Burned Out: Introduction
8/29/07 Thursday...
From Oakland, CA, I drove up to my first Burning Man Festival. After 7.5 hours of driving on the 80 and 447 highways and one last minute stop for supplies and a bicycle at Wal-Mart in Sacramento, I arrive at Black Rock City (BRC), NV, a once a year makeshift city of roughly 45,000 inhabitants.
The theme for the 21st edition of Burning Man is Green Eco-Man, and the motto is “Radical Self-Reliance.” Nothing is bought or sold in BRC with the exception of ice and coffee at Central Café, with the proceeds going to help the neighboring town of Gerlach, a small town 12 miles south of the desert area known affectionately as “the playa” where the festival is held. Imagine a flat expanse of alkaline white earth spanning as far as the eye can see. This is the playa, and the feeling out here is the Wild West.
The ticket price of roughly $300 per person for entry deters the faint-hearted, and all Burners are encouraged to participate with the art, not merely observe. Highlights of the event are the low and high-tech art installations, the shedding of social inhibitions, and a party-like atmosphere that runs 24/7. Strangers say hello, wave, and for a week people refrain from conventional judgment and find new modes of self-expression.
I spoke to staff volunteers at the Emergency Services Department (ESD), which provides free basic life support services in two medical tents staffed by volunteer healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, EMT, and paramedics. The tents operate 24/7 with special emphasis during the event’s climax, the Saturday night burning of the Man, a 40-foot wood effigy in the shape of a human. Fire staff, ranger service, and police enforcement are all present as well as REMSA (Reno Emergency Med Services Association), a team of paid doctors on duty to handle advanced life support measures, including psychiatric services, and emergency rescue transport to Reno.
It’s been but 2 days but already I have been warmly welcomed and accepted as a citizen of BRC.
Keep checking back to see my coverage of this year's festival on Burned Out.
