There are a variety of reasons that older people I know offer up for not going to Burning Man – some of them perfectly legitimate.  Asthma victims or people with compromised lungs have good reason to be hesitant about spending a week in the dust-laden world of Black Rock City.

But there are lots of bad reasons too – let’s just call them excuses – for choosing not to go.  Among them is the fear that they’ll feel too old in a crowd of young people.  Another is that they don’t share a common set of ideals, or even language, with young Burners.  A third is that they can’t keep up with all the activities.  And a fourth is that there’s just nothing appealing to older people at Burning Man.

Let’s take these one at a time:

Young? Old? Who cares?

1. I feel too old to be with all those crazy young people.  I guess you’ve forgotten that it was us baby boomers (and I’m even older than that) who started the whole counter-culture movement, and may also have forgotten some of the spit and fire that we used to feel for life lived on a different plain.  When I’m at Burning Man, I often feel more at ease with the my Burner friends, young and old, then do some of the one-hit-wonder young kids who come once, gawk and never return.  Most Burners either don’t care about your age, or respect it. The fact is, there are plenty of us alums of the 60s who can’t wait to see something new around the corner.  Your body may be older, but if your mind remains nimble you’ll have a ball re-living that sense of freedom that made your earlier years so memorable.
2. I don’t share the ideals embodied in the 10 principles.  The range of people who for one week share the ideals of Burning Man will genuinely amaze you.  Corporate executives, senior engineers, McDonalds servers, college professors, the unemployed and unemployable, active and retired military – these and more all come to Burning Man.  You might never even know what the guy standing beside you does with his life, because at Burning Man it just doesn’t matter.  One of the greatest benefits of Burning Man is meeting and knowing people whose belief systems are different from yours, whose lifestyle is 180 degrees from yours, whose look and dress is anathema to your everyday experiences.  You’ll come home with a new appreciation for the meaning of the word “diversity.”
3. I can’t keep up.  The truth is, nobody can keep up with the frenetic pace of Burning Man, so we all pick and choose what we can do and what we want to do.  There’s no coupon book to get punched proving you went to all the “attractions.”  Some people’s first year is spent mesmerized by everything going on, or just people watching from a comfortable spot in Center Camp.  While Burning Man itself is frenetic, for the individual there literally is no such thing as a “pace.”  Need a nap?  Take one.  I do every afternoon so I have the energy to head out at night when everything is ablaze.  But here’s something I’ve discovered about many of the young people at Burning Man:  they take naps, too.
4. There’s nothing appealing to older people.  Those of you who have read this blog in the past know how I feel about enveloping yourself in the erotic atmosphere of Burning Man.  Naked bodies, lots of sexual talk, provocative dress by both men and women.  It’s amazing what this aspect of Burning Man will do for your life.  Eroticism is a life force, and it pervades Black Rock City.  You’ll go home feeling younger from that alone.  But there’s so much more – creativity, art, whimsy.  You’ll see what humanity can do when it turns off the money switch and turns the world on its head for one glorious week in the Nevada desert.  Take an art tour, ride in an art car, make love with your spouse (or someone you’ve just met).  Nothing appealing?  I can’t wait to get back.

See you on the Playa.

For those of us “of a certain age,” medical issues tend to predominate our thinking.  In the retirement community where Lashes and I live for about half the year, nothing is discussed more frequently than health.  So I’m happy to tell all my older readers (and everyone else, for that matter) that Burning Man does a great job taking care of people when they become ill or suffer an accident on the Playa.  I have known that the healthcare provided by the volunteers was one of Burning Man’s gifts to attendees, but I wasn’t aware until this year of the additional services administered primarily by EMS providers from Humboldt General Hospital EMS Rescue out of Winnemucca, NV.  Those services are also gifted to the community.  I originally learned about this facility (located near Center Camp) from one of the volunteer physicians who work at the Burning Man medical tents located at the 3:00 and 9:00 keyholes just off the Esplanade.

