Burning Man 2012: Early Arrival

So I made it back to civilization almost a week ago. I am doing my decompression and clean up in Kings Beach. I know that once I get home, I won’t have the time or gumption to clean up.

After spending 18 days at Burning Man, I have to admit… running water and flush toilets are awesome. Most of all, it’s nice to be out of the dust.

By the end of my stay, EVERYTHING was covered in playa, including me. My hands were dry, brittle and so rough that they’d snag baby-wipes. Despite the dust and heat, I had a great burn.

I kept myself very busy. Eli and I arrived on playa 8 days before the event opened, to help set up our camp, Earth Guardians.

We arrived at sunset to a relatively empty playa. Our campmates already had the shade structure set up so camp was easy to find in the dark.

We spent our first night out on the open playa… we set up our bed between our vehicles and covered it with shade fabric. The air was warm, dust was very low and the night was clear… a great way to start my burn. 

Although this was my 11th burn, I always forget to allow time to acclimatize one’s self to the desert. It’s like adjusting to life on the moon. Somehow, I move slower and need lots of breaks.

I love my Earth Guardian crew! I was very impressed how how quickly camp came together. Everybody pulls their weight in whatever way they can, like a well-oiled machine… with a bit of dust on the oily parts.

I had to be careful to not aggravate my work injuries, so I focused on decor. Magpie and I hung fabric swags, laid down the ground covers and set up the stage. I covered the bar and barstools with bright fabric and painted the old picket fences with green vines that mimicked our two new art pieces, the LED Sprouts and the Glass Bottle Tree.

With the help of campmates, Eli and I set up the yurt that Loki loaned us. We built it up around the REAL bed I brought. This was a first… I figured it was worth the effort since I’d be on playa for such a long time. 

The yurt went up pretty easily and soon we had a home on playa. It was like a Hobbit House.. very cozy. Sadly, once we unpacked our vehicles, it filled up quickly.

Earth Guardians camp was shaping up quickly, earlier than many camps. Around us, we witnessed our neighbors Black Rock Rangers, Center Camp and Lamp Lighters get their structures set up. We were amazingly way ahead of schedule… which doesn’t suck.

Stay tuned for part 2: The Quest for Ice