First Timer excited about the burn!!!!

[AnkhGoddess]

Hey all!

Well, after having gotten my ticket less than one hour ago from a chick who, sadly, could not make it herself, I'm here to say that I'll be coming to the Playa from oh so, so rainy Portland, OR for my very first Burn! It shall be an experience I know I will not soon forget, and I must say, can utterly not wait for!

One question, actually, spring to mind when I first realized that I would be going, and was wondering if folks out there could help me with a few words o' wisdom in regards to it all...

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day, and his suggestion was that the first time I go, it's actually better to go alone, rather than with a camp. His entire stance was that there can be a lot of drama that could be totally avoided if you Burn alone, and, besides that, it's much better to go and see what all's out there and find out what group(s) you really resonate with, rather than spending most of your time with any camp you've hooked up with while there.

But then, I wound up seeing at least one post while cruising this board from a long time burner who suggests that you do hook up with a camp your first time. And, from a survival perspective POV, it does make some kinda sense- after all, when you're in the desert for the first time, it's good to be 'round folks who can help you out should you have forgotten something direly needed. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. about this from folks out there?

Lookin' forward to partying with all you lovely peeps out there on the Playa...

Stephanie

[motskyroonmatick]

Either way can work great. I guess it really depends on how you think approaching you first burn will work best for your personality. My first burn was solo. Then with one friend and then two. Last year I camped with Stag Camp and it was a blast. I'll be there this year too. Organized camps run the gambit from very organized to very loosely controlled. Camps that bring resources for the camp members usually charge a fee and it can range in to the hundreds of dollars. This is usually for food and water, waste disposal, power and camp infrastructure. Some camps have chores or areas of responsibility that have to be done at specific times others are more flexible.
Keep searching around here and you will find what will fit your needs.

[AntiM]

There are also a number of villages where you must be self-sufficient, but you would have neighbors at hand to help if you need a pat on the back or some forgotten item. Hushville is one such, Stag Camp sounds similar. Many Portland burners out there, check the regionals and make some contacts before you go. We have a Portland burner in our camp and we're from Utah.

Hushville requires preregistration and your spot is not guaranteed, and there's little in the way of infrastructure, but tons of good people. We get lots of first timers who later strike out on their own after we indoctrinate them with The Peterman Plan. (okay, HUshville in-joke, who else gets that besides Phil?)

[gyre]

Wherever you camp, go out and see stuff.

[motskyroonmatick]

Wherever you camp, go out and see stuff.

Word!
Bring a bike and ride it. Also bring a lock and use it.

I saw the most amazing things my first year. It was heartbreakingly good to see the raw beauty and expression that was there. It changed my mind forever (not in the decision way).

[mdmf007]

it works either way - solo, camp both have their advantages and disadvantages.

[thirt33n]

if you are an independent type go alone, for sure.

if you go "alone" you will be bound by no one and camp mates with EVERYONE. help is right next door or across the street.

just read the guide and bring everything you can think you will need.

you're in the right spot to find all the info.

welcome.

[CLARKcon]

Small camping has worked great in the past (2-3 people). That way, you can go out as a group, with one other person, or just yourself. My campmates are great, we all agree to "each their own" & self-choice. I've seen larger camps camped near us d i s i n e g r a t e later on in the week. Maybe try to get the best of both worlds (get 1 to 2 more people to camp with). My friend Reid is coming this year (1st time) and think he'll have a blast. The thing I think about is trying to get someone to go that I think the event will enlighten/inspire them. I'd be weary going with someone who is close-minded and who's atttitude is "let's get f*ed up and forget everyone" Have a safe trip out AnkhGoddess

[TomServo]

Your neighbors, will almost certainly be their for you..if you need help in adjusting. Don't go with expectations..think of possibilities of course! But go with an open mind. The first 12 to 24 hours are the hardest, I think...The real world doesn't compare to Burning Man, and it's a little shock, the first time. AND! if you are grumpy or pissed, that is a symptom of dehydration. So take care out their! Have the time of your life! And, like so many others, I hope it changes your life. Have fun!

[AnkhGoddess]

Hey all...

Thanks so much for the warm welcomes and replies! Been outta town, so I haven't gotten a chance to post back till today, but I did want to drop you all a line to say thanks for the warm welcomes...people on this board have been really friendly, and gone outta their way to make me feel welcomed and shower me with all kinds of advice for surviving out there on the Playa.

Tom, thanks for the suggestion about dehydration...it's really easy to forget that one's mood may be directly related to not anything that's actually going on at Black Rock City, but just the fact that I need to guzzle some more H2O! I tend to forget the really strong mind/body connection at times...and will most definitly be bringing more than the recommended 1 and a half to 2 gallons a day of aqua that the Burning Man website recommends.

After givin' it a bit of thought, and talking to a few recent friends I made who've been vet. burners themselves for a long while now, it seems as though I'm going to let the cards fall where they may, gather together enough supplies for both myself and to share/barter with, and simply figure my way out there onto the Playa...I do have, it seems, a few more friends here in rainy Portland that'll be going out there than I previously thought, and I may wind up camping with them...or I may just wind up going solo...then again, the fabulous folks at the Golden Cafe were mighty cool and invited me to come camp with them...and if I do wind up running into them when I go to set up camp the first day, I may very well walk up and ask to join them. But, as it's been said by at least one of my closer friends, things have a way of, well, [b][i]happening[/i][/b] out there on the Playa, if you all catch my drift, and perhaps it's best to just step back with this one and let the Universe call the shots. I never know just what'll happen when I let go and let the cards fall where they may..and I'm rather curious to see where things will go if I do just that...

Ultimately, I'm goin' with no expectations, and am going to kick back, see what there is to see and experience what there is to experience, and allow it to change and effect me in whatever way it shall...while I don't even hold an expectation for it to happen, I do suspect strongly that I will return forever changed...

Stephanie

[Teo del Fuego]

people on this board have been really friendly, and gone outta their way to make me feel welcomed and shower me with all kinds of advice

Just you wait......

Seriously though, Stephanie, I cannot recommend enough that you take frequent night time bike rides on your well-lit bike in the Deep Playa (the area between the Temple and the trash fence) to have these surreal encounters with all the amazing art that will pop up out there through the week.

[chiefdanfox]

I haven't done the solo thing, but have camped the last two years with a couple, and being the third wheel kind of sucks. My wife won't go, so I really miss having that person to connect with. I am planning to camp near or with Stag Camp, because it seems to fit with my predicament.

Being very self sufficient, good with tools (housekeeping stuff), and thinking ahead are necessary components to helping you have a great time. But being all of that, (like I am) is not necessarily sufficient. For me, going solo is fine for backpacking, going solo in the middle of 43,000 people? I guess I am just a little too shy for that.

[gyre]

How does shy apply?
How many people do you think you can find that will say, "I'm only here to work." if you talk to them?

[chiefdanfox]

I do talk to folks. I don't walk around looking down at the dust all of the time. I am just shy. If you are not shy, then you may not understand. I ran around with fucking ship on my head my first year, and it seemed like I must of had 10,000 pictures taken of me; I can be quite an extrovert, just not outgoing.

I was just suggesting that to a shy person, sometimes having a familiar face to share, "Shit, isn't that about the coolest two trucks welded together you have ever seen?" can help stem that third-day melancholy I tend to feel.

You aren't going to charge me for this session, are you?

[gyre]

Just saying it's not like the default world.
It's like being on a cruise where everyone there has nothing to do but enjoy themselves.
Everyone there wants to have the most cheerful time they can.
The worst response you usually get is someone too busy to relax.
Everyone can be fairly sure you are there for the same reason they are.

I think a few people thought I was a cop or something my first year.
(I think I was just being too polite.)
You just talk to the next person you meet.
Some of the best conversations I've had, have been while I was busy working on something else.

Just walk around and grin at everyone.
I can't seem to help it out there.

[motskyroonmatick]

Since we are sharing. I'm a bit shy too and thats why I do the welding and repair thing. This year though I am bringing a mutant vehicle to foster interaction. Gifting anything is a great way to break the ice and that's all it takes for this shy one.

[theCryptofishist]

I am planning to camp near or with Stag Camp, because it seems to fit with my predicament.

I keep thinking you're with Booby Bar. I don't know if that shows you're on top of it, or that I'm hopeless.

[chiefdanfox]

Hmmm, Fish. Nope, I am not part of the BB crew, I can't quite fathom that I am on top of it, and you are not hopeless, so there must be at least one more plausible answer.

Mots, great inspiration as well. I have my ticket, but I am vacillating about going. You just might have tipped it for me. Thanks, both you and Fishy.

[motskyroonmatick]

I certainly hope you are out there with us Chief! Stag Camp is shaping up nicely and I'm really looking forward to all of it.

[stevefarris24]

AnkhGoddess, there is no chance in hell that I would ever go to this without my theme camp. A tent, jugs of tepid water and granola bars is no way to camp. Find some people, 'cause camping alone will suck major ass.

[Teo del Fuego]

camping alone will suck major ass.

Not if you're a FEMALE. You will be welcomed with open arms every where you go.

[stevefarris24]

Hmm. Well, that's probably true.

[Sensei]

AnkhGoddess, there is no chance in hell that I would ever go to this without my theme camp. A tent, jugs of tepid water and granola bars is no way to camp. Find some people, 'cause camping alone will suck major ass.

Translation: I can't take care of myself in the manner to which I am accustomed, therefore you won't be able to either.



I've managed to camp alone for eight years in a row, and I've enjoyed every one. Just 'cause you're not camping with a group DOES NOT mean you're doing without or that you can't/won't socialize with your neighbors (and the rest of Black Rock City) like you've known them for years...

You'll do just fine alone (unless you're a total schmuck who can't carry their own weight, of course). Park yer freakin' car, get out and introduce yourself to all your freaky neighbors and guess what? Your Burningman 'experience' has started. I'm sorry, but it's just that fuckin' easy.

I've known theme campers who had all the infrastructure in the world and they've had nightmarish burns, and I've seen hitchiking backpackers have the time of their lives. The size of your fucking shade stucture is NOT going to have anything to do with whether or not you enjoy yourself. I sincerely hope not for your sake, anyway.