Sandy Hook to Cape May — NJ shore lover is walking the entire coast

A New York-based author thinks he may now know the Jersey Shore better than anyone.

R.C. Staab, whose "100 Things to Do at the Jersey Shore Before You Die" was published last March, is on a mission to bring his knowledge to a whole new level, by walking New Jersey's coastline from top to bottom.

"The goal I established for myself was to learn intimately about each of the beach towns from Sandy Hook to Cape May," Staab told New Jersey 101.5. "Instead of driving through each one, I thought it would be much more interesting and informative to walk the coastline."

Staab, who owns a home in Sea Bright, started his walk at the northern end of Sandy Hook in April, and made it to the southern tip of Island Beach State Park over time, then hit Long Beach Island and kept strolling south on sand, boardwalks and promenades.

"At this point, all I have left is Strathmere, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor, Avalon, the three Wildwoods, and all of Cape May," he said.

This isn't all happening in one trip. The 64-year-old takes breaks to return to home life, and then picks up where he left off at a later date. His walk on Wednesday starts at 39th Street in Ocean City.

On a typical day, he'll park his car where he needs to start his journey, walk four to five miles, and then get an Uber back to his car.

Staab is documenting the whole trip at jerseyshorewalk.com, commenting on each town's beaches and their rules, and throwing in some history about the municipalities.

"Really it's an opportunity for me to explore the smaller towns that may not be the ones that come to mind, whether it's Bradley Beach or Strathmere or Longport," he said. "I felt like I was getting to be an expert, but now that I can identify every individual town and beach along the way, I really feel like I know the shore as well as or better than anyone."

Staab said his final stop will be the lighthouse or Sunset Beach in Cape May.

"I'll be doing that by the first week of August," Staab said.

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.