‘The rain didn’t stop us’: Albertans return from muddy Burning Man weekend
Many Albertans are slowly making their way north across the Canadian border and returning home after a wet and muddy long weekend in the Nevada desert.
Authorities say about an inch of rain fell on attendees at the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert, located about three hours north of Reno.
“It came and went, dried once, then the last few days were just rain and mud,” said Trish Wilson of Calgary.
Wilson returned home on Sunday to send her children to school after spending the previous days in ankle-deep mud. Her husband and some members of their group remained behind to witness The Man’s burning and tearing down the camp.
She says despite pleas from authorities for shelter and a wet and muddy mess, morale for most attendees remained dry.
“Nothing but smiles, laughter, playfulness and just surviving,” she says.
The festival newbie says Burning Man is known for being a community that cares for each other. She even told PKBNEWS of a case where their group accepted a pa*serby into their camp until a dust storm set in.
She adds that the group’s only concern as the rain fell was keeping the electricity going and whether there was enough food for everyone.
“Nobody could have done without it. If a person was stranded due to a dust storm, we took them to our camp until the storm was over and then they continued on their way,” she says.
Aleks Samarzija’s plane touched down at Calgary International Airport on Tuesday afternoon after attending his fifth Burning Man festival.
However, his bags back home were a little lighter than they were when he left for the United States, leaving everything muddy in the desert.
“The mud was a bit tough to get through,” he says.
“But you know what, we put trash bags on our feet, tied them with tape and had a blast. The mud didn’t stop us from enjoying our burn.
On Tuesday, the ma*s exodus continued as thousands of festival-goers, including Sabrina Burrows of Lethbridge, made the long journey home.
This year’s festival was Burrows’ first time, but she has attended regional Burning Man festivals, including Freezer Burn in the Parkland area of central Alberta.
She thinks when it comes to attending outdoor festivals like Burning Man, experience and preparation play a big role, referring to campers next to their site who had to leave early after the flooding. from their site.
“And that’s understandable. like your supplies are ruined and you don’t have the things to stay you’ll have to go but for anyone who was prepared and had an idea of what to expect we all had a great time and we just stuck with what was there,” Burrows says.
The three Albertans say that despite the cold, wet and muddy conditions, they are ready to do it all again next year.
However, given the excitement this year, Samarzjia says it could be difficult.
“The rain didn’t stop us; we had a fantastic time. I think people will talk about it, I bet you can’t get a ticket next year,” he says.
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