Accounts from those who were there indicate the recent rains at Burning Man in the Nevada desert turned Black Rock City into Mudville, rendering walking nearly impossible for “Burners” and forcing them to shelter indoors.

Many San Diegans were present and all managed to get out safely and tell the tale of this year’s challenging experience, like George Bacon of Pacific Beach, who was attending the event for the first time.

“It stuck to your feet making it feel like you had fuzzy slippers made of mud,” said Bacon about the wet conditions, which turned the festival and its restrooms into a quagmire. “So, when you got into the Porta Potties you just brought more mud in, literally a foot or more.”

Bacon said Burning Man has always been on his bucket list, and after last year’s “brutal” heat at the fest, tickets were half-price, which convinced him to finally go. Of course, no one anticipated the rains.

“There has been rain before but this was the worst time ever,” Bacon pointed out adding, “It wasn’t a flash flood. It was just a hard driving rain that lasted overnight until everything just got soaked and turned to mud, causing a mess, and forcing everyone to be stuck in their tent or RVs.”

“The rain turned Burning Man into muddy man,” agreed Jason Stewart of Coronado, who was also there in 2023 and has been attending the festival for a decade. “The place is not made for rain. People aren’t prepared for it. Every time you took a step, more mud would stick to your boots until you had like 20 pounds, 10 to 15 inches, on each boot. For me, it just made more sense to go barefoot. The mud was like clay you make pottery with. People were actually making cups and bowls out of mud, and it dried out into a piece of pottery.”

Stewart added there were other issues the storm presented at the festival, such as problems with electricity and people not having covers on their generators. “One person who was barefoot did get electrocuted to death because of a live wire in the mud,” said Stewart.

Despite the washout, the festival’s website, Burning Man, noted: “We found community, joy, and beauty in the dust and mud. We built, danced, played, and experienced heartwarming examples of communal effort, gifting, and radical self-reliance.

As you wipe off your gear, reflect on your time in Black Rock City – the connections made, challenges overcome, breathtaking moments, and future dreams. Connect with loved ones, take care of your body, travel safely, and keep burning brightly.”

Glen Millar, one of some 800 to 1,000 volunteer rangers who patrol Black Rock City for the festival to aid participants, didn’t feel the rain ruined anyone’s experience this year. In fact, in an event promoting self-reliance, it was just another obstacle to be overcome and part of an unforgettable experience.

“There are upwards of 70,000 people there every year and it becomes Nevada’s third-largest city for that three-week period, with its own airport, post office, street, and medical system,” Millar said adding Burning Man is also the cleanest event you’ll ever attend. “With restoration afterward, there is no trace left of the event.”

Millar noted he keeps returning because “I love helping people and enjoy being a part of something that is way bigger than myself. I have gotten a tremendous amount out of Burning Man. It’s my way of giving back.”

Of the stormy weather this year, Millar concluded: “Last year was brutally hot. This year, you had the rain. It’s like they say, ‘Everyone complains about the weather. But nobody does anything about it.’”

Perhaps the spirit of Burning Man is best summed up by David N. Ellis, a retired financial consultant and festival “regular” who claims the festival has been a life-changer.

“Burning Man is an annually built, temporary city, based upon the ‘10 Principles’ that guide the Burning Man culture,” he said. “Burning Man has radically transformed my life because it has given me a safe and supportive place to practice the 10 Principles and then realize that rather than live the 10 Principles just once a year while at Burning Man, I want to incorporate them into my daily life.

“That has had far-reaching benefits on the way I live my life, the relationships I have, and the goals and aspirations I set for myself,” continued Ellis. “I can honestly say that Burning Man has been instrumental in my evolution into my authentic self. It has connected me with a community of incredible and dynamic human beings, and it has opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of how to live, experience, and enjoy my life.”

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL

Guided by the values expressed by the 10 Principles, Burning Man is a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis in the Nevada desert.

Burning Man project’s mission is to produce the annual event and to guide, nurture, and protect the more permanent community created by its culture. The intention is to generate a society that connects each individual to his or her creative powers, to participation in a community, to the larger realm of civic life, and to the even greater world of nature that exists beyond society.