MAN_DOWN

SEP 04 1994 · 22:30

THE MAN FALLS ON SUNDAY NIGHT. WE'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE , BUT VOWED TO RETURN ; THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE HAD BEEN AN ENLIGHTENING ONE AND WAS JUST TOO MUCH FUN NOT TO COME BACK TO . I REMEMBER ARRIVING IN GERLACH ON THE WAY IN , WITH ONLY A SKETCHY IDEA OF WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ; WE FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS OUT OF TOWN AND MADE OUR WAY TO THE EDGE OF THE PLAYA, WHERE WE CAME ACROSS A SMALL TRAILER WITH A SINGLE OCCUPANT. THE DIRECTIONS WERE SIMPLE ---" JUST GO STRAIGHT FOR 10 MILES , THEN MAKE A RIGHT AND DRIVE ANOTHER 7 OR 8 MILES UNTILL YOU SEE THE LIGHTS." AND AS HE SAID THIS, HE POINTED VAUGELY TOWARDS THE FEATURELESS TERRAIN OF THE ALKALINE SALT FLATS ; THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF ANY LIGHTS --- OFF WE WENT INTO THE DARKNESS. SOON ,OF COURSE, NONE OF THE TRACKS WE HAD CONFIDENTLY BEEN FOLLOWING MADE ANY SENCE AND AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING WE REALISED THAT WE HAD PROBABLY VEERED WAY OFF COURSE AND WERE LOST , THERE WERE NO LIGHTS TO BE SEEN IN ANY DIRECTION. WE KEPT GOING ANYWAY, DRIVING ON THE PLAYA WAS LOTS OF FUN EVEN IF YOU HAD NO IDEA WHERE YOU WERE . BEING LOST IN A SEEMINGLY FEATURELESS , ENDLESS , FLAT CRACKED TERRAIN , FAR FROM BEING FRIGHTENING ,IN SOME WAY, STARTED TO BECOME MORE APPEALING THE DEEPER WE WENT INTO IT. THIS WE REALISED WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE INITIATION INTO BURNINGMAN CULTURE , THE LETTING GO OF THE REAL WORLD AND THE MYTHICAL JOURNEY WHICH TRICKS AND TESTS THE SENCES --- IT WAS ALL BEGINNING TO FEEL RATHER EPIC WHEN THE MILEOMETER TOLD US IT WAS TIME TO MAKE THE 90 DEGREE TURN TO THE RIGHT. THIS DID NOT FEEL GOOD , ALL THE CONFIDENCE WE HAD JUST BUILT UP OVER THE PREVIOUS 10 MILES SUDDENLY ABANDONED US , WE WERE HEADING FURTHER AND DEEPER INTO SOMETHING ,THOUGH WE KNEW NOT WHAT --- LAUGHING FEAR RETURNED. PRESENTLY WE SAW A FEW SPARKLING LIGHTS IN THE DISTANCE , WE HAD INDEED VEERED CONCIDERABLY OFF COURSE BUT CORRECTED AND WERE SOON CRUISING THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN --- MUCH RELIEF . WE HAD PASSED THE TEST ; THE OUTSIDE WORLD FADED AWAY .