A little disclaimer: no matter what I write, I can never do this event justice. Burning Man is a lot of different things to a whole lot of different people, and I can't speak for all of them. But what I can tell you is what I know and what being there meant to me. The pictures we print speak for themselves and tell more of a tale and raise more questions than I could possibly put into words.

Once a year some close friends (some not so close now) and I take a trek to the middle-of-nowhere Nevada, brave the heat, cold, wind, dust, and porta-potties, and enjoy an alternate reality. Hoping to find the little pieces of our souls the real world batters out of us, we call it Burning Man. Some people think we're brave, others think we're nuts. I think we're a little of both.

DUST OF THE MAN

Let's start off with a brief history lesson: Burning Man was born on Baker Beach, San Francisco, in 1986 with a handful of people and a match. The creator, Larry Harvey, accidentally spawned what is now the most intense festival in America. There are many stories and rumors about how and why this all started, but all we know for sure is that it is an experience of a lifetime. Today the Man's moved from the beach to the playa (Spanish for beach) of Black Rock City, Nevada. The handful of people on a beach has grown to a city of over 27,000 citizens from around the world. Burning Man has become a symbol of free-thinking individualism with a philosophy of no spectators, only participants.

Life on the playa is surreal-- the costumes, lights, art, noises and fire. With everyone participating in one way or another, a lot of boundaries are broken down. It is nice to be able to let go and forget the real world, be yourself and just have fun. I really like to see the changes in people. For example, one of our grumpier friends, by the third day, was having his chest painted by a cute Canadian girl. I saw him last night; he's still smiling. You bring something back with you (besides playa dust). Most people come back changed in some way.

Not everyone goes to Burning Man for the same reasons-- some go to party, some go to enjoy a temporary break from the real world. There are as many reasons as there are people, but we are there and we are part of something. We may be crazy, but at least we are in good company.

A real bonus is the fact that Black Rock City is devoid of consumer commercialism. This is not another Woodstock-- all this stuff is supposed to burn. You won't see any Pepsi, Coke, Vans, Trojan, Depends or Budweiser logos here. If you need it, you'd better bring it. Nothing is provided for you at Burning Man (except porta-potties). There is no commercial vending of any kind. Barter is the way of life on the playa-- cigarettes, candy, toys, condoms, charcoal and various trinkets pass for cash. This year at our barter bar, I found a dollar bill in the barter bucket and threw it in the trash-- it was worthless. It's little differences like these that make this place so wonderful. You bring all of your own food, water and shelter. All of your trash is your responsibility-- there are no dumpsters. You bring it in, you take it out (unless you burn it).

BLACK ROCK CITY

As we pulled into Black Rock City on the Saturday before the burn, we could see thousands of people already hard at work, putting together elaborately- constructed theme camps, dwellings and art installations. Black Rock City is laid out in a circle with addresses based on time and body parts. The time is based on where on the clock your camp falls, and the body parts go in order: head, brain, throat, heart and so on. The Man, a three-story effigy made of wood, neon, magnesium and fireworks, stands boldly in the middle of the circle, overlooking his short-lived empire.

Black Rock City is a paradise in the most unfriendly environment and conditions. All the creature comforts of society are gone, and the transformation begins. All the cares of the day-to-day rat race are replaced by need or desire. This is a real city, fully equipped with a department of public works, three newspapers, 40 radio stations, airport, roller skating rink, street lights, barter bars, night clubs and even the opera. Constantly changing each night, it became stranger (and harder to find your way home) with the intense beauty of ingenious creations. Lasers shot across the night sky and formed the outline of the Man that could be seen from outer space.

In the world of Burning Man, nothing can describe the feeling of unity and love. People do what makes them feel good. Naked bodies are everywhere-- the shock of penises and breasts wears off quickly and you notice people for being people. Open poetry readings, public sex acts, machine art shows, fire juggling and fire spinning are all things happening at any given night out at the Man.

While living on the playa, you'll find the weather can change at any moment. Winds can exceed 75 mph and the midday temperature can hit over 100 degrees. The windstorms can produce whiteouts that blind you with the dry alkaline dust (the stuff they make batteries out of) at any given moment, or it could rain with ice-cold winds and lightning storms. Roll the dice and see what comes up É it was snake eyes for Xara, as this year the wind completely destroyed their theme camp.

ALTERED REALITY

Drugs at Burning Man are like popcorn at the movies-- they make the experience just a little better. It's not a big deal. Anytime you get a bunch of people together you are going to have drug use: spring break, Sturgis, Republican and Democratic conventions; hell, even the Amish are selling speed. The second night there, my compadres and I took some liquid LSD and searched the playa for pretty lights. No harm, no foul É just some good friends enjoying the desert night.

That's where the cops come into play. Over the past years, the police presence has been only to keep the peace, not to arrest people for smoking pot. For the first time, police made arrests through-out the event for marijuana use. This year, fines of $250 were issued to each offender. If you didn't have the cash, then off to the jail camp. In the state of Nevada you can get six years in prison for a joint. Pretty ironic in a state where gambling, prostitution and 24-hour liquor is available. K-9 units and undercover agents were being used to track down the offending parties (I told you it was a real city).

CREATING A SCENE

The more elaborate your creation or costume is, the better time you'll have. Giving back to the community by not being a spectator is one of Black Rock City's only rules. Watching six fire cannons shoot flames 50 feet into the air is truly a sight to behold. One artist created the faces of the Man, the three faces each made out of different materials-- one wood, one grass, and one metal. All three were about 25 feet tall, attached together at the sides. The metal one cried liquid fire, and the others lit up at night. My favorite was the outstanding Dr. Megavolt, with two large Tesla coils mounted to a top of a large van shooting bolts of lighting into a man in a Faraday cage. Now that's art!

People who have never been to Burning Man say that Burning Man takes away from the local art scene. This is a local art scene-- a lot of people consider Black Rock City home. People that condemn something without experiencing it should go hang out with Jesse Helms (at least he looked at Mapplethorp's photos). Black Rock City's extensive art scene is comprised of artists from around the world-- it's like going to a living museum. Burning Man isn't robbing any community of art; it is just giving artists a venue to perform. Besides, most of this stuff you couldn't do within normal city limits. Where are you going to drive a 50-foot dragon that shoots 20-foot flames?

The one event that takes precedence over all is Saturday night, at the burning of the Man. That is when everyone goes ape shit, bangs gongs, howls at the moon, and communes with dead relatives. This is the reason we traveled so far and endured conditions that would make a Navy Seal say, "Fuck it, I'm going home to mommy!" The beauty and the beast of Burning Man come together for one last look into the eye of another reality. A reality with many facets: for some, love and unity É for others, a time to reflect on the past year's accomplishments and defeats É and for others, time to put feelings of grief and pain in their rightful places. For a brief moment, time stands still and lets you look around inside yourself. Just being there, surrounded by different yet like-minded people gives your soul a charge that lasts throughout the year.

I look forward to going back to Black Rock City. I look forward to going home.