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Greetings Fellow Jewish Outdoor Enthusiasts!
You've
waited all winter for this perfect weather! Now go out and enjoy it in
the great outdoors with the JOC!
And as
always, spread the word to your outdoorsy friends (you know, the ones who
won't kvetch every 7 minutes on a hike)
Alon Krausz
Founder and President
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 UPCOMING JOC EVENTS
Adventures in May
Sunday
May 7:
CATSKILLS HIKE Join Seth for this strenuous trek in the Blackhead
Range in the Catskills. Email seth.joc@gmail.com, or see the JOC website
for the details.
Saturday
night, May 13:
INDOOR PAINTBALL! Another night of paintball fun! Email
jewishoutdoorsclub@yahoo.com to shoot and be shooted.
Sunday,
May 14
CENTRAL PARK BOATING Rachelle is putting together a fun day in
Central Park on Mother's Day. Don't expect an adrenaline rush, but do
expect to have a great time with great people. Details going out shortly
to the JOC list.
Sunday,
May 21:
MEADOWLANDS CANOE/KAYAK TOUR: Yet another event from the great
Seth. Details to come.
Sunday,
May 28:
CLIMB MT WASHINGTON! : If you are interested in climbing the
highest peak in the Northeast, email Rivkah Fischman at
rfischman73@hotmail.com. The trip is now full, but you can be added to
the wait list for this incredible opportunity.
Details
on all events are sent to the yahoogroups email list, and posted to the
website at www.jewishoutdoorsclub.org
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 PAST JOC EVENTS
Sunday, April 2
ROPES COURSE
Eighteen adventurous guys and gals set forth to test their skills at Ring
Homestead's challenging ropes course. We had a blast; cheering each other
on and helping one another complete the task. Culminating in a
death-defying leap of faith to catch the Trapeze bar. It was AWESOME!!!
Sunday, April 9
RAFTING THE HOUSATONIC
A fun day was had by all, as we rafted the Housatonic in Connecticut this
past April. Without the snowfall this year, the water wasn't quite as
wild as we had hoped for, but we made up for it with corny jokes, silly
songs, and lots of laughs. Looking forward to next year!
Sunday April 16
HARRIMAN TRAIL RUN
On Sunday Chol Hamoed Pesach, JOC burned off some Seder calories with a
6-mile trail run through the western portion of Harriman State Park. The
path took us over mostly dirt roads and grassy trails, around a lake, and
hurdling a few downed trees. Trail running is a great change of pace if
you do your running mostly on pavement, so if you missed this event be
sure to join in for the June 18 run in Ringwood State Park.
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HIKING FOR DUMMIES
By Alon Krausz,
Reprinted from the Blueprint
Over the years, this column has
highlighted many great hikes that you should not die before doing. But of
course, one wouldn't want you to die while doing it either. So as you
sift through "The Jewish Outdoors" archives (What?! You don't keep
archives of my column?!), contemplating a trek to such dangerous
destinations as Breakneck, the Labyrinth, Lemon Squeezer, the Ice Caves,
or the West Village, read these safety tips, so you don't get hurt while
doing so.
1) Buy the Maps! Embarking on a hike
without the trail maps is foolish, unless you are with a cute companion
with whom being lost with for days would fulfill some old, but never
forgotten teenage fantasy of yours. The NY-NJ Trail conference puts out
maps for all the hiking regions in NY-NJ. You can buy them at EMS, REI,
or the WWW.
2) Be Prepared! Make sure you are well
equipped with such items as a first aid kit, navigation (eTrex Summit is
my choice for GPS), walkie talkies, a cell phone, extra clothing, flashlight,
and of course, lots and lots of beer, er... I mean water.
3) Stay Together! If traveling with a
group, assign a person who is good at route finding for the front of the
group, and a sweep for the rear of the group. Everyone else will stay
between these two. At every trail intersections, post a person to dictate
the route until the sweep has reached that intersection. That person
should also give a flower to every person, saying "Thank you, come
again!"
4) Watch the Weather! Monitor the
weather conditions and modify your trip as necessary. Check for storm
clouds so you don't get caught atop a mountain in a lightning storm.
Monitor the cold so you don't get hypothermic as the temperature drops.
And of course, be aware of the wind direction so you know which way to
pee.
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