President's Message

Joe Fabian

President@ocsj.org

          I was asked to write this month about safety with our main activities. So here goes. First, hike with another person for safety's sake. Hiking in the woods alone has certain risks like injuring oneself, dealing with risky people, and having an unexpected health crisis. You want someone with you. I know a couple of our club backpackers last year who were in a serious wilderness area. One slipped and fell. The next morning she had a lot of trouble standing. The two of them eventually hours later the next day after leaving the trail flagged down a motorist. She had serious fractures. In the news this summer, we have heard of many hikers who were alone not returning due to heat related illness. Hike with a buddy. 

      Second, the topic of cycling. Follow traffic laws. A club cyclist not on our club ride told me of an incident this year in Burlington County. She was at an event with another local club. Approaching a stop sign someone in the front of the pack yelled "Clear!"  . The riders just rode through the intersection without stopping or looking. The intersection was not clear.  In the back, she swerved to avoid a vehicle which had the right of way. She went down. No one in the group even noticed. and another driver had to chase the group down the road to bring it to the group's attention. Stop and look both ways and don't count on other riders to do it for you. I recall the days in the 1980's of riding down Kresson Road in Cherry Hill past apple orchards with very light traffic. Now we have to contend with distracted drivers in a hurry texting, emailing and whatever. Last year, a seasoned lady cyclist was struck by a  car and killed on that formerly lightly travelled road. 

   Third up is watersports like paddleboard, kayaking, canoeing. Wear a personal flotation device also known as a lifejacket. I kayak regularly in the Delaware River in NY State. Of the many kayakers, rafters and tubbers who drowned there almost none were wearing life jackets, despite the requirement that they do so. A few years ago, an outfitter for no disclosed reason would not allow a club member and I to book a 16 mile trip I had done on the Delaware a few times before. Later I learned, four men had drowned from the outfitter the three days before. None had PFD's on. One was a professional wrestler.  A fellow went in to rescue the wrestler and he drowned too. Don't kid yourselves, even kayaking in the rivers in the pine barrens there are risks.  Last year an outfitters guide discussing the professional wrestler's death said, if you think you can fight the weight of water and gravity, you are a fool. Also, PFD's need to be worn tightly, so it doesn't come off over your head.  

  Three safety points. Hike with a buddy, Stop and look both ways at stop signs when biking. Wear a PDF when engaging in watersports. 

       Stay cool and safe outdoors.  

                                              Joe Fabian, President OCSJ   

Vice President's Message

Barbara Berman

vp@ocsj.org

I wanted to remind all OCSJ leaders and members that the Board worked on a formal complaint policy in March, 2022. Since we take all complaints seriously, we will research and resolve all of them in a timely manner. Complaints can be made between a club member and a trip leader, member to member, or member to the OCSJ Board. Complaints can only be made on a situation that occurred during a club event. Shuttles are not part of a club event. Besides the written description of how to file a complaint and examples of inappropriate behavior, we also developed a form for you to use to guide you through the process. Please familiar yourself with this. Here is the link: https://ocsj.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Complaint%20Policy.pdf. It can be found on the club’s website under the tab entitled Policies and Forms, then look for Complaint Policy and Form for the details.

TRAIL MAINTENANCE NEWS

Trail Maintenance Representative

Ro Mason     romason@comcast.net

Tea Time Hill Fire

The OCSJ trail crew was given permission by Brian Corvinus, NJ Forest Fire Warden and Rob Auermuller, Regional Superintendent NJ State Park Service, to assess any damage to the Batona Trail from the fire known as the Tea Time Hill Fire.  The fire was ignited by the careless handling of fireworks on July 4.

4500 acres were burned and two structures threatened.

We found the 2.7 miles of the trail that was affected by the fire to be in good shape overall.  Many blazes were burnt as well as half of mile marker 34.5.  Anthony Venti, aka The Picasso of the Pines,  replaced the blazes and Diane Mason will replace the mile marker.

The bench and signage at Tea Time Hill survived. The fire burnt the sides of the hill but not the top!

Thank you to Anthony, Diane, Jenny and Larry Buffington, Janet Riley, Tim Donaghy, Allen Crawford and Scott Walker for joining me on Saturday, July 10 on a hot and humid day to assess the trail conditions.

HIKING NEWS

Hiking Chair

Becky Strickland    becky.ocsjhike@gmail.com

 Having problems with Meet Up??  It works best on laptops or desktops though some of our members do fine on their phones. Problems occur when people switch back & forth from one device to another.  If you have problems, sign out from each device then sign back in again, preferably on just one device. 

