This was our fourth time to attend Burning Man and as usual it was epic and extraordinary. To build a temporary city in the middle of the Black Rock desert in Nevada and to have over 70,000 people come from around the world and stay for a week is no easy task. It is hard to explain to people exactly what Burning Man is, and there are many incorrect perceptions typically based on sensationalized themes of drug fueled crazy partying and rich tech attendees. This year a weather event caused Burning Man to hit the global news with some really outlandish reporting - more on that later!
In reality Burning Man is a global nonprofit supported by a network of humans inspired by the 10 Principles, and united in the pursuit of a more creative and connected life. The global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis in the Nevada desert.
It is amazing the myriad of emotions you go through to attend this event, it is not easy to say the least. A core principle of Burning Man is radical self-reliance, you must have your own shelter, food and water for a week in a harsh unpredictable environment. There is usually months of preparation; you need to plan your transportation out and back, building a shade structure to protect from the harsh sun, plus enough food & water for the week, and of course costumes and bikes. The only thing you can buy during the week is ice, no restaurants or shops to support a forgotten item.
The environment is extreme, there are usually dust storms every day and this year we had major rains. The dust is like a fine talcum powder so when it combines with rain it makes a sticky mud that prevents all movement by cars, bikes, and extremely difficult walking. It is critical to make sure you read the Survival Guide published by the organization to be fully prepared!
This year we elected to rent an RV which turned out to be a really great idea! Dallas to Black Rock City is 3,800 miles round trip and it took us four days to get there and three days to get back. We stopped in Colorado to pick up our good buddy Phil Huff who has attended all the Burning Man events with us and finally we arrived late Tuesday.
We spent Wednesday and Thursday getting settled in, talking to our neighbors, and starting to explore the playa, the area of desert which has 100's of amazing art structures which light up at night. Burning Man is so huge it is impossible to see all the art or take in a lot of the activities of the theme camps. There are hundreds and hundreds of theme camps that have yoga, food, drinks, music, dancing, and everything else imaginable. We always plan to visit some camps and attend talks and in four visits have always got distracted with other things. The music is mostly techno, loud, and 24/7. It makes it a little hard to sleep at night but ear plugs help. The party goes all night for sure.
Every night we were out cycling the playa taking in the sights and mutant vehicles. Often getting back to our camp around 1am. One morning Sara cycled out to the walk in camping area and made it to the trash fence that encloses the whole area (about 7 square miles). She managed to text our friend Rob Dubin who was working at the temporary airport, providing him our location (2:42 & H) and Rob amazingly found us!
The Burning Man organization comes to the playa a month before everybody shows up and lays out the city streets and builds two structures - the Man and the Temple. The atmosphere around the Man is joyous, excitement, and festive. The atmosphere around the Temple is exactly the opposite. It is very quiet and reverent, people come to the Temple and bring pictures of loved ones and friends that have passed away. A lot of people write notes of love on the walls. These people gather inside and sit quietly or mediate. Sometimes there is chanting or singing.
Some highlights from our first two days were:- A drone show in the dark sky
- El Pulpo - a flaming octopus we first saw in 2011
- A morning ride out to the trash fence and a view of the city
- The Burning Philharmonic orchestra and a wedding
- The flaming Pegasus and some incredible fire dancing
Thursday evening very late we amazingly found our friend Matt Foglia who we met at Burning Man in 2011. Matt was volunteering at Zendo camp which provides mental health counseling during the event. It was wonderful to chat to him after so many years and he told us about the adjacent camp, the Psychedelic Foam Village sponsored by Dr. David Bronner and his infamous Bronner soaps. The Foam camp gifts participants with an opportunity to clean up with a group foaming which we excitedly planned for Friday afternoon. There are no showers at Burning Man so you have to setup one and have a plan to remove the water so this is quite the gift! Sadly as we prepared to ride over the camp on Friday the rains started and we were very disappointed to miss this experience - next time! A second post is coming but for now enjoy this album of photos and videos.
