Burning Man - What the 'Bleep' Did I Get Myself Into?

Note:  As this is our 300th blog post, we wanted to do something a little different.  In March of 2019 our founder, Greg, wrote a blog post about committing to attend Burning Man and detailed some of his concerns and findings as a newbie. Following is a brief recap of his first Burning Man experience:


My inaugural journey to Burning Man started in Seattle as seven of us packed up an RV and SUV for the two-day trek to Black Rock City, Nevada.  We were a mix of three veterans and four newbs (like me). Of course, the rookies all had preconceived notions of what we would be experiencing, but none of us really had a clue.  We took our time and stopped in Bend, Oregon and picked up some more friends. It was a beautiful drive, but we were all antsy to get to the event and help set up camp before dark. I happened to be driving when we arrived.  There were countless lanes to accommodate the 60,000 Burners descending on the desert. Each lane was delineated by spaced out cones and a bit of ribbon. As we approached the checkpoint to be let into the event, a major dust storm came out of nowhere. We went from a beautiful sunny day to absolutely zero visibility in a matter of seconds. As I strained to see anything out the car window, we had to completely stop the car and hope that the other cars had stopped as well.  Although the storm was a little freaky (the veterans informed us that the sand storms can happen at any time, so be prepared), the mood in the car was joyous. We had arrived safely and ready for an awesome week!  

Once the sandstorm subsided, we lumbered onto the playa to find our camp. The “city” is a collection of a variety of different sized camps arranged in a grid formation and uses a naming convention of street names and times so Burners can “easily” find their way (ie: meet me at “10:30 & Cupid”). To really get a good sense of the city’s grid system, check out this awesome giant aerial view stitched together from 600 drone images.  Zoom in to see the individual tents, RVs and other structures that make up the city then imagine walking and biking around this impromptu city. Remember that EVERYTHING you see other than the sand was brought in, hauled out or burned on the site.

Once we located our camp, we jumped into action and helped out with a variety of projects including building a shower system, setting up the kitchen, and erecting tents that would serve as our communal area.

Finally, work halted and our group of early arrivers decided to head out on our bikes to explore.  Biking is the dominant transportation method and there are literally tens of thousands of bikes. Most people decorate their bikes with electric lights to avoid being run into by other bikers and add distinguishing features to be able to find their bikes again.  

After returning from our midnight exploratory ride, I realized how exhausted I was from the travel, anticipation, and camp setup.  Frankly, I was also underwhelmed by pretty much everything and at the exact same time, overwhelmed with the feeling that I had made a serious mistake by going to Burning Man.  

Looking back on it, I did not realize at the time that the city had barely started to sprout.  We were among an approximate five or ten thousand early setup group. As the days progressed and the city swelled to over 60,000 people, camps were built out to completion, artwork was installed across the playa, and people found their groove.  Then, it got really fun!

My decision to go to Burning Man was largely based on a desire for new life experiences.  In the end, that goal was accomplished in droves. While I did not love every aspect, I thought the overall experience was incredibly cool, one of a kind, and very impactful. There is too much to say, so I am picking my three favorite aspects that left a lasting impact. 

Art

The art is pervasive.  There was art in the way people dressed, created, decorated, and communicated. The actual installations were amazing.  Many, if not all, of the wood structures, were burned at the end of the event. I spent countless hours on the playa with friends and alone, exploring the art.  New installations appeared and left regularly. My three favorite pieces: Folly, The Temple, and Temple of Brad Pitt (deliciously weird, in which you can climb into a metal suit and channel Brad Pitt).

Expanse

The Burning Man site is fricking massive.  I knew that the city held over 60,000 people and it was relatively easy to get off my bearings and get lost.  But the city was just one part. Beyond the manmade camps was desert. Beautiful sandy solitude. It was a great place to watch the sun rise and set, together or alone.  I spent a ton of time just biking around and looking at things. The one piece of advice for newbies at Burning Man is to take time to bike the entire perimeter. This will give you a great sense of how big the entire complex is and will help set your bearings. Knowing how to get around is invaluable as MANY lost Burners can attest. (Side note: Some of the best times at Burning Man come when you are lost and find new adventures.)

Experiences

As stated earlier, one of my main drivers for attending was for new life experiences.  Unbeknownst to me, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of scheduled events and experiences.  In addition, there are seemingly an unlimited amount of people to meet, conversations to be had, and pop-up/spontaneous things to do.  One of my favorite things to do was go out for “excursions of YES!”. Alone or with friends, I would take off on my bike and would just ride around.  If someone offered something, I/we would stop and partake. Examples included: brain freezer, egg burrito served by guy in chicken suit, pillow fight, climbing in a human-sized cat condo, walking taco, arm wrestle, Barbie doll farm, roller derby, etc.  These mini experiences lasted from a few minutes to an hour or two. But in each situation, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Simply an awesome time.  

People often ask me, “How was it?”  And, “would you go back?” My answers are absolute.

How was it?  Pretty damn awesome!  Day one kind of sucked but as I settled in, I was much more relaxed and open and ended up having a lot more fun.

Would I go back?  Absolutely. However, probably not next year.  There are many people who go every year, but for me, every few years sounds right.  

If you are thinking about going, I highly recommend it.  It’s not for everyone but if you are open to new experiences, it will certainly scratch that itch!

Note: We already have Greg slated to write our 600th blog post in a few years recapping a future Burning Man experience!