Then my son, Ranger Carousel, forwarded this article to me a few days ago that detailed the work done at Burning Man by the EMS facility.

One of the fascinating aspects of the article is the discussion of the tiny number of drug related issues treated at the facility – only about 2.5 percent of patients.  However, the article points out that one of the reasons for few drug-related problems reaching the trauma center is that Burning Man handles a lot of drug problems internally at a facility called “The Sanctuary.”

But the low number of drug cases is not reflective of the overall activity of the EMS unit.  According to the Jason Busch who both wrote article and works in the facility:

“On the last Saturday of the event, the day they burn the man, we become one of the busiest, if not the busiest, emergency department in the United States. We will exceed the volume of patients we see daily at UMC in Las Vegas (a big, busy public hospital) by over 40% (more than 600 patients on the last Saturday).”

One of the eight  ambulances serving Black Rock City parked in front of the EMS Trauma Center near Center Camp

The Burning Man medical operation is unique in part because of the desert environment, but also because of the distance (150 miles) to the closest permanent medical facility (in Reno).  As a result, the ems trauma center relies more heavily on paramedics than a normal in-city facility might.  But that doesn’t mean our medical care is in any way less top-notchl than what is available at any trauma center.

Again, from the article itself:

“…eight ALS ambulances are staffed and deployed with at least one ALS level provider. One EMS operations chief oversees ambulance observation and one incident commander is available 24/7. An airway team/critical intervention team is also available to assist with advanced procedures.”

As the population of Black Rock City increases (eventually to 100,000), so have the demands on medical staffs.  But Burning Man is committed to meeting the needs of its citizens.

As Bryan Bledsoe, one of the head honchos of the ems trauma center tells it, the staff couldn’t be happier with their role at Burning Man:  “They provide high-quality, oftentimes challenging, quality healthcare in an austere environment without worries about insurance or social status—all for free. They aren’t overly concerned with charting, electronic healthcare records, medical liability and so on. They just take care of people in a manner that they hoped for when they applied to medical school.”

Bledsoe has a string of credentials behind his name — DO, FACEP, FAAEM, professor and director of EMS Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine and medical director of MedicWest Ambulance.

So for anyone worried about suffering health problems while at Burning Man, be assured that we’re well taken care of.

I’ve been watching a lot of Vimeo and YouTube videos of this year’s Burning Man (and past years as well), and keep getting comments from my friends about how many beautiful young people are featured.  I always answer that these films are not accurate portrayals of the mix of people.  Not everyone there is young, and certainly not everybody is beautiful.  One of the strengths of Burning Man is its dynamic diversity, and the strong sense of the right to be whoever you are without society’s usual judgments.

I understand the need to use advertising-style techniques in developing popular videos about Burning Man, but I’m unhappy with the under-representation of our older group of Burners.  We’re here, we’re old, and sometimes we don’t look so hot in scanty clothing.  But at Burning Man, we have the right to wear those skimpy outfits, or nothing at all.  We’re not judged while we’re at the Burn, so why should we be judged by the video makers?  I’d love to see a coalition of photographers and videographers who make a point of featuring the diverse age groups that represent the Burning Man experience.

I am personally guilty of loving the videos of pretty people.  One of my favorites this year is “Burn” on Vimeo, produced by first time Burner Kien Lam. Part of its attraction is the soundtrack — Ellie Goulding’s song “Burn,” a near perfect anthem for Burning Man (although I doubt if that’s the reason it was written).  But, again, the people are mostly young and beautiful.  Of course, there is a moment of special significance to me when Lam shows our Lamplighter group on its ceremonial lighting of the city – led by Lamplighter Dog Brain (Adam Lambert).  But in that case, you can’t see the real people under the robes.

Fully dressed, average age Black Rock Ranger is part of the norm at Burning Man.  Image in Public Domain.