In early July a father, 52, & daughter, 23, died on the Syncline Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. This was a heartbreaking loss for their family.  That 8 mile trail is described as 'strenuous' on the website with a recommendation to carry at least 1 gallon of water per person.  That is 8 pounds of water! That's the minimum recommendation. The temperature was 100 degrees that day.  It's easy to blame the victims here - why did they go out in that kind of weather?  They were from Wisconsin and may have had only those days to hike that trail.  It's an 8 mile round trip, something our members do often, but this was very different, difficult terrain.  Let's learn from that and make a point of being prepared for the hike in front of us, knowing circumstances could become more difficult than we expect. Better to finish our hike with water left over, than to run out before we're finished.

It's important to stay hydrated; we don't necessarily feel thirsty when we are dehydrated, and dehydration affects our judgement.  

Here's a suggestion on staying cool from longtime member and hike leader Faye Bray.   "I have a gel headband, available from Walmart, around my forehead and one of those Cooling Rags around my neck. I also dump water on my head or down the front of my shirt. "   

Be safe out there!

ACTIVITY CHAIR

Frank Pearce     hornet71@verizon.net

If you are coming on a paddle, do not forget the sunscreen and plenty of fluids. If you need to cancel your RSVP, please do it as early as possible to give someone else the opportunity to come. You will notice limits on trip size, there are many reasons for this such as safety and limits on parking. Remember that shuttles are not considered part of the activity due to insurance issues. Participation is an individual choice, however, those that participate should be willing to help with the shuttle and not just take advantage of it. Do not forget to thank the leader and consider becoming a leader.

First step contact the Chair for that activity. The Chair will give you the steps required. Once you become a leader, the next step up is becoming what we call a qualified leader. Benefits to becoming a qualified leader include having your membership extended for free the next year and being invited to the awards event. You are also eligible to be reimbursed up to $75 for CPR Training.

Current policy requires leaders to lead the following number of activities in a year for Qualified Leader. status:

Cross-Country Skiing - 1. Contact: Barbara Brandt bbrandt46@gmail.com

Biking - 5. Contact Barbara Berman vp@ocsj.org

Canoe/Kayak - 3. Contact: Frank Pearce -mailto:hornet71@verizon.net Requirements: click here

Hiking - 6. Contact: Rebecca Strickland becky.ocsjhike@gmail.com Requirements: click here

Backpacking -2. Contact: Kevin Drevik -856-630-2485

Current policy also requires trip leaders to turn in the sign-in sheets for these activities to qualify. (Scanning and emailing them is acceptable as long as the physical sheets are kept and sent to Activities Co-Ordinator at the end of the year.) E-sign -in records are also acceptable. Leaders who do not meet these requirements must be removed from leader status before there are any automatic free renewals.

Welcome Richard Puglisi who  has  taken over the  duties of  webmaster. Rich worked for 43 years in the IT field. He brings a wealth of expertise to the club.

CYCLING NEWS

Acting Cycling Chair 

Barbara Berman

vp@ocsj.org

With riders new to group riding, I wanted to familiarize you with some safety measures. For experienced riders, it never hurts to review them again too.

• Do not ride ahead of the leader or behind the sweep.
• Ride single file when there are cars present; if there is no traffic, no more than 2 abreast.
• Rider in back calls “car back”, and everyone passes it up to the leader.
• Rider in front calls out obstacles, and everyone passes it back.
• Always pass another rider on the left. Never pass anyone on the right.
• When passing someone, say “on your left”.
• When slowing, say “slowing”.
• When stopping, say “stopping”.
• No overlapping wheels; leave a comfortable distance between you and the person in front of you (usually at least one bike length).
• Never say all clear when going through an intersection. If there are cars, say “car left or car right”. Every rider is responsible for looking for themselves when going through an intersection.
• Last rider through an intersection will say “all aboard”. The other riders pass it up to the leader, who gives the signal that he/she heard it.
• Use hand signals when making turns, slowing, or stopping.
• Watch and listen to the leader and the riders in front of you and listen to the sweep when making a left-hand-turn. They will say “taking the lane”.
• If there is a right turning lane, stay near the white line on the LEFT of the turning lane. You do not want cars turning right to cut you off.
• Communicate with riders around you and do not make any sudden movements.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING/SNOWSHOEING NEWS

Cross Country Ski Chair

Barbara Brandt    bbrandt46@gmail.com

STILL WAITING FOR SNOW.......

waiting....getting closer...

