A Guide to Adventure

1. Sea Otters hold hands while sleeping so they do not drift apart.  2. Squirrels plant thousands of trees every year just by forgetting where they put their acorns.  3. When male puppies play with female puppies, they often let the female win even if they have the physical advantage.  4. Gentoo Penguins propose to their life-mates with a pebble.  5. Killing a Panda is punishable by DEATH in China. 6. Spiders cannot fly.  7. Japanese Macaques make snowballs for fun.  8. A cat version of the Corgi exists: The Munchkin Cat 9. Dogs' nose prints are as unique as human fingerprints, and can be used to identify them.  10. Butterflies taste with their feet.  11. Leonardo Da Vinci used to buy caged animals at the market, just  to set them free .  12. The Wood Frog , and other animals have the ability to freeze solid in the winter, and thaw in the spring and be perfectly healthy.  ...

Just like any sport, or activity, camping has its own, and sometimes clever terms, by expanding your camping vocabulary you will gain a better, deeper understanding of camping. You will be able to communicate more clearly, and be better prepared on your next trip. You can even impress your friends with some colorful terms while in the bush!  1. Guy Lines – The cables tied to a tent and its stakes, designed to provide tension that adds to the overall stability of the tent. 2. Deadman – When the ground is too soft to stake a tent, campers often bury large rocks or sticks tied to guy lines to pitch the tent safely. Deadman is the slang term for this process. 3. Tent Pad – The tent pad refers to the ground under your tent. It’s distinct from sleeping pad, which is an actual piece of padding placed between your sleeping bag and the bottom of the tent. 4. Freestanding – A term for tents that do not need guy lines. 5. Boxing the Needle – The process of lining up a compass’s needl...

A little knowledge can go a long way, especially when camping or spending time outdoors with a group of friends. All of the facts listed are specific to camping, and can be great conversation starters that will show off your knowledge of the outdoors to your friends.  1. About 3 million people camp at parks run by the National Park Service every year according to the Outdoor Industry Association. 2. Deer can jump as high as 10 feet in the air from a full sprint. 3. Wildfires are probably more common than you think. Over 100,000 wildfires occur every year in the United States alone. 4. Wildfires move quickly. Some reach speeds of 14 miles per hour, so never go anywhere near a wildfire and check for advisories before heading out to a campsite. 5. Ticks must be connected to their hosts for at least a day and a half–36 hours–to pass Lyme disease. 6. In 2009 alone, there were more than 30,000 reported cases of Lyme disease. 7. A mouse can squeeze through an incredibly small space than...

The Drought of Summer 2016  South Carolina, especially the northwestern part of the state is experiencing early stages of a drought. Only a half an inch of rain fell in Anderson and Pickens county in June. So far July has seen less than that. South Carolina saw record rainfall and flooding last fall and winter. Just nine months after the flooding throughout the state, the Drought Response Committee is meeting to discuss the current effects of a moderate to severe drought in the Upstate.  The drought South Carolina is experiencing this summer could have economic, environmental, and socially negative effects. When farmers lose crops, or have to spend extra on irrigation and animal supplies, they lose A LOT of money for that year. Farmers take pay cuts, some even get laid off. Businesses who supply farmers with equipment lose money because the farmers cannot afford to buy products from them.  Local farmers of corn, soybeans, and peanuts will be in danger of ...

Did you know Pinocchio's neck would snap if he told 13 lies?  A study out of Leicester University began by estimating the dimensions and properties of the little Pinocchio's head.  It was then estimated that he was most likely carved from Oak, and his head weighed about 9 pounds.  His nose was one inch long, and doubled in size with every lie he told.   The thirteenth lie he told would put so much strain on his neck that it would cause it to break.