If you’ve attended Burning Man, you already know that there are people of every age, shape and size populating Black Rock City.  If you haven’t gone and you’re a little older, you may have the impression from the current crop of videos that you won’t fit in.  That’s just not true.  Burning Man is – of all things – real people.  Yes, there are shapely naked women (and men) at Burning Man, but the opposite is true – bodies that are real, imperfect and sometimes outside of the realm of what our world has decided is “pretty.”

Whatever you think about going to Burning Man, don’t make your decision because you don’t think you’re young enough, svelte enough or pretty enough.  One of the things I love about the Burn is seeing the exposed fat tummies of the older crowd.  One of my good friends in Lamplighters has such a build, but he proudly shows it off to the delight of everyone there.

And let me not hesitate to repeat that states of undress are NOT required at Burning Man.  You wear (or don’t wear) whatever you like.   Lashes and I are not comfortable being undressed in public – although Lashes often looks sexier at Burning Man than any other time of the year (something that I greatly appreciate).

Filmmakers need to come forward and capture the true diversity of Burning Man’s population.  We’re not all LA starlets and ripped body builders.  And those of us who are a little older know full well that those bodies will be changing as time and gravity take their toll.

We’re well past the Burn, and past the San Francisco and Sac decompressions (we made SF, missed Sac this year), but we’re still feeling a buzz about Burning Man 2013.  For reasons that are both obvious and mysterious, this was our best Burn ever.

The obvious reasons are the benign weather with only a few, short-lived dust storms; a kind and forgiving playa that had been left flatter and harder than normal because of unusual amounts of rain earlier in the year; and the quality and quantity of art.  Oh, and the Man spun around 360 degrees at night.  What a wonderful year to be at Burning Man.  If it was your first, I can only hope that you could focus on all that was happening around you so you could see, hear and feel this amazing event.

Cupcake, burner and the Man — the perfect combination. Photo by Jesse Justice.

The mystery of such a great Burn comes out of that unique combination of people, attitudes and essence.  It all seemed to come together this year in a memorable manner.

If there was a downer side, it was the constant rumors about bad weather.  This kind of negative prognostication has occurred before, but this year it had a substantive effect on a critical part of the Burn: exodus.  The Burning Man organization apparently had an inside source giving them detailed and (supposedly) accurate weather information.  The warnings of a drenching rainstorm that could shut down all traffic began in the late afternoon of the final day.  Its effect was immediate.  People started leaving in droves.

The warning affected the temple burn, which was attended by a smaller than usual crowd.  Those who stayed were treated to one of the more memorable conflagrations of my eight Burns – probably because the Temple of Wholyness was built with so many giant-sized holes in it that it created multiple paths for air to enter and increase combustion.  It was truly magnificent.

But exodus itself was a nightmare – reports of 8, 9 or 10 hour waits to get out of Black Rock City abound.  And, irony of ironies, it never rained beyond a few sprinkles. Perhaps it was a case of weather Karma.  Making predictions of what will happen at Burning Man are a fool’s errand, and so – apparently – is predicting the weather for Black Rock City.  Maybe somewhere in Nevada there was a huge rainstorm, but it skipped over BRC, which makes sense, because Black Rock City doesn’t really exist once the Temple has burned and the Festival is officially over.  So how could it be rained on?

Lashes and I are still feeling tingly about our time at the Burn, and especially with Lamplighters this year.  We kicked butt getting those lamps up and down daily.  And it seemed equally successful for most of the villages, camps and attractions.  Everything worked (at least most of the time), and there was an overwhelming sense of love in the air.

Decompressions are a different story.  They’re fine, and fun, and remindful of Burning Man.  But the one’s we’ve been to simply are not Burning Man, and the people who only attend the decompression events and think they’ve experienced Burning Man are missing out on the greatest event of its kind on planet Earth.  So if you’ve gone to the parties, make a commitment now to come to Nevada next year for the real Burn.  It’s beyond your wildest dreams.

