When it starts raining at Burning Man, don’t be on your bike near the man. I learned this the hard way about 4 p.m. Friday, when the sky opened above Black Rock Desert, transforming its dirt into thick mud. Just minutes before, a fellow Burner and I had, for some reason, decided we needed photos of the man — which was scheduled to burn Saturday night in a cathartic destruction ritual — and wheeled toward the towering figure.
As soon as we got out to the man, it began to drizzle, and that’s really all it took. Our bicycle tires started to accumulate mud. It also caked onto our shoes, making it challenging to walk. We were stranded near the man along with a few dozen other Burners, some of whom wore rain jackets and secured plastic bags over their boots. One guy ran by barefoot, wearing only blue angel wings and a Speedo. Another announced over a megaphone, “Playa gods, please stop, we want to go home.” We asked for a ride from a ranger in his truck, but we were told there is currently no driving allowed on the playa.
After about an hour of carrying and dragging our bikes and nearly hyperventilating, we reached Center Camp, and found it mostly deserted. We left our bikes there and set out on foot, but our camp was nearly a mile away. We still haven’t made it back. Instead, the lovely people at a camp called Ebb & Glow took us in, and fed us hot chocolate and ramen. Soon, we might try to slide back to our camp through the mud and rain. But the dance party next door is currently looking like the better option.