From a distance the hill is spotted with bodies with faces all squinting upward towards the sun, catching the first few rays of spring.Brightly colored beach towels bring new color to the landscape and students rest their heads on bundles up sweatshirts that are no loner needed with the onset of warmer temperatures.
It may not have sand, or be near a large body of water, but according to seniors at the University of Denver, "Ritchie Beach" as it has been affectionately nicknamed, is the place to spend a lazy spring day.
The hill, which is located on the side of the Ritchie Athletic Center, is a popular place where student can be found reading, doing homework, or just soaking up the sunshine.
"Are you really going to class?" a male student yells to a friend who is making the walk to the Sturm school building, books in hand. This seems to be the attitude come spring.
The sunshine seems to be one of the most effective distractions from the final quarter of the academic year. Often it is seniors who seem to fall victim to this scenario all too frequently.
"No one wants to be sitting in a classroom when the sun is out", says senior Lauren Kwan as she walks her new puppy down Asbury Ave. towards the center of campus.
Driscoll lawn is another area of campus that comes to life with the start of spring weather. An area that used to be blanketed with snow is now a Frisbee lawn, volleyball court, baseball field, or place to play fetch.
Winter jackets have been traded in for shorts and t-shirts and students are relieved to finally have the cold snowy weather a thing of the past.
"It feels good to finally be out of my UGG boots and back into flip-flops," said senior Beverly Fountain, "After last week's snow storm I was beginning to wonder if winter was ever going to end."
With the amount of warm sunny days starting to increase the itch of spring fever seems to be grabbing hold of most students. With all the distractions on "Ritchie Beach" and Driscoll Lawn, more and more students find themselves asking "how many more days till summer?"