I was recently asked a question that surprised, even stunned me.  After watching some YouTube and Vimeo videos about Burning Man, a friend asked me if there was a lot of rape at Burning Man.

Rape at Burning Man?  I’d never heard of such a thing.  Nor had I heard about anything approaching violent crime – unless you consider stealing bikes a violent crime.  So what I told my friend is what I’ve written here for years – that Burning Man is a peaceful and loving environment where we’ve always felt totally safe.

I still believe that’s true – for the most part.  But it turns out that in a city of more than 60,000 people, crime does occur.  And in 2013, there was indeed a rape on the open playa.  That’s deeply upsetting to me, and totally unacceptable.  But the statistical reality is that the crime rate at Burning Man has actually gone down as the population has risen.  Most crime at Burning Man is the victimless variety – use of illegal drugs and underage drinking, for example.  There was the famous arson attack on the Man that occurred a few years ago early in the festival, but we know that the individual involved was a psychologically disturbed individual who tragically took his own life a few years after the incident.

There’s plenty of law enforcement present at Black Rock City – sworn officers from the Federal Bureau of Land Management, the State of Nevada, and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office. There are also our own Black Rock Rangers who are neither armed nor authorized to make arrests.  The Rangers are there to help anyone in trouble or in need of assistance such as directions or a trip to the medical tent.  The Rangers also have a special group that interfaces with the various law enforcement agencies to try to tamp down tensions between the cops the Burners.  Rangers are an invaluable part of the Burning Man culture, can be lifesavers when you’re lost in a dust storm and are some of the hardest working volunteers at the festival.

BLM Rangers patrolling the playa in their decorated vehicles

So what is the actual crime situation at Burning Man?  Early statistics show that arrests totaled 15 at this year’s festival – down from 20 in 2012, and that there were 50 reports of crimes.  The vast majority of reported crimes were stolen property, but there was that one rape and other apparent reports of sexual assault.

I think I understand why my friend asked about rape after watching Burning Man videos.  There’s plenty of what might be called “provocative” dress at Burning Man – or, it would be provocative in the default world.  But nudity, toplessness, pasties, and barely there tops and bottoms (on both men and women) are so typical at Burning Man that they can’t truly be called provocative.  Most important, rape and sexual assault are not about sex – they’re about power and control.  So it probably wouldn’t matter how you were dressed if you came in contact with a serial rapist brandishing a weapon.  The greatest protection we have at Burning Man is the fact that violence is anathema to the culture of the Burn.  I can’t imagine anyone failing to intervene in an unwelcome sexual assault on the Playa.

But I also have to admit to an impact on me knowing that there have been, and likely will continue to be, a tiny number of violent crimes on the playa. We still have to take personal responsibility for our own safety.  Wandering the deep playa alone – especially at night — is tempting fate.  Going out alone may never be a good idea, for a variety of reasons, including the possibility of losing your way in a dust storm.

Wearing or not wearing whatever you wish has nothing to do with this warning.  Rape is not about love or sex.  Violence is not about the victim’s behavior.  It’s about the behavior and sick mind of the perpetrator.  And in any group of 60,000 people, there will always be a few sick minds.

I’m sitting with my wife on the hard, greyish-brown surface of the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada watching the final minutes of Burning Man 2013.  It is the traditional Temple burn, an event viewed by thousands in solemn silence. Burners honor this building with quiet reverence because it is the spiritual center of Black Rock City.  Most burners have been inside the Temple and left notes of love, forgiveness and farewell.  The Temple tugs at your heart with a sanctity that belies the “party on the playa” reputation of Burning Man.  But in truth, Burning Man is a balancing act among the many and varied aspects of life – surviving, creating, playing, praying, loving. There’s no simple way to explain this event.

