What did the SNEWS team learn this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• Many revered “Uncle Homer” Circle, a famed outdoor and fishing writer who died last week at the age of 97. Maybe we can all learn a little something from Unc’ Homer, who made learning about fishing and outdoorsy stuff fun.

• The hot weather has been out of hand in most parts of the country, and according to news reports there’s little relief in sight. But campers and adventurers aren’t letting the heat beat them, and we know you aren't either. Use these tips from the American Hiking Society to stay healthy as the mercury rises, because according to this Fresno Bee story, more accidents occur during the dog days of summer.

• Some accidents, however, are unforeseeable, as was the case last weekend in New Jersey. A severe thunderstorm hit while a family with two young children was camping. Lightning struck, causing a tree to fall on their tent and kill the children.

• Thanks to organizations like the Outdoor Industry Women’s Coalition, the industry is considerably more welcoming to the ladies than it used to be, but there’s always room for improvement. Check out this Pantagraph story about the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Becoming an Outdoors Woman program.

• From tragedies resulting from thunderstorms to adventures cut short because of wildfires, Mother Nature is not on the industry’s side so far this summer. With a brand new fire breaking out near Laramie, Wyo., this past weekend a few Boy Scout troops from Longmont, Colo., had to cut their camping trip to the area short.

• This Lamar Sentinel story said that the Northern Plains once were home to indigenous tribes who used teepees for shelter, and one lodge near Akron is trying to bring them back. The Hole N’ The Wall Lodge has built a Teepee Village, which has a community fire pit and teepees furnished with homemade wooden wares.

• There’s been a lot of bear talk lately with all the maulings and attacks, but this Lovanville-Grayson Patch story gives outdoorsmen tips on how to keep a hungry bear from interrupting your outdoor adventures.

• Maybe you’re not lucky enough to be living the single life, and you’re in a great relationship. Y’all are compatible in every, single way except (probably) the most important one: Your love of outdoor adventures. Check out this USA Today story on how to address camping incompatibility before it tears your perfect world apart.

• We’re always connected, thanks to our smart phones and ever-updating technology. So the need to get away is even more prevalent these days, and those moments we spend in nature are more cherished than ever before. According to this Commercial Appeal story this is one of the reasons camping continues to gain popularity.

• While Bill Howard is more of a hook-and-bullet type of outdoor blogger, he offers some relevant points on outdoors and social media on one of his latest blog posts. Howard talks about the benefits of social media for outdoor hunters and adventurers, how we can learn, in real time, from others with our same interests all around the world.

Have you read anything interesting you'd like to share with us? Maybe we'll include it next week's column with a little shout out to you. Send a link to the story with the subject line "SNEWS Reads" to be considered.

--Compiled by Ana Trujillo