Meaningful Fact of the Day #1

Today's random fact is more about awareness than randomness. Ever since the movie 'Jaws' aired, and the more recent 'Shallows' movie, there has been a misconception that sharks kill hundreds of people per year. That is simply not the case. In recent years the South Eastern Coast of the United States has seen a rise in shark attacks, although not many were fatal, it is still enough to bring about the fear that sharks are just waiting in the shallows for their potential prey.

Sharks have a PR problem that might be hurting their chances of survival. A study from two years ago found that a majority of the media coverage sharks get involves attacks on humans, and doesn't reflect how rare these encounters actually are. In 2012, there were 80 confirmed shark attacks worldwide, but only seven of them were fatal, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File.

Sharks have very slow reproductive cycles, having babies once every two years makes it very difficult for large populations to recover from being killed off by the thousands, even millions. Even baby sharks are being killed just for their fins before even having a chance to mate.

Rooftops in Hong Kong covered with drying Shark Fins

Shark-finning is the inhumane, and torturous practice of illegally catching sharks, cutting their fins off while still alive, throwing them back in the water to die, or using them as bait for more sharks. In parts of Asia, Shark-Fin Soup has been associated with affluence, and has been a prized dish in asian culture for generations. Awareness of this practice has been made, and many efforts to take this high priced dish out of restaurants is going strong today.

Out of the 10 annual deaths from sharks attacks worldwide, humans kill 100-200 million sharks every year. Some of which are endangered species, and will be extinct if we don't stop this cruel practice.

To Tent Or Not To Tent

I have always been a tent camper, I like having some space to sit up, stretch out, and be able to still move around once the sun has gone down. There is a sense of security inside the tent once it is zipped up that I found comforting the first time I went camping, so I stuck with it. That being said, the past two or three times I have slept in my cozy tent, my body has hated me for it the next day. It can be very difficult to find perfectly flat ground, then I have to clear the spot of any rocks, tree limbs and debris that will be in my way. It is just a lot of extra work that I do not enjoy. Although once everything is all set up, I have a spacious home away from home. Its especially nice when having friends along because we can all hunker down in the tent together if it starts raining or gets too cold. I love taking my dogs camping too, the thought of leaving them somewhere gives me anxiety, so being able to have them in the tent next to me is a plus as well. There are SO many op

Top 5 Mistakes to AVOID this Summer

We all make mistakes, but when you are hiking, or going camping, mistakes can be deadly. Anything from wearing the wrong shoes, to not having enough clean water to drink can be inconvenient at home, but in the woods it can turn into a matter of life and death. Here is my life of top 5 mistakes to AVOID this summer. 5. Over/Under Packing When getting ready to go on a hike it can be so easy to cram a weeks worth of stuff into your pack, even if you are only going for a day or two. Extra clothes, that really cute sun hat you never get to wear, towels, extra shoes etc can all add weight to your pack that you don't need or want on a long hike. While you may think it is worth the extra weight in your pack, your back and neck will be hating you for it later. Packing light and only bringing the necessities can be scary at first, but once you realize you don't NEED all of that stuff, you will find yourself less tired and sore than you would with a heavier bag. On the othe

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