Despite a cold weekend, Saturday, October 29, 2016, was a great day for canoeing. The Outdoor Adventure and Recreation (OAR) Club decided to bring their members canoeing at the Cranford Canoeing Club, located in Cranford, N.J.
Members of the OAR Club decided to stay active by canoeing before they indulged in the sweets and snacks from the Halloween celebrations. Each participant paid for their own entrance fee, as well as provided themselves their own transportation, or carpooled to stay eco-friendly.
The group met with each other on campus at 10:45 a.m., then headed off to the Cranford Canoeing Club around 11 a.m.
Each canoe rental required a driver's license, but the Cranford Canoeing Club provided the life vests and paddles. Each canoe ride lasted for about two hours, and the canoes had two to three people riding with each other. The cost for the two hours was about $25, which is also the same price for those who would like to kayak.
Those who attended were encouraged to bring their own snacks and drinks to enjoy, but some of the members decided to hang out after the event and eat at a diner.
Alexander Kong, sophomore earth science and geoscience double major, is a member that has attended all of OAR's events.
"I really enjoy the events provided by OAR because I love the outdoors and being active," Kong says. "I like how nice and relaxing it felt on the water, but sadly it felt like it ended too quick for me."
There was a lot of wildlife to see while riding the canoes on the river. Some students spotted a hawk cleaning itself on the river, something they do not see everyday. Another interesting sight was a dear that was roaming around on the sides of the river. It climbed up the top of a hill and looked below at the riders.
Katarzyna Sierant, sophomore global business major, had her first experience with OAR during this event.
"I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to go to the next one! My favorite part of the event were the new friends I made, as well as all the cool things I saw," said Sierant. "We had a great time using teamwork--and a few u-turns and backwards paddling--to travel up the river. So it was a very adventure filled event, and I'm very glad I made the drive down for it!"
OAR is planning to do a camping trip next and are hosting bake sales until they have enough money to do so. Do not miss out on the fun and join OAR the next time!
