artformula

i ended up camping in the walk-in zone located just outside the city’s basic schematic. i did this at the suggestion of v, who found it a better way to truly enjoy the fact that you were camping in a desert environment. i was very happy with this suggestion, since it solved a problem i had been considering for some time.as i drove in, a little surprised at how many people were already there, i parked my car at the very first open parking spot bordering the walk-in zone, ducked under the rope, and headed straight out to about the middle to establish camp. as it turned out, my campsite was located just off of about 4:20 and hope, which i still find hilarious. though there were certainly other people in the area, it was a far more isolated spot than the previous year. i dubbed it camp solitude.it took a nice chunk of time to set up alone, particularly with the wind gusting at the most inopportune moments and the added necessity of lugging all of my equipment the distance from the car to the tent. since i had been toying with the idea of arriving the night before and setting up in the dark, i’d done some extra preparation to make set up easier. nonetheless, the tent was still a bit of a challenge. i’d purchased a new tent with all kinds of perks to make my temporary homestead better than that dusty relic of last year. the new tent was some engineer’s wet dream. i could easily stand up in it and had plenty of room for all of my junk. it included a sort of covered porch area that projected out from the front, that i thought would be perfect for cooking and prepping gear, but the bamboo pole snapped as i was struggling against the hardcore wind. so i was left with a big soon-to-be-dusty flap that proved a bit of a nuisance until i found the plastic clothespins i’d packed a few days later. fortunately, the other poles that provided the basic structural integrity of the tent held, though in some of the harsher storms i was not that confident that they would. i oriented the entrance so that it faced outward away from the city and the road, towards the desert and the mountains. it was a very pretty view, day or night.here’s a pic i took the first night as the sun was beginning to set.

i was determined to make my tent as comfortable as possible, particularly since i had decided that it would also be my shade structure. i brought a couple of green rugs, a cot with 2 comfortable sleeping mats (yes, both for me), and a couple of small plastic tables (one for the h2o container i would keep in my tent, one for general usage). my clothing bins fit nicely under the cot. the bus tubs with food and miscellaneous equipment all went into the corner that faced the wind, with the other corner set up as a chill space with two legless blue chairs i’d picked up. once done, i have to say it was undoubtedly the most comfortable tent i’ve ever had, certainly the most colorful. i celebrated by finally changing into playa wear (red sarong, tunic), doing a strong evening gongyo and having the first serious smoke-out of the adventure.

this year was far more mellow as to substance usage. (i know, if you’ve read a day in the burn you may be surprised that i didn’t really mention this until now; at the time i was employed by a company that at least hypothetically could drug test my ass at any moment, so i was being careful. now i don’t give a shit). it is obvious to me that not everyone goes there to indulge, i even saw a burning man sticker that said ‘clean and sober 2006’ at the man, but i’d say a healthy percentage does in some way. you might think to yourself that it is pretty fucking stupid to alter one’s mind in such a harsh environment. perhaps you are right, but there is also something very cool and defiant about seriously partying, bringing the joy and risk of altered perception shall we say, to such an unforgiving environment. not only can you wear goofy clothes (or none at all), participate in surprising events, and meet amazing people in full plumage, but you can do it all high as a kite on your substance of choice without much hassle. this year, i stuck exclusively to weed and the alcohol i was gifted everywhere. weed is a fun, familiar, and comfortable high for me; hell, i got my degree with almost solid a’s smoking with regularity. it calms my speeding mind, relaxes me, and mellows my agro-ness. it is ideal for the playa.

allow me to take a minor tangent here. i’m one of those people who believes that weed should be legalized. it seems absolutely asinine to me that i can operate a motor vehicle, vote for the most powerful leadership on the planet, own a firearm, and procreate, yet the powers that be have an issue with me smoking a joint. cigarettes, no problem. weed, problem?

alcohol did a number on my family, which i will never forget or forgive, so it has never been my preference. i also think it should be obvious to any thinking person that alcohol is the root cause of all kinds of destruction in our society. i don’t care what that cop said to you in high school, weed is considerably safer than alcohol. it’s like the difference between diet pepsi and heroin. do you know why weed was demonized? because cheap hemp was a threat to burgeoning paper mill prosperity. do you know why it is still demonized? because getting high is direct competition to the multi-trillion dollar pharmaceutical industry. they can’t make a buck on something you could easily grow in your yard. countries all over the world are decriminalizing weed for good reasons. meanwhile we lock up more people than any other country on the planet, mostly for non-violent drug offenses. i’ll get off my soapbox in a moment, but fundamentally i’m sick of religious wackos trying to tell me what i can and cannot do. fuck them and the horse they rode in on. if they don’t want to get high, fine, don’t do it, but stay the hell out of my adult decisions. i have parents, thank you, and they agree with me. stick that ‘morality’ bullshit up your ass next to your head.

so, you can call it an act of civil disobedience or you can call it exercising my freedom to pursue happiness. i really don’t care if it jives with everyone’s idea of what is acceptable. the fact is that except when i did my buddhist prayers, i spent the vast majority of this trip baked out of my skull on some fine herb. and i had a blast.

so, where were we? yes, baked, dressed, camp up. now fortified, i was ready to dive into the world i’d waited a hellish year to return to. night had fallen like a beautiful purple curtain. i filled up the replacement bladder on my camelback, packed some snacks, added tape and glow sticks to my bike, and headed into the heart of black rock city.

by far, my absolute favorite time of the day was any time i reimmersed myself in that world. the transition never failed to make me feel giddy with delight.

after getting some coffee at center camp, which looked like it had never left the playa, i spent the whole night dancing my ass off. i love to dance. there is just nothing else like it. dancing with abandon in a throng of ecstatic people speaks to some root human joy i think. everyone was happy to be there. everyone.

it was a awesome to party so hard right off the bat. this year was all about pushing my boundaries. i’m an all or nothing kind of guy anyway, but determined to push my boundaries? watch out! last year dbug and i had kind of taken it easy the first two nights, adjusting to the heat and dryness. but, as i learned last time, camp is a vaccuum. this year i tried to limit my time at camp to basic necessities: food, water, gongyo/daimoku, catnaps, smokeouts, costume changes, etc. really, what else do you need camp for when everything and everyone you want to see is out there?

i believe i made it back to camp around 4 am. that was the only night i didn’t return after sunrise, so maybe it was a night of easing into it. as expected, i crashed the moment my head hit the pillow. i needed a little rest before exploring my favorite place on the planet in full daylight.