KAYAKING/CANOEING NEWS

Kayaking/Canoeing Chair

Frank Pearce      hornet71@verizon.net

Try to stay cool.  

Why Cotton?

There are no exceptions to the rule “Always Dress for The Water Temperature.”

If your goal is keeping warm and avoiding cold stress, then cotton should be avoided.

However, if your goal is to avoid heat stress, then cotton is a superior fabric.

It applies to hot days when you are paddling on warm water. 

Cotton is the ideal material to use in hot weather because it absorbs more water than synthetics and therefore provides evaporative cooling for a longer period of time. Water is very efficient at conducting heat away from your body, so if you're surrounded by water, why not take advantage of the situation and offload excess heat by conduction? Before you start paddling, get in the water and splash around for a little while until you feel cooler. You'll feel a lot cooler as soon as you get your clothes wet, but as they dry out, you'll begin to feel hot again.

Keep hydrated!

You can’t cool yourself as effectively if you’re not properly hydrated. Keep water or whatever healthy fluid close to you. If you have water close to you, you will end up drinking more, just because it is closer,

Water is hard to beat for hydration - caffeine is a diuretic in large quantities and should be avoided.

Do not make the mistake of waiting until you feel thirsty to drink water, this is because by the time you feel thirsty, you have already lost fluid and you’re on the way to dehydration. 

One final key to staying hydrated: Start early.

BACKPACKING/CAMPING NEWS

Backpacking/Camping Chair

Kevin Drevik     KDrevik@aol.com

Backpacking had a 3-day trip complete in New Hampshire’s White Mountains in mid-July. It was 22 miles with several 1,500-2,000 ft steep climbs, as only the White Mountains can present. A lot of fun, and everyone got back safe, just a little sore. It was a great time, and you can check out the pictures on Meetup.

Next trip is a 4-day trip scheduled for southern New Hampshire (not the White Mountains) in August, and there is also a weekend intermediate/beginner trip in New York in September.

If anyone else is interested in leading backpacking trips, please contact me at kdrevik@aol.com or call me at 856-630-2485. Its not really hard, and it’s a great chance for you to pick the hikes you want to go on. I’ve benefited from it for the last fifteen years as I have worked on section hiking the AT.

See you on the trail!

• 
  
•  Aug 17-20: Intermediate backpacker trip in Central NH (the one that got cancelled last year)
• Sep 7-8: Beginner/Intermediate trip in NY by Bear Mountain Park (the one that got pushed off last year)
  
• Oct 12-13: Weekend backpacking, location TBD
• Oct 26-27 PA

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

by Vera Stek

verastek@verizon.net

OCSJ Donna Ellis

By Vera  Stek

Jersey-born Donna Ellis traveled all around the US and Europe in her adventurous early years before she came home and sort of settled down. Never still for too long, she’s been active in most outdoor sports as both a follower and a leader in the Outdoor Club and other organizations.

“I used to think the Pine Barrens was flat and boring. The Outdoor Club has shown me otherwise,” Donna says.

Here’s her story:

Q. Tell us about yourself.

DONNA: I consider myself a "Jersey Girl.” I was born and raised in Bergen County. When I graduated nursing school I wanted to travel and see the country so I did! As an R., young and single, I could get a job anywhere. I lived in Boston, Sun Valley, Idaho (my ski bum years), and Texas. A full circle before returning back home to NJ. I lived in Sussex County (where I raised my son) for many years. As we know, things change. When I retired 7 years ago the ocean was calling me and I relocated. I currently live in Shark River Hills.

Q. When and why did you join the Outdoor Club? How did you hear about the club? What benefits do you get by belonging? 

DONNA: When I relocated I needed to find some new places to hike and make new friends. Between Meet-up and Google I learned of the Outdoor Club. Also, now that I am getting older I no longer like to go on adventures alone. I have met so many wonderful like-minded people. 

Q. How long have you been hiking? Do you participate in other outdoor activities?

DONNA: I have always loved the outdoors and have been hiking most of my life. I especially enjoyed being a Girl Scout. I enjoy almost every outdoor activity there is: biking, kayaking, X-country skiing, snowshoeing. I often think I should have been a Park Ranger.

Q. What made you decide to become a hike leader and get involved with trail maintenance? 

DONNA: I have been a hike leader (different groups) in the past. I love showing people new places. I was also a trail maintainer (up north) and enjoy being able to give back. Thank you to all the trail maintainers out there. Hike leaders, too. It's such a joy to be able to follow someone who knows the way.

