A year ago today I was at Burning Man



Me and my brother Tom



Yes, you read that correctly, I went to Burning Man last year. 

For those of you that haven’t heard of Burning Man it is an annual event held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.  Participants use the event as a celebration of community, radical self-expression and self-reliance.  The attendance cap per BLM is 50,000 and the city becomes the 5^th largest city in Nevada during the event.  

In the past I never really understood Burning Man.  The Burners (people that attend Burning Man) always seemed like glorified hippies or extreme counter culture types and I could never understand why they would want to go hang out in the extreme environment of the Black Rock Desert and waste all their time and money on this event.  The event has a reputation as being a celebration of drugs and going against societal norms which I just don't get.  The reputation is so far from the truth about Burning Man. 

The Man in a dust storm

Now that I have been to Burning Man I understand that this event is so much more than meets the eye and the stereotype of the event is not at all what the event is about.   Thanks to Black Rock City organization I was able to attend with members of my Rotary Club on the night of the burn and they gave us a behind the scenes tour that taught us about the principles and logistics of the event.  The people who plan Burning Man are the best event planners I have ever seen in my life.  They do a great job.  I am thankful for the tour they gave us, it was fascinating and it educated us about their ideas and values as well as their motto of leave no trace which is a huge accomplishment and one that all Nevadans should appreciate.

On September 4, 2010 we left Reno at about 10am on a bus bound for Black Rock City.  We had Happy Hour all the way to Gerlach, NV (roughly 110 miles).  It took some time for us to get into Burning Man once we arrived.  We had to check in at the gate and wait for our guides.  Then we were welcomed into Burning Man.  We parked our bus and then we jumped on a two story tour bus art car thingy (not sure how to describe it because it was a little out of our realm).  The tour bus took us around the playa and showed us the sights while the guide taught us about Burning Man, the challenges they face, logistics, law enforcement and emergency responders, and basically how to live in the Black Rock Desert for a week.  The guide showed us the art, taught us about the temple, the man, and the customs of Burning Man. 

The 2010 Temple



Me in one of the famous Black Rock City dust storms.



The main principles of Burning Man are radical inclusion, gifting (sharing and giving gifts to others), de-commodification (no cash transactions, nothing is bought nor sold among attendees), self-reliance, self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leave no trace, participation, and immediacy (being a part of the event and experiencing what is around you to develop and explore your own relation to the event).   Participants express themselves through art, clothing, mutant vehicles, bikes, buildings (temple, jungle gym, etc.), and theme camps.   

Below are a few of my pictures and notes about fascinating experiences I had. 

The art was amazing! 
Artists and Engineers come together and build magnificent art.

While at Burning Man we had the pleasure of surviving a big dust storm that lasted hours. 

It was so thick that at one point at night we couldn't see people standing three feet away, even with flashlights and headlamps. 

There was so much to see and experience.

Art Cars were really neat and they were everywhere.

Jerry, Kim and Tasha

Ron & Me

Brother Tom

Tammy and Me

 
Gifting is a concept unique to Burning Man.  The principle is that instead of cash event participants exchange gifts unconditionally.  Everywhere we went people offered us drinks and trinkets.  My whole life I was told not to take anything from strangers so this concept was a little foreign to me.  I felt guilty when people gave me stuff like I owed them something or inside my mind I questioned their motives because that is my natural instinct and the survival skills I learned as a child.  I didn't take anything from strangers except one guy gave me a glow stick.  He actually ran up to me and tied it on me, which pissed me off at first because I have a bubble and I don't let strangers get too close, but once he explained himself I thanked him and took the glow stick.  It was a funny exchange, I wish I had been nicer to the guy but he caught me by surprise when he ran up to me and started tying a glow stick on me.

After the Man burned we got a little lost.  You usually use the Man as your compass and read street signs to find you path home.  After the burn you can’t use the Man because he is just ashes, and participants quickly steal the street signs.  I figure we walked a mile or two out of the way but we finally found our bus using our famous family circling in technique.  

On our way home from Burning Man



I had a great time at Burning Man.  I think anyone that has an open mind should attend the event at least once.  Attending the event really opened my eyes to what Burning Man is and how it helps our community.  In 2011 it is predicted that the burners will spend $10 million in Reno so this event gives a nice boost to my hometown.  I thank Black Rock City, LLC for the tour they gave me and my fellow Rotarians and I know it built good will towards Burning Man and taught us not to believe the stereotypes about the event. 



My favorite part of the experience was watching the Man burn.  Below are three short videos.  The first video shows the scene before the burn when all the art cars circle the Man and park to watch it burn.  They all have their own soundtrack and it is total sensory overload with the sights and sounds but it is a wonderful feeling and exciting to watch. 

The second video is the fireworks that begin the big show and the third video is the burn.  Sorry I held my camera sideways on the third video.  I was so caught up in the excitement I didn't realize I was using the camera on its side. 

If you ever get a chance to go to Burning Man… GO!!!