Mystic Turtle's Lensography

My Hiking Lenses 

Hiking The International Appalachian Trail

It was a long winter - a long, cold winter - nearly unbearable for those of us who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and for those who must live around us. I was miserable from the cold, and I struggled daily to show up at a job that no longer...

My Hike On The Appalachian Trail

I'd dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for a dozen or so years, but I'd grown up in a family too pragmatic to do much more than dream. All my life I'd followed the rules and worried what others thought of me. I'd always been shy and easily intim...

How To Prepare For A Thru-Hike

Thru-hiking a long-distance trail is an adventure undertaken for as many reasons as there are hikers. Whether it becomes a life-enhancing experience or merely a miserable folly depends largely on preparation and expectation. Though life in the woods...

Guadalupe Peak, Texas

The mountain had defeated me before. Three times in the past two years I'd found myself close enough to drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park and attempt a climb to the highest point in Texas. I'd been frightened away by the weather befo...

Top Ten Tips For Backpackers

Backpacking is more than just tossing some gear in a pack and heading down the trail. You'll have a much more enjoyable hike if you learn a few things before you go. Here is a list of the top ten tips for backpackers that I've picked up in my 3,0...

Lessons Learned On The Appalachian Trail

Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is a learning experience, and it is different for everyone. While every thru-hiker climbs the same mountains and weathers the same storms, the lessons they each take away from the experience depend on what they'v...

Life After The Appalachian Trail

You've just spent about six months in the woods, living your dream of an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Now what? Did you think you would just slip smoothly back into your old life? Did you expect that the experience wouldn't change you? Most hikers co...

The Next Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail was the greatest experience of my life. I had never done any backpacking longer than 30 miles before starting out on my thru-hike, so I spent a couple of years researching gear, the trail, and the day-to-day life of...

Life Lessons From The Appalachian Trail

Many people thru-hike the Appalachian Trail at a turning point in their lives. They've graduated from college, or gotten divorced, or retired. For me, hiking the trail was the turning point. It was the first time I'd actually pursued a dream...

My Quick Guide Lenses 

How To Choose Your Next Long Trail

It starts innocently enough. A day hike here, a day hike there. Maybe backpacking for a weekend or a week. Eventually you undertake an epic, multi-month backpacking trip -- thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, perhaps. "It's a once-in-a-lifeti...

Quick Guide To The Appalachian Trail

A thru-hiker is one who hikes the entire length of a long-distance trail in one season. The reasons for doing so are as numerous and as varied as the hikers themselves. Many times thru-hiking gets in the blood and becomes an obsession -- the hiker is...

Quick Guide To The Long Trail

A thru-hiker on the Long Trail is one who hikes the entire length of the trail in one season. The reasons for doing so are as numerous and as varied as the hikers themselves. Many times thru-hiking gets in the blood and becomes an obsession -- the hi...

Quick Guide To The Pacific Crest Trail

A thru-hiker is one who hikes the entire length of a long-distance trail in one season. The reasons for doing so are as numerous and as varied as the hikers themselves. Many times thru-hiking gets in the blood and becomes an obsession -- the hiker is...

Quick Guide To The International Appalachian Trail

The International Appalachian Trail runs from Katahdin in Maine (which is also the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail) to Crow Head, Newfoundland. It travels through Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoun...

My National Scenic Trail Lenses 

America's National Scenic Trails

The National Trails System Act of 1968 created the National Trails System to provide places for outdoor recreation as well as preservation of outdoor areas and historic resources. They are administered by the National Park Service, USDA Forest Servic...

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

More commonly referred to as simply the Appalachian Trail, or even just the "AT," this trail was the first to be designated a National Scenic Trail, in 1968. Stretching more than 2,175 miles along the Appalachian Mountains, it is within a d...

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

Designated a National Scenic Trail corridor in 1983, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail will connect Chesapeake Bay to the Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania. It will run through Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, connecting...

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail

The Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail follows the general route of the 444-mile Old Natchez Trace that ran from Natchez, Mississippi, through the corner of Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee. Only 65 miles of that distance is hiking trail today. Desig...

