The atmosphere was very friendly and laidback. Everyone was open and fairly genuine.
Aside: I’m currently in a relationship. A very good relationship. This was something that I brought up early in all conversations, because in an environment like Duck, you need to get that out there. The cool thing is that I still got to know tons of people. They weren’t all there to hook up. The vast majority of attendees were there to have fun and meet people. Period.
Friday evening consisted of hot tubbing and ocean runs. When you move a limb rapidly in the ocean under the night sky you can see the plankton light up. Magical.
Saturday was the day of the volleyball tournament. I got to the beach at 10 AM and didn’t leave until 5 PM. Lots of sun and volleyball. This would be a good time to mention that I am a firm believer in sunscreen. I lathered on the SPF-30 every few hours and didn’t get burned.
My team won all the games on our court but got completely decimated in the first round of the tournament. Oh well. I was already sick of volleyball by that time anyway.
There was a dance party at one of the houses Saturday night, but that’s not really my thing, so I made only the briefest of appearances.
Sunday – church in Kitty Hawk (Wright brothers, anyone?) was overflowing, brunch was elaborate, and the acoustic night was talent-packed. I signed up to play but made sure I was early on the list, so I wouldn’t get intimidated by everyone who is way better than me. I think it went okay.
Monday – Beach! Beach beach beach! I wasn’t as diligent with the ’30 and I got sunburned. It happens. Monday night BBQ, pictures, goodbyes. Hot tub. Karaoke night. Hearts (I won). Sleep at 4 AM.
Tuesday – Beach, pack, goodbye, fly, bus, train, bus, home.
You’re tired of reading and I’m tired of writing. But Duck was so relaxing and fun.
I first heard of Duck Beach on February 10, 2009. Why is that date etched in my memory? It’s not. I had to look for it in Gmail. But from that very first moment, I knew I wanted to go.
Here’s a little background: every Memorial Day Weekend, hundreds of graduated LDS singles gather in Duck Beach, North Carolina. They rent multiple beach-front mansions and spend 7 days playing volleyball, swimming, tanning, and socializing. Some have described Duck Beach as “Spring break for Mormons,” although the funniest description I heard was “EFY with bikinis”.
My spot was secured with a $300 payment (a bed for a week and food for 4 days). Flights from Boston to Norfolk, VA are $150. The rental car worked out to $35 per person. Round up, and we have a $500 vacation.
Whenever Duck Beach was raised in a conversation, party lines were drawn. The two factions were the “Duck Beach is just an excuse for people to throw their morals out the window and play for a week” and “I’ve actually been to Duck Beach and it was incredible”.
Last summer I went on a similar trip, the Massive Moab Trip, and it was phenomenal. Absolutely incredible. I had no doubt that Duck Beach would be the same.
It was.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and went immediately to the beach. After 30 minutes, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and we promptly all fell asleep on our towels. I cannot begin to describe how relaxing it was.
Sufficiently rested, we headed to the houses to get moved in. Friday night was a social night. Dinner was simple – frozen pizzas – but most people were more focused on mixing and mingling. The atmosphere was very friendly and laidback. Everyone was open and fairly genuine.
Aside: I’m currently in a relationship. A very good relationship. This was something that I brought up early in all conversations, because in an environment like Duck, you need to get that out there. The cool thing is that I still got to know tons of people. They weren’t all there to hook up. The vast majority of attendees were there to have fun and meet people. Period.
Friday evening consisted of hot tubbing and ocean runs. When you move a limb rapidly in the ocean under the night sky you can see the plankton light up. Magical.
Saturday was the day of the volleyball tournament. I got to the beach at 10 AM and didn’t leave until 5 PM. Lots of sun and volleyball. This would be a good time to mention that I am a firm believer in sunscreen. I lathered on the SPF-30 every few hours and didn’t get burned.
My team won all the games on our court but got completely decimated in the first round of the tournament. Oh well. I was already sick of volleyball by that time anyway.
There was a dance party at one of the houses Saturday night, but that’s not really my thing, so I made only the briefest of appearances.
Sunday – church in Kitty Hawk (Wright brothers, anyone?) was overflowing, brunch was elaborate, and the acoustic night was talent-packed. I signed up to play but made sure I was early on the list, so I wouldn’t get intimidated by everyone who is way better than me. I think it went okay.
Monday – Beach! Beach beach beach! I wasn’t as diligent with the ’30 and I got sunburned. It happens. Monday night BBQ, pictures, goodbyes. Hot tub. Karaoke night. Hearts (I won). Sleep at 4 AM.
Tuesday – Beach, pack, goodbye, fly, bus, train, bus, home.
You’re tired of reading and I’m tired of writing. But Duck was so relaxing and fun.
2 comments:
I love your blog, and I love you. I love your wittiness. I wish we were closer.. cause I know Jeremii loves you too! I heard the woman moved into town! Thats good news. As jeremii would put it.."DOn't fornicate, it can wait!" :)
I had no idea that Duck Beach existed, that it was host to such a cool event, that you participated, or that you could bring a bikini to EFY.
Sweet.
Post a Comment