Q. What are some safety tips you can pass on? Ever had an interesting encounter or problem on a hike?

DONNA: ALWAYS be prepared, even on a short day hike. I have had way too many interesting encounters to go into, but, I will mention that I am in a book about a time I was rescued, and survived.

Q. Where are your favorite places to hike? 

DONNA: Favorite places are probably the Adirondacks and White Mountains in NH, especially when rewarded with a view. 

Q. Do you go on active vacations? Any places on your bucket list?

DONNA: Active vacations have mostly been in this country. I love camping but think it's time to upgrade to getting a cot. Alaska remains on my bucket list.

Q. What are some of your other interests?

DONNA: I enjoy reading, yoga and gardening. I  do spend a lot of time walking on the boardwalk.

Q. What’s something about yourself that might surprise others to know?

DONNA: Guess I was a bit of a free spirit back in time. I was trusting and lucky;

who remembers hitchhiking? I traveled cross country on a Greyhound bus for months with my backpack and a pup tent, same in Europe on a train, and drove thousands of miles with paper maps. Having goals has kept me motivated enough to become a member of the Catskill 3500 club, Adirondack fire tower challenge, Prezzie traverse in NH on the longest day in June and yes, 100K in a day! (DC to Harpers Ferry, VA) and the Grand Mile Club with the OCSJ!

Q. Anything else you’d like to say about anything?

DONNA: Keep moving folks, there is always something to do. Have a goal.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

Maura Mawn    mmawn@comcast.net

OFFICIAL OCSJ LOGO TSHIRTS

The Outdoor Club of South Jersey is happy to announce the availability of club T-Shirts through Print Shop Shirts. Ordering will be ongoing.

We have many different styles to choose from ranging from simple ring spun cotton shirts, moisture management/antimicrobial performance fabric, to moisture wicking to UPF sun protection. Short sleeve and long sleeve with many colors to choose from. Now available, UPF hooded long sleeve shirt.  Choose from full back printing only, or front left breast printing only, or both front & back printing.

The ordering process from Print Shop Shirts is simple:

Go to  printshopshirts.com

Click on "go to stores"

Click on the OCSJ logo  

Direct link   Order here

ANNUAL MILEAGE CLUBS

Reminder: OCSJ   Paddle Mileage Club for 2024

Any canoe/kayak trip counts with any group or individual.

The miles are sent in the first week of January 2025 but the last trip is December 31 of 2024 The paddlers who do not make 300,400 or 500 miles but turn in miles will get honorable mention on the website.

For details contact Frank Pearce   hornet71@verizon.net  The official log sheets can be found on the  OCSJ website. 

"THE OCSJ MARKET PLACE"

the place to BUY-SELL-GIVE-BORROW

Only newly added items will appear in the newsletter.

Submit your REQUESTS and OFFERS to: hornet71@verizon.net for publication in the next Newsletter and on our Website.

Include a description of the item you are requesting or offering, photos, price or terms of loan, and your contact information. All transactions will be conducted privately between the individuals.

**Please update when items are no longer available**

Comfortable seat, good for a small or medium-sized person, tracks well.

Asking $1100.00 for package.

Mindy Gumminger mgummingermsn@gmail.com

From your Membership Secretary ….

OCSJ memberships are good for one year. When its time to renew you will receive three email notices to the email address you provided to the club when you joined. The renewal notices will be sent to you : 30 days before you are due to renew, 15 days before and the day your membership renewal is due. If you do not renew on your anniversary date, Wild Apricot, our membership account database server, will automatically “Lapse and Archive” you and you will be removed from the club’s meetup pages soon after.

Don’t miss out on our great club activities! Please be prompt to renew.

Please check your spam/junk folders as sometimes your renewal notices will go to those folders.

If you change your account information especially your email address, log into your personal Wild Apricot account and make any necessary changes. You can also email me with changes or questions at membership@ocsj.org

To renew by check :

Checks are to be made out to Outdoor Club of South Jersey

Mail your check to:

OCSJ Membership Secretary

PO Box 74

Oceanville, NJ 08231

Checks may take two weeks to receive and be deposited so online renewals are much faster.

Thank you for renewing your memberships promptly and staying connected to a wonderful group of outdoor minded people like you!

Rosemarie (Ro) Mason

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

OCSJ MEMBERSHIP