Seattle virgin burner! Ready to learn what the opposite of rain is.

[sleepwalks]

Heya! I've been reading about Burning Man for years, and finally have the opportunity to go. I'm super jazzed.

I'm a 32 year old ftm/nb person who is living in the Seattle area. Grew up in Oklahoma, so I know what drought feels like, but I've never spent much time in the desert. Definitely gonna be a change of pace, and I'm doing my reading on being smart out there. Mostly, I'm excited to own dust goggles and be able to say I have them for a practical reason, lol.

My job is graphic design, illustration and some photography. So I'm definitely hoping to soak up that artistic inspiration while I'm out there. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it out there until just a bit ago, so I haven't planned what I'm doing for my contribution yet-- But I'm really excited to work out some ideas.

That's about it! I'm an avid camper and I like to camp rough, so the combination of art, community, and self-reliance makes Burning Man seem like an amazing fit. Can't wait to see yall out there!

[Sham]

Welcome sleepwalks. It sounds like you're all ready for a fun and dusty adventure.
You'll have heat, cold, wind, dust and maybe some rain. In other words, you'll feel right at home.
Poke around on eplaya and ask questions if you can't find what you're looking for.
See you in the dust!!!

Sham....

[Popeye]

Welcome Sleepwalks!
Thanks for telling us a little about yourself. There are a bunch of graphic people out there. I'm know you will fit right in. I'm sure you have read a bunch on this site and read the Survival Guide. If you have any questions that you can't easily answer start a thread and ask us. You'll catch some snark but only because we like you.

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to ePlaya!

[Leo]

Welcome! As a fellow Seattleite I have one piece of advice: Bring plenty of sunscreen. When I participated in the World Naked Bike Ride and Pub Crawl, I had the whitest ass on the playa.

[AntiM]

Welcome Aboard!

Bring all the hydration things. The desert sucks the water out of all of you, so not simply water to drink, and electrolytes, but also sunblock and sunscreen, some aloe vera, a mister, lip balms which won't melt, and even some nice heavy duty lotion for your hands and feet. Peppermint lotion is very cooling.
My husband wears gloves just about the entire time, he gets playa paw easily. Eye drops too, potentially.

[Grumpy Otter]

Gold Bond lotion for playa hands. it takes several days for it to become noticeable, but watch out for it. I did not suffer playa foot or playa nose, but it seems to affect people differently. And some not at all.

[Savannah]

Welcome, Sleepwalks!

[SecretOperativeBear]

I would say the opposite of rain is fiery hail, not the absence of rain.
If and when it does rain, stay put. Don't ride you bike or walk around, it will damage the playa and create ruts and potholes.
You can get playa platform feet, and/or can slip really easy on tarps and stuff.
The high winds can be super dangerous with these flash storms. Take cover and introduce yourself to whoever else is stranded by the rain. It will usually dry up in a matter of minutes and you can go on your way.

13.