Whether you’re a native of the great mountain range, or your family has spent summers on a lake for as long as you can remember, you’re bound to have a laundry list of memories and favorite activities that took place at “The Lake”. So here are just some of the signs that you’ve probably found yourself in the great ADK a time or two in your life.

1. You know how to work a motor boat, kayak, canoe, paddleboat or some form of watercraft.

Chances are one summer you were simply a passenger, sitting in a boat, sticking your hands in the water and feeling the waves splash up your arm and into the boat. But the next you found yourself the caption of the ship navigating the lake as if you had been doing it longer than you had been alive.

2. You’ve found yourself covered in mosquito bites or sunburns numerous times.

A telltale sign that a good day was had by all. All of a sudden it’s dinner time and you find yourself itching to death or your face beating red and giving off the heat of a fireplace.

3. You’re fearless when it comes to walking onto a frozen lake.

While many cautiously tiptoe onto a frozen lake, you confidently step onto the thick layer of ice, ready to fish, snowmobile, or even have some good ole fashion fun in the snow that now covers that thick sheet of ice.

4. The excitement of waking up to a deer or two on your front lawn has died down a bit.

Sure when you were five running out to the porch to see the deer as they scamper, due to the pounding of your little footsteps, was a common occurrence, but once you’ve seen a couple of deer eat your grass three times, there’s not much more excitement in store.

5. You’ve spent hours hiking on a sweltering hot day to find yourself staring at a breathtaking view.

"Take a hike," they said, "it’ll be fun," they said. Sure for some hikes are fun exercise, but for others they’re a few hours of sweltering heat, sweat, and exhaustions. However, regardless of which of these groups you fall into you can’t deny that the view at the top of the mountain made the trip up so worth it.

6. You know what it’s like to live without cell services or Wi-Fi.

For those of us who call the lake our getaway destination for the summer months we may find ourselves living without Facebook or a constant update on our BFF’s life during our time away, but we find ourselves with more free time then we ever have had before and we can’t say we don’t like it.

7. You’ve fearlessly cliff jumped without much of a thought.

You’ve literally taken a leap of faith off of the many cliffs that lay below the mountains above. You had no problem budging in line, as the other kids nervously looked over the edge and contemplated jumping in, and doing cannon ball of the rocky ledge.

8. You’ve taken advantage of the snow covered mountains a time or two.

Whether you ski, snowboard, snowmobile, or just enjoy sledding, chances are if you had the opportunity, you’ve found yourself in the heart of the Adirondacks on a nice winter day. Sliding down some of the smaller hills or racing down on skis, how could one not take advantage of the snow covered slopes.

9. Baiting a hook is second nature to you.

If you find yourself around a lake for a period of time this summer, I’m sure you’d have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t own a fishing pole. If you grew up on a lake during the summers, I’d be willing to bet you had a pole in your hands when it was longer than you and a summer hasn’t passed when you haven’t picked one up since.

10. When it’s time to leave it’s one of the hardest goodbyes.

All of sudden you blink your eyes and realize it’s Labor Day weekend and the summer you’ve spent at your beloved home away from home has come to an end. And the vacationers find themselves waving goodbye to their favorite get away, and beginning to count down the days until Memorial Day weekend, when the fun can begin again.