Rutgers University Outing Club

September 7, 2007

The Rutgers Outdoor Club arrived at the Island Beach State Park Sedge dock just as it was getting dark and starting to rain. Tony ferried them to Sedge in two groups. The thirteen students were a varied group from freshmen to seniors, majoring in anything from English Literature to Astro-physics. We listened with interest to the NOAA weather report that predicted a major change when a cold front passed through the next day.

The forecast proved to be true. After a rainy early morning, the skies cleared, the temperature dropped, and the wind increased. Rather than paddling to the dike and then being forced to fight a strong wind on the return trip, we chose to stay in the confines of the marsh. We paddled through mosquito ditches and natural waterways with a long lunch break in the shelter of John Yoder’s house. A highlight of the trip for some was the digging of soft clams in the Horsefoot Slough.

When we returned from our paddle everyone seemed to want to do something different. Three students went snorkeling. Four students fished. Six students went clamming. Tom Virzi arrived in the late afternoon and talked about his research work with American Oyster Catchers as he helped the students identify a variety of shore birds on a distant sand bar.

The highlight of Sunday was the opportunity to paddle around Sedge Island. Five students chose to paddle in the North Canoe, while others returned to the kayaks. We also had a visit from John Wnek who dug out some of the Diamond Backed Terrapins who had hatched but were still in th