Our vantage point for the Temple burn is the best we’ve ever had – thanks to our son, who works year round organizing and managing the Temple Guardians, a group crucial to safety and sanctity of the Temple.  As fire begins to lick at the base of the pyramid-shaped structure, we come face-to-face not only with the end of this hallowed building, but with reality: the magic of Burning Man is nearly over for another year.

Temple Burn at Burning Man 2013

The fire quickly erupts into massive flames shooting out the sides and top of the Temple.  The structure – more wholes along its four slanted sides than solid wood – is designed to burn with ferocity.  We have to move back because of the intense heat. Getting up from our roost on the Playa isn’t easy – we’re both getting older and our muscles are becoming somewhat like the Tin Man’s joints in the Wizard of Oz.  But we manage – just as we manage everything we do at Burning Man, which includes a lot of hard work for our village, and riding our bikes for miles across the Playa to view artwork, attend programs, or get in line for free … well, you name it:  grilled cheese sandwiches, root beer floats, martinis.  Burning Man’s gifting economy is just that – you don’t have to trade money or anything else for what is offered to you on the playa.

But now our eighth trip to Burning Man is winding down.  We’re already packed and ready to leave the desert as soon as the Temple burn is over.  We know we’re facing hours of tedium waiting with 10s of thousands of vehicles to squeeze down from the seven exit lanes leading out the gate onto a single lane of rural Nevada highway that snakes some 80 miles southwest to I-80 near Reno. But it’s all okay. It’s been a fantastic week.

As often as we’ve regaled people with our stories of the pleasures of Burning Man, our friends still wonder why we trade our easy Lincoln lifestyle for a trip into the harsh environment of the Black Rock Desert.

I wonder each year too.  Am I too old for this, will it still be fun, can I handle the physical stress? But upon arrival I know I’m exactly where I should be.   I feel younger and more alive than at any other time of the year.  It’s part of the magic of being a Burner – no matter how old you are or believe you are.

But it does take a couple of days to shuck all of my real-world anxieties and begin to see the wonder of Burning Man.  People have come out to the desert with art that they want to share with me, and all I have to do is open my eyes and take it all in.

I put one foot in front of another and go out to help with the ceremonial lighting of the city.  As a part of Lamplighter Village, we’re responsible for hanging nearly 800 kerosene lamps along Black Rock City’s major thoroughfares every evening, and retrieving them in the morning.

Alan and Judie (Perky and Lashes) in front of Lamplighter Chapel, the group’s workspace at Black Rock City.

Astounding.  I can still actually handle the job; it feels good to walk the playa, accomplish my task and look back to see the lighted streets.  We don’t seem old or weak to others in our village – they look up to us, and want our help and advice.  And our playa friends energize us with the love and joy they bring to Burning Man.  What could be better?

You see the true wonder of Burning Man only after dark.  Despite the absence of an electric infrastructure, the playa looks like a lighted carnival.  There’s fire everywhere, a disco roller rink, a pedal-powered bumper cars ride, Thunderdome where opponents bash each other with rubber mallots while hanging from a geodesic dome. Hundreds of art cars roam the desert taking such forms as a fire-spewing octopus, a disco blaring sailing ship and the omnipresent cupcakes.  People wear colorful costumes that are illuminated for visibility (some just wear lights and forego any clothes at all), and they ride bikes festooned with lighted fenders, wheels and handlebars. Then there’s the art.

Truth is Beauty – a metal and mesh sculpture of a woman – soars hundreds of feet above the playa.  She is breathtaking.  A garden of fiery mushrooms grows out of the inhospitable land.  Sacramento’s own Playa Queen – a wooden, hand-crafted paddle wheel steamer – looks for all the world like it’s making its way across the desert surface. The Man itself is perched above a massive three-story building shaped like a flying saucer.

Unless you’ve been there, this event is unimaginable.  When you’re there, it’s almost too much to take in.

Labor Day morning.  We wend our way down the narrow highway toward home, passing Pyramid Lake on our right, and stopping for breakfast at a Sparks diner.  There we see two contrasting groups of patrons:  Burners, full of playa dust and happily chatting up their Burning Man stories; and Others, amazingly clean, grumpily awaiting their morning coffee.

