Keep Tahoe Blue

Lake Tahoe has always been nothing short of amazing and while that has never been a secret, my most recent trip opened my eyes quite a bit. The occasional heat wave has turned into more days reaching the 100° mark than not this summer (cough climate change) leading to everyone packing up and heading up the hill. Due to the rain and snow fall this past year the lake is filled to capacity.
With that said, there is very little beach access (for those of us who don't have to guts to park on the side of a cliff and hike down that is).
With limited beaches and more and more tourists heading that way our annual day at the beach turned into something out of past memories of black Friday shopping at the local mall. No parking and so many people. It became difficult to keep an eye on my daughter in the sea of people frolicking in the waves.
Living most of my life as a quasi local (sierra foothills) I've grown up seeing the "Keep Tahoe Blue" bumper stickers and have always been taught, "pack out what you packed in and leave it cleaner than you found it". Tahoe's crystal clear water I grew up swimming in can most certainly still be found... But... So can water that has risen to cover beaches that have been over populated and not treated as kindly throughout the years as it should have been. So for those of you who want to head up for the day, plan to arrive early and help "Keep Tahoe Blue".