My Bicycling Lenses 

How To Make Bicycle Commuting A Habit

Every New Year you make resolutions. You're going to lose weight and get healthy; you're going to put more money into your savings; you're going to reduce your impact on the environment. But lifestyle changes require effort, and who has t...

Top Ten Things Bicyclists Hate

Anyone who spends time riding a bicycle on the road is bound to have a personal list of aggravations. After bicycling more than 9,000 miles over the course of a year and talking to many other cyclists, I was able to compile this list of the top ten t...

How To Fix A Bicycle Tire

The more time you spend on your bicycle, the more likely it is you will end up with a flat tire. You may run over glass, nails, or thorns. Even a tiny piece of wire from a steel-belted tire on the road can puncture your bicycle tire and cut your ride...

Stop Dogs Chasing Bicycles

If you ride a bicycle on the road, or on a bike path, for that matter, sooner or later you will find yourself dealing with the unwanted attentions of a dog. Whether you see the dog coming a long way off, or whether the dog lies in wait behind a bush...

9,000-Mile Bicycle Tour

In July, 2008, I embarked on a year-long bicycle tour to celebrate my fiftieth birthday. I wanted to accomplish as many goals as possible in that one year. The backbone of the adventure was to be a 12,000-mile self-supported bicycle tour around the p...

Researching Motorized Bicycles

With the high cost of living these days, I'm always looking for ways to cut expenses. And I'm environmentally conscious, too, so I'd like any method of cutting costs to also reduce my impact on our planet. It didn't take much consider...

My Travel Lenses 

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic monument in county Wiltshire in England. The large stone circle is predated by a surrounding ditch and bank earthworks. The site is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage, a public body which mainta...

Roadside Attractions & Oddities

What is it that draws us to those oddball attractions dotting the roadways of America? Not the nationally advertised tourist traps and amusements that drain your wallet, but the obscure, off-beat oddities that sit quietly in small towns or along blue...

My SquidLit Lenses 

Into Thin Air

Being paid to pursue your dream would seem an ideal scenario, but when avid mountain climber and acclaimed journalist Jon Krakauer joined an expedition to climb Mt. Everest, his longtime dream turned into a nightmare. On assignment for Outside magazi...

My Own Hike

At the age of 41, after years of harboring the dream of an Appalachian Trail thru-hike, Nancy Shepherd set off to hike the 2,168 miles of trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin in Maine. Having never backpacked more than 30 miles in her l...

Your Money Or Your Life

There may never have been a better time to read Your Money or Your Life. With high prices and high unemployment pushing many people to the edge of desperation, this book is the beacon that lights the way to a sustainable lifestyle. The authors guide...

My Letterboxing Lenses 

Letterbox Clues -- Hiking Boot

Carved By: Shepherd of the Hills Planted By: Shepherd of the Hills Location: Wooster Memorial Park, Silver Rd, Wooster OH Planted On: September 1, 2006 Hike Length: 2.8 miles

Letterbox Clues -- Trillium II

Carved By: Shepherd of the Hills Planted By: Shepherd of the Hills Location: Wooster Memorial Park, Silver Rd, Wooster OH Planted On: August 31, 2006 Hike Length: 1.0 mile

Letterbox Clues -- Acorn

Carved By: Shepherd of the Hills Planted By: Shepherd of the Hills Location: Wooster Memorial Park, Silver Rd, Wooster OH Planted On: August 31, 2006 Hike Length: 1.5 miles

Letterbox Clues -- Sassafras

Carved By: Shepherd of the Hills Planted By: Shepherd of the Hills Location: Wooster Memorial Park, Silver Rd, Wooster OH Planted On: September 4, 2006 Hike Length: drive-by

Letterboxing

Remember how much you loved treasure hunting when you were a kid? How about collecting things? Some of us never grew up -- letterboxing is a perfect hobby for us.

Letterbox Clues -- Kindred Spirits - OH

Carved By: greenmountainhiker Planted By: Shepherd of the Hills Location: Hocking State Park, Logan, OH Planted On: September 21, 2009 Hike Length: 1.0 miles

My Miscellaneous Lenses 

Backyard Chickens For Beginners

Did you ever wish you could afford organic, free-range eggs? Do you want to have a lifestyle less dependent on industrialized food sources? Beginners can easily get started with backyard chickens for protein self-sufficiency. Chickens are often the...

Why I Love Squidoo

Very few things in life excite me as much as Squidoo has. I jumped in and got caught up in the current, writing lenses as fast as I could and making notes for dozens more to be written in the future. For the first two weeks I couldn't sleep at night....

How To Save Money For Anything

Have you ever joined a Christmas Club at your bank to save money for the holidays? Ever tucked money away in an envelope to save for vacation? Now there's a better way to save money for your goals. SmartyPig is an online piggy-bank that lets you...

The Science of Getting Rich

What are your dreams? What do you want in life? Fame -- money -- a fine house -- a successful business -- a fulfilling relationship? You can have all that and more if you follow the advice in the free e-book The Science of Getting Rich. The Science...

The Wisdom of Aging

Let's face it. We're all getting older. But that doesn't necessarily mean we are the worse for wear. We've all gained the wisdom of experience over the years; some of it was hard-won. Let us not dishonor our own lives by trying to hide our age, nor t...

How The Food Industry Influences Health

We like to believe that the American food industry is providing safe and nutritious food for consumers. However, from a business standpoint, its focus must be on profits for stockholders, not the health of the public. Most people probably know to tak...

Success -- It's Not Just About The Money

So many people think they need lots of money to be a success. But money isn't the only yardstick for measuring our lives. Are you happy? Do you have everything you need for a comfortable life? Have you accomplished something that you said you wou...

How To Adjust Your Car Mirrors

Have you ever been surprised by a car coming up alongside you that you didn't know was there? Do you worry about backing into something because you just can't see well enough behind you? Here's a trick to make driving easier and safer. You can adjust...

Dove Dark -- Chocolate Good For Your Heart

Chocolate lovers, take heart -- a healthy heart, that is. Now you can indulge your passion for this delectable treat without guilt. Studies have shown that chocolate can help protect your heart.

I Live In A Van

It is usually assumed that the homeless should be helped. Everyone wants to get them off the street and into safe, comfortable housing. What we often don't consider is whether that person wants to be helped. Maybe what we're really concerned...

How To Get Over The Squidhump

So you've been with Squidoo a year or so, and things just aren't happening for you. No matter how hard you work, you're disappointed in the amount of traffic to your lenses, your lensrank, and your payout (or lack thereof). Other people seem to be do...

You Might Be A Packrat

It's not unusual for people to save things. Especially now, with the green movement encouraging reduce-reuse-recycle, people save and reuse things to save the planet. And saving something to use again later can save money. But when does it become an...

My Lensographies and Collections 

MysticTurtle's Newest Lenses

Squidoo is never far from my mind, and now that I'm unemployed, I've been able to put lenses together a little faster. (I'm enjoying it so much, this may be why I still don't have a job!) These are my ten newest lenses. I'm sure...

my bookmarks

I'm having a grand time here at Squidoo. I love making lenses, and then making them better. And there's so many helpful lenses to teach me how to do that. (I'd only had the slightest concept of html before, and now here I am using it!) I favorited al...

My Holiday Lenses 

Nancy's Christmas Wish List 2009

I don't want much for Christmas -- just peace on earth and spiritual enlightenment for all. On a personal basis, my wants are minimal (and it's a good thing because I don't have much). Here are a few things that would make my life easier...

Make Greeting Cards For Free

Everyone likes to send and receive greeting cards, but it's not necessarily a financially or environmentally sound practice. At a few dollars per card, plus postage, the cost can really add up. Add the fact that most people just send them to the...

Valentine's Day Statistics

These Valentine's Day statistics and facts illustrate United States trends regarding flowers, cards, candy, and jewelry -- the classic Valentine's Day gifts. There is no definitive origin of Valentine's Day. It's possible that it was a Roman fertilit...

Happy Holidays e-Card

It's time for some of us to get all wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season, and for some of us to cringe. But while we cringers may not enjoy the season's frenzy, we still wish peace and happiness to all.

Halloween On Max Patch Mountain

"Years ago," began Nancy as she maneuvered the car out of the motel parking lot towards Max Patch Mountain, "Max Patch was used as a landing strip for small aircraft. Legend has it there were once three entrepreneurial young sisters determined to mak...