Never is it so clear that Burning Man has changed your life.

I know I’m getting older.  My body tells me so everyday.  Muscles hurt and don’t work as well as they used to.  Naps, which used to be pleasurable excesses, are now annoying necessities.  This year at Burning Man I practically needed a crane to get myself up off the playa surface after watching the Temple burn.  But I still went to Burning Man, and I still felt younger and more alive when I got there.  It’s part of the magic of being a Burner – no matter how old you are or believe you are.

I met a Sunrise Burners reader who’s 75 and returning to Black Rock City for the first time in many years – in part because of this blog site.  His eyes were bright with excitement contemplating his week in the desert, as were mine as we chatted.  But it doesn’t always start out that way – at least not for me.

I arrive at the playa still full of worries and concerns from real life – how can I pay all the bills on the limited income of retirees, will my vehicles make it through another year, have I done enough to prepare us in case we get sick or hurt?  I worry whether the RV has enough water, fuel and holding tank room to last 10 days in the desert.  I wonder what I’m even doing here, out in this harsh environment — away from the comforts of home, the love of my dogs, my daily New York Times.  I question whether I’ll have the stamina to carry lanterns out and pick them up.

It takes a couple of days to get over these anxieties and begin to see the wonder of Burning Man.  People have come out to the desert with art that they want to share with me, and all I have to do is open my eyes and take it all in.

Joyously picking up lamps on the playa — my main job at Lamplighters.

I put one foot in front of another and go out to pick up lamps that first morning.  Astounding.  I can still actually handle the job; it feels good to walk the playa, accomplish my task and look back to see the job done.  Others in my camp don’t see our age as a weakness – they look up to us, and want our help and advice.  And our playa friends energize us with the love and joy they bring to Burning Man.  What could be better?

The fog of anxiety and worry takes a couple of days to lift fully, but once it does I start smiling from the inside.  Sure, there are problems – I’m constantly losing Lashes as we traverse the playa, and I’ve grown to depend on her presence after nearly 50 years of marriage.  But she always turns up, and our love is as intense as it’s ever been when we’re together in the desert.

I also have a tendency to struggle with bike problems – in part because I’m way too cheap to bring a decent bike to the playa, and I always try to stretch the life of each of my junker bikes beyond its endurance.  But the free bike shops and knowledgeable neighbors band-aid my vehicle back together so I can keep pedaling throughout the week.  Meanwhile, I learn a little more about bicycle maintenance each year.

By the time Burning Man ends and exodus commences, I’m a committed Burner once again.  On the way home, we talk about next year – new lights we’ll buy, costumes we’ll design, plans we’ll make to see more of the art next year.  I’ve lost the fog of worry, and for weeks after I return, life seems so much better.  I do my best to hold on to that Burner mentality throughout the year.  Worries do eventually return (that pile of mail waiting for me contains all the bills we’ve accrued getting ready for the Burn, and our property tax invoices as well), but for now, I’m a Burner happily floating through a life full of art, free booze and uncritical friends.

The 2013 Burn (our eighth) is now history, and it was another great one for Perky and Lashes – our playa alter egos.  I was thrilled to meet several readers of this blog site who took pains to say hello at the Burn and let me know that they enjoy the articles and find them helpful and inspiring.

Aside from new friends, this burn was exciting for at least three reasons.  First, the art cars were more plentiful, more whimsical and more fantastic then ever.  And while the best of the best may well have been tried and true entries such as the giant, fire-spewing octopus (El Pulpo Mecanico); new players such as the mobile board room, a steam locomotive, a fish lighted in varying colors and shapes and a covered wagon as well as the many electronica-blasting party cars, roamed the playa.

Second, this year’s Temple of Whollyness was a true work of art and a space that spoke to you in hushed, yet urgent terms about your humanity and your responsibility to others and to the world.

The Temple burns on the final night of Burning Man 2013.

Third, our camp – Lamplighters – rocked it this year lighting the city nightly so the citizens could navigate their way through the worst of white out conditions

We enjoyed a very special moment on the first Sunday evening, when the Temple was dedicated and turned over to the citizens by its builders.  To demonstrate the construction process for the Temple, its builders fitted together six pieces of especially designed wood without the use of any fasteners or glue.  This block of wood was repeated throughout the Temple to create a solid structure that stood in perfect harmony with the natural environment around it.

When the builders completed the wooden square, they handed it to Ranger Carousel, head of the Temple Guardians, the group which has responsibility for gently guarding the building throughout the Burn. Carousel then accepted the Temple for the citizens of Black Rock City and declared it open to all.   The thrill for us is that Ranger Carousel is our son.  We are the proudest of parents.

Art is the major focal point for many Burners, ourselves included.  We already know that we’ll have to look at various websites to see all of the art – it’s impossible to see everything while you’re on playa – but we did enjoy some amazing works such as “Truth is Beauty,” the sculpture of a woman that soared hundreds of feet above the playa.

There’s no such thing as a perfect burn, and this one had its problems – chief of them the amount of bike traffic.  With the population exceeding 60,000 people for the first time, there were issues with congestion on the main roads. I also didn’t realize until later that the earlier-than-normal Temple burn had caught many burners by surprise, hence a low turnout for that event.  Finally, this year’s Exodus was complicated by concerns about a possible rainstorm Monday afternoon.  It took some people 10 or more hours to leave the playa.

These issues not withstanding, 2013 was a highly successful burn for the two of us.

Now it’s back to the default world and transforming ourselves from Perky and Lashes back into Alan and Judie.  It will take a few days to adjust to the fact that showers are a normal part of life and you have to pay for a drink when you go to a bar.  But it won’t take any time at all to start dreaming about and planning for Burning Man 2014.

August 20, 2013 — In two days, we’ll be on the playa.  The second we pass the Greeter’s Stations, we’ll be transformed from Alan and Judie into Perky and Lashes, and we’ll leave behind the default world and all its issues.  I can’t wait … well, that’s not exactly true.  Because I’m always apprehensive about going out to the desert.  In fact, the first year I attended (2005) I was fairly certain I wouldn’t survive the experience, so I dragged my feet on preparations and pretended it wasn’t going to happen.

Who could possibly want to go out to the desert, live in a tent, burn up in the hot sun and have only porta-potties for toilets?

But at the Greeter’s Station that first year, magic happened.  I released myself from worries and limitations and just let go.  I donned a pair of butterfly wings, lay down in the dust to make a playa angel and rang the virgin bell.  I got happy, and stayed that way the entire time I was in Black Rock City.  The image of my son running after his errant kite on the open playa, the site of a stallion seemingly emerging from the playa surface, the joy of lighting the city with my campmates, the love of people who I had just met … these are the indelible memories of Year One.

Lamplighter processional on the playa. Everyone is welcome to participate.

For many years after that first burn, I kept the 2005 Lamplighter’s charm around my neck to remind me that during Burning Man I was always a better, younger person than I was in my default life.  Then the string that held it broke, and I misplaced the charm.  The memories of my first burn faded, as our annual preparations became more complex. We now had an RV to prepare, and we made more costumes, clothing and gifts.  Burning Man was still fun, but I lost a lot of the original pureness of Year One.  It happens.

I found my 2005 charm again the other day, and it’s back around my neck helping me recall that sense of wonder that made me love the burn in the first place.  It feels like this is the year when I’ll get back that original joy.  I can’t wait to cross the Greeter’s Stations and become part of Black Rock City and the Burner community again.

Yeah, I’m still apprehensive (I’m a worrier – a skill I learned from my late mother).  Will we have trouble with the RV?  Will the weather turn nasty?  Will I remember to pack everything I need?

