What is the first thing you do?

[TT120]

You've finally made it through the entry line, gate, and greeters and you drive around till you find your "spot" for the week. Do you have any rituals? Click your heels together 3 times? Crack open a beer and relax for a bit or just jump right into setting up your camp?

[lucky420]

crack open a beer and get to work setting up my hexayurt. After that everything else is just gravy....

[lemur]

past few years...

arrive, say hello to all my friends in camp

inspect the progress in camp.. see how far along we are.... see how much work has to be done..

setup tent..


and usually go to sleep... if its nighttime..

if it isnt... wait around for the 4:20 spire thing...

basically take it easy and do nothing much but setup a tent that first day.

[lucky420]

lemur, it's always 4:20 somewhere...

[5280MeV]

Last year was my first year and my experienced friend and I arrived Tuesday night in a (apparently mild) dust storm.

He hugged everyone and introduced me to the small camp of ten or so people, then started work on the tent. I was handed six of our beers and he said, "Here, your job is to see if we can put these in Greg's cooler."

I wandered in the darkness and dust until I found Greg. I asked about beer and the cooler. He stared at me vacantly and smiled. I took this as a yes. Ten minutes later I learned where the cooler was. I wandered around for another ten minutes in what seemed like a much larