I am an Avid hiker from southern Maine. I have driven across the United States six times with my wife. I have discovered what it’s like being a tourist, and what it’s like being a local.
You are a tourist when you are following what everyone else is doing, you are not taking the extra step to be different, to look deeper into your surroundings.
To be a local does not literally mean you live in this specific place, however, what it means is to become one with your surroundings no matter where you are, and to know the true value of the place in which you are in.
Be an explorer, not a follower.
My wife and I had decided last minute to pitch a tent in desolation near Lake Tahoe. We were warned several times about the bears in the area where we would be sleeping, this thought kept me up all night as we slept near Cathedral Lake… exactly where the rangers had warned us the bears would be. The constant breeze rustled the leaves all night, making it sound as if there were animals walking around us just waiting to make their move. If that wasn’t bad enough, it also got down into the 30s, I was not expecting this in early August. Not only did I have to sleep with my eyes open, but I also felt as though I was slowly but surely freezing to death. What a great experience we had.. besides lack of sleep and being cold, it was a pretty cool place. I would just recommend doing a day trip and tenting somewhere else.
In the foreground is Fallen Leaf Lake, in the background is Lake Tahoe.
photo was taken on the Mt Tallac Trail.
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