Burning Man 2009 Writeup

This was a much more mellow Burn for me. I attended almost no scheduled events, instead just tending to wander around see what I could find. It was nessicarily less revolutionary for me, having already had my big revelation experience last year. Monday was eaten by setting up camp and the first dust storm of the week, and I kind of crashed Thursday due to lack of sleep and not eating enough. It all went by so quickly, I kind of feel like I didn't take advantage enough of it, but that's silly. I met some great people Tuesday with whom I hung out later in the week, and again I spent a lot of time at Barnaby's camp.

One of the big differences this year was my perception of how things evolved over the week. Last year I didn't really click into the full wonder until the very end. This year, coming in with those expectations, I was quite saddened to see the change as the weekend party crowd came in. Someone called me bro on Saturday, ye gods. Being more in tune to the event, I also noticed how much they stand out. They're so... clean. They all wear filtermasks, and lack proper hydration systems. They carry around disposable red plastic cups and the girls have silly shoes. If they have bikes, there is no added decoration on them. It's weird, realizing you've internalized a new cultural aesthetic to the point of seeing other people as tourists like that. I think I need to start staying for Temple burns, as the mood is supposed to swing back as people leave Sunday.

On the practical side, I tried using a camelback water system this year and was utterly hooked. I'm saddened to have barely used my trusty old Nalgene bottles, but there is just no comparison. I stayed considerably better hyrdrated with the camelback, since taking a drink didn't mean stopping to pull off my backpack. Particularly when biking, that was a big gain. I felt like I could bike at speed pretty much indefinitely, without having to stop for rest breaks. I'm definitely going to invest in a better one for next year, with a backpack just big enough for the playa kit I've settled on: ~3 liters of water, event guide, bandana, sunblocking lip balm, adventure hat, full complement of eye wear (glasses and goggles, darkened or not depending on day/night -- yes you really need the full range), power bars, mug, handful of booze samplers as gifts/trade goods, lights for use at night.

Going with my dad was great, and I'm really glad I could share it with him. But even with him there, there was still a strong feeling of loneliness for much of the week. I really need close friends and/or lovers, that level of connection. It's a weird thing to feel, in the middle of the one huge group of strangers I feel absolutely comfortable going out and being extroverted with. In the end, though, nothing can replace deep connections forged over long periods of time. And I just want to share the event with more of the people who matter the most to me. It's pretty much the same conclusion I came to on the Mackenzie: my adventures need to start including vixyish more.

( In no particular order, some of the things that really stuck with me )