But I’m ready for all those concerns to melt away in the blaze of sunlight and the warmth of love that is Burning Man.  I can’t wait to hear the words, “Welcome home.”  I’m ready to be Perky again, to experience the utter joy of life in the week-long world that is Burning Man.

See you on the Playa.  Look for us at Lamplighter’s Village, and be sure to come and light the city with us at least once while you’re at the burn. There’s a nightly party at Lamplighter’s Village from 3-5, followed by the magnificent pageantry of the lamplighting processional. Or join Lashes and me at 8 a.m. each day as part of the morning pick-up crew that gathers lamps and bring them back to the Lamplighter’s Chapel.  It’s a less formal affair, but you still hear the cry of “Thank you, Lamplighters” as we retrieve more than 900 kerosene lanterns from the stanchions along the main roads of BRC.

Have a safe and joyous trip to the desert!

We’re only weeks away from what many of us call FOP (feet on the playa), and preparations are now in the hot and heavy phase.  For us, that means getting the RV into desert-worthy condition, fashioning or rehabbing our costumes, powering up the EL wire and headlamps, and checking the bikes for structural integrity (and air in the tires).  Soon we’ll be stocking up on food, drinks and a multitude of libidinous libations that turn our plain old RV into a party house.

I’ve been keeping an eye on ticket sales, and again this year it’s beginning to look like many tickets purchased early in the year are going up for re-sale.  If you still need a ticket, check out the OMG sale that Burning Man is holding on August 7, beginning at noon.  According to the website, 1,000+ tickets will be offered at this sale.  But sources tell me the number will actually be closer to 4,000 tickets.  All tickets will be sold at the standard price of $380, and will be available only for “will-call” pick-up (no deliveries this close to the event).  I believe the standard $12 per order charge for “will-call” service will be added to the price.

However, to be eligible for the sale, you need to have completed your Burner Profile by August 1 (too late if you haven’t already done it), and pre-register for the sale by August 5 at noon. Check out all the details here.

A genuine Burning Man ticket. Accept no substitutes!

Of course, you can always try to find a ticket on Craigslist or eBay, but beware of scams and scalper pricing.  To make certain a ticket you buy from someone is genuine, ask the seller to show you the invoice that is sent out by Burning Man with the ticket.  Any ticket holder should also have received a 2013 Survival Guide, which you can also ask to see.

Taking care of the RV is critical as we prepare to drive out to Black Rock City.  That means getting the engine fully checked out (belts, hoses, brakes, etc.), changing the oil, and make sure the generator is in tip-top condition.  It’s a terrible feeling to have a problem on your way to or out on the playa.  We know because it happens to us almost every year.  A few years back, we lost a tire shortly after leaving the house and ended up having to replace the four rear tires on the beast.  Last year, we had a serious generator malfunction mid-burn that ended up requiring a new starter motor.

Fortunately, TPP – the playa provides – and one of our fellow Lamplighters loaned us a generator for the duration.  This year, we’re hoping to find a way to keep some of the dust out of the generator (any and all ideas are welcome).

We’ll be back at Lamplighters again this year, and hope to see some of you there to help light the city.  We host a daily 3-5 p.m. party at Lamplighters’ Lounge, followed by the Lamplighting ceremony.  You don’t want to miss the opportunity to participate at least once as a Lamplighter.  You’ll receive our unique 2013 charm for your efforts.  But best of all, you’ll be part of one of the playa’s most enduring traditions – lighting the city with nearly 1,000 kerosene lanterns.

Time is short for making arrangements to go to Burning Man if you haven’t already done so, and planning your trip is something that shouldn’t be left until the last minute.  Most people pass through Reno on their way to the Burn, and many stores have equipped themselves to outfit us Burners as we head out to the desert.  Here’s a list of Reno area shops that stock up for especially for us.

See you on the playa!