Not posted until after the Burn so sadly this was no help to you, apologies – ED
“It was desert when we got here, officer.” Larry Harvey, 1991
Who, How, Which Guide 1991
In the absence of humans for the past two years the Black Rock desert has returned to full bloom. Once upon a time Larry Harvey, Chicken John and other intrepid early Burners left San Francisco to colonize the Greater Gerlach Metropolitan Area (GGMA). Back in the day it wasn’t a desert but a perfectly preserved Pleistocene era forest complete with Woolly Mammoths. Beginning their trip in Spring they arrived in Gerlach and started chopping down the forest and hunting the last remaining Mammoths to extinction. They used the wood to build the first Man and other art structures, the furs and fat from the Mammoth to make warm furry coats decorated with trinkets and to make torches to light the way at night. Some of these traditions still survive. But after several Burns the forest did not. Desertification took hold and the last tree was chopped down in 2007 at Green Man to make the spine of the twice Burned man.
But now, sadly, its all grown back like a Talking Heads song:
Once there were port-a-potties
Now it’s a peaceful oasis
You’ve got it, you’ve got it
This was a Porn and Eggs
Now it’s all covered with daisies
You got it, you got it
I miss the Jiffy Lubes,
Robot Hearts, and Barbie Death Camp
You got it, you got it
Bring an axe. While the Early Arrival crew has been busy chopping down the forest to bring back the desert we all love (thank you!), it won’t be totally cleared. Our location, 8 and E will be about 20% White Spruce. We’ll cut it down and make cricket bats to gift to our fellow Burners. There’s nothing quite like the Burner Principles of Immediacy and Radical Self Reliance than clear-cutting the area you will live on with a great team of Bumblers.
Most wildlife will have fled but some will remain. Giant Beaver, Musk Ox and Reindeer are sure to be spotted. Firearms are prohibited so they will need to be hunted with bow and arrow.
Bikes will be practically useless with all the tree stumps, rotting animal carcasses and other natural detritus creating a bumpy ride – free up some space and leave the bikes at home.
Bring a jacket. The new ice age is windy, overcast and chilly – it will take several Burns to return the Black Rock to its full platonic version of a desert.
I look forward to working with you Burners to bring back the natural environs of Black Rock Desert that our Creators and Founders envisioned and made happen with LSD, sweat and chainsaws.
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