Lahontan is Lake Again

Image: Renee Aldrich via RGJ

The Interwebz are all abuzz with pictures of people kayaking on the Playa, which has been under water for a couple of months now. Check this story at the Reno Gazette-Journal Kayakers Take Over Black Rock Desert.

Once upon a time, the Playa was a prehistoric mega-lake


Re-blogged from djbios.com:

THE BURNING MAN PLAYA IN THE BLACK ROCK DESERT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWATER

03.12.2017

A weather phenomenon in the Black Rock Playa is creating a stir amongst this year’s prospective Burning Man attendees. The innermost basin of the 200-square-mile expanse located outside Gerlach, Nevada has flooded as a result of torrential downpour, and some question whether or not the transformational gathering will still take place.

Over the past couple weeks, murmurs have circulated about how the flood has left the Playa submerged in up to 6-8 inches of water. Much of the Burner community dismissed the rumors as “fake news” (with varying degrees of apparent seriousness), but Nevada Magazine Associate Editor Eric Cachinero posted the following photo in the Burning Man Facebook group:

To verify the authenticity of the photo, Cachinero followed it up with a video:

However, perhaps the most picturesque photos of the flooded Playa were posted by another group member named Ted K. Stoltling:

Several Burners have speculated that the water will evaporate by the time organizers start setting up for the gathering in August, and indeed, a visit to the Friends of Black Rock-High Rock website reveals that floods take place on the Playa every few years. However, if uncharacteristically high precipitation did threaten the event, Burning Man promoters Black Rock City, LLC (BRC) would not be held accountable. An excerpt from the organization’s legal disclaimer to ticketholders reads:

Tickets are nonrefundable even if the Event is terminated early or canceled due to harsh weather, acts of nature, government regulation, or conditions beyond BRC’s control. BRC is not liable for acts of God or actions taken by government agencies.

Burning Man has taken place annually in one form or another since 1986; 1990 marked the first edition that graced the grounds of the Black Rock Playa. As opposed to similar large-scale festivals, the ethos of the event is built upon ten principles which include radical inclusion, decommodification, and radical self-reliance, among others.

As of this writing, BRC has yet to issue a statement regarding the Black Rock Playa flood. The 2017 edition of Burning Man is slated to take place from August 27th to September 4th.

[Source]

Playa Update: Some Cars Coming In, Trash is the New Fashion

Watching the UStream feed, it looks like the gate may be open again for people who have been waiting there all day. There are vehicles are coming in. If we get an official announcement we will let you know. All Burning Man’s official channels are silent, piecing things together from Facebook we can tell you the highway patrol are still turning people back, BMOrg just let some people in who were stuck in line at the Gate and Will Call. More rain is expected tonight. The gate is still scheduled for official opening at noon tomorrow. Will update as we hear more.

[Update 8/25/14 9:30pm]

Although there has been no word on the official Burning Man social media channels for 8-9 hours, BMIR let slip that the gate was open – then didn’t mention it again. Cars were seen on UStream driving into Black Rock City. A few Burners between Gerlach and the gate have reported that cars are moving again. Peter Hirshberg told us:

“Gate is open. The road blocks are still in force, but being stood down town by town heading south. Here in empire we are being told that the highway patrol will give us the go signal within the hour. As the backlog clears, towns further south will open . We’re being told not to proceed until the highway patrol says go, Or “you’ll be turned back as a matter of policy” The whole thing looks pretty well coordinated between bmorg and law enforcement .”


John Curley continues his excellent reporting from Black Rock City on the official Burning Man blog.

photo: clevertalkinglama

Gate and Will Call entry lines. photo: clevertalkinglaama

Burning Man pressed the “pause” button today, as heavy rains and hail prevented people from getting in and out of Black Rock City, caused widespread power outages, and intensified the misery of people waiting in the “will call” lines at the box office.

The gates to the city officially opened at 10 am on Sunday, and for most of the day it seemed like the event was off to a pretty good start, despite harsh weather during the build that forced everyone to hustle to catch up to schedule.

It seems there were quite a few problems in the Will Call line, before the weather forced them to hit pause.

Things got further off track as Sunday progressed, though, with horror tales of people spending as many as eight hours in the will-call line. The scene at the gate last night was unprecedented. As people wound round and around waiting in line on foot to pick up their will-call tickets, there weren’t any cars ready to be processed through the gate.

photo: John Curley

Will Call line. photo: John Curley

It almost seems like there’s a new challenge in the ticket system every year, and this year it has been the backlog at the will call window. Nimbus, Burning Man’s ticketing manager, said in her seven years with the organization, she’s never seen so many people arrive at the will-call window in such a short time frame.

…Megan Miller, Burning Man’s director of communication, said, “There are a lot of factors that we’re looking at. Some of it is in our control, and some of it isn’t.

The contributing factors include the number of tickets that are sold electronically and require a check-in. Those include the 3,000 tickets that were sold in the “oh my god” final sale in July, the 4,000 low-income tickets, and the increasing number of tickets sold to international participants, who now are about 20 percent of the population (the organization does not ship tickets internationally). Plus, all the tickets re-sold through the STEP program also require a visit to the will-call window.

And then there are the vagaries caused by dependence on technology: If the wifi is down or bad weather is affecting satellite signals, the check-in process is slowed. It’s still the desert out here, you know, and things just don’t work they way they do in the default world.

20% of the population is 13,600. Add that to the 8500 OMG-STEP-LI tickets, and it seems that about a third of all tickets were at Will Call. What a nightmare. Maybe BMOrg should start mailing tickets to Burners in Canada, Mexico and the rest of the world. The $14 handling fee should more than cover a dollar or so of postage required. You’d think that since 1986, an event that boasts its own rival postal services would have figured out how to send a letter to another country.

 

photo: John Curley

photo: John Curley

Burners responded jovially to the wet conditions.

…The good planners knew that plastic bags wrapped around your shoes prevent “playa platforms” from building up on the soles of your shoes. That was really only the beginning of it, though.

There was the simple approach to getting around: no shoes at all. (The mud doesn’t stick to your feet.) Then there was the utilitarian approach: Black or clear plastic bags, zip-locked or taped. Then there was the fashion-forward approach: White plastic bags arising to mid-calf. And then there was Helen Hickman, who took advantage of the weather to invent a new genre of playawear: the trash suit.

“I must say, it’s very becoming,” Larry Harvey said as he walked around Rod’s Road, sidestepping the muddy clumps and randomly talking to people hoping to start their burn.

Helen had a message: “I have to tell everyone, trash-bag wear is going to be the thing this year.”

The fabulous Helen, aka Danger Ass

Larry agreed: “Fur is out, trash bags are in,” he said. “You’re the harbinger, you’re ahead of the game. By the time people catch up with it, though, you’ll be out of it. … You’re a finder, not a flounder.”

Larry continued: “You know, I tell the people, sometimes, some of the things we might want to do, and they get a little ‘founder-itis.’ And I tell them, you know, sometimes we’re founders, and sometimes we’re flounders. … But on our best days, we’re finders. And so are you!”

“We have a transformation quota, you know” he said. “We say, ‘How many lives have you changed today?’ And then we keep track of the salesman, you know, who’s the best salesman of the day…

“Well,” Helen replied, “I was raised a Catholic, but I can sell like a Jew.”

So there you have it, campers. Lives transformed with trash bags.

Larry Harvey joked with people on Rod's Road

…the rain had one other significant impact, especially on Burning Man staff: the meeting schedule was positively in tatters. Somehow, all the acculturation training and process mapping would have to be rescheduled.

“We’ll have a meeting about the meetings, I’m sure,” Larry said. “We may have to send out for extra whiteboards, though.”

Weather Proof Your Burn

The desert is usually hot, dry, sunny, and very dusty. It can get cold at night. Dust storms can remove all visibility, and can affect travel plans and navigation. Strong winds can come at any time. Rain can turn the Playa into mud that cars get stuck in. We hear that trailers have been blowing over, the airport is underwater. If you can’t get a plane and you’re thinking you could take the bus instead, you’re SOL. The Burner Express is no longer selling tickets. If you were planning to fly in and have to change your plans, try rideshare.burningman.com.

Some tips to weather the storm from my friends at Ohm Kamp. They’re going to be in Yurts but these are useful for tent campers too:

Atari says:

photo by Peter Ruprecht

photo by Peter Ruprecht

So i just came back from making love to the playa and watched 3 yurt foam boards fly 20 ft overhead and get lost in a dust storm. To everyone / anyone who is in a yurt, please make sure u have the following three things :
1. Rope for the roof halo
2. Tie downs (either rope or ratchet straps)
3. Rebar (there are pre-bent ones at Home Depot)
These three things are Essential to keeping ur yurt from blowing away when it’s up and please remember when ur setting up to make sure the foam boards are tied down as wind picks up within seconds and can send it sailing across the playa. Saw one fly 20 ft in the air and disappear into a dust storm today

Sick Dog says:

burning man stormHere are a few things to keep in mind for yourself if there is heavy or continuous rain:
Stay in camp! You should already have everything you need there
Don’t drive your cars, art cars, or bikes. The playa mud sticks and sticks and sticks!
Tune in to BMIR 94.5FM for information as they will provide info on weather
Bring a bucket and garbage bags! This will act as a toilet for you and others if it is impossible to get to the toilets (do a search for Lugable Loo for ideas on how to make one or where to buy one)
Cover/secure/turn off any electrical for your camp that may be affected by the rain water
Check your infrastructure to make sure it is secure if winds or other conditions pick up
And relax! Socialize and continue to enjoy your time on the playa (and think about the cool pictures and stories you will get to share!)
There are other personal tips as well like:
Bring a raincoat
Keep a set of dry clothes in a bag (good for rain or the day you leave BM)
Park your vehicle or trailer on a piece of wood (so in case of heavy rain the tires don’t sink) hopefully any rain during the years event will be small and fun!

Also check out our tips for bringing a camera from Curious Josh.

photo by Atari

photo by Atari – that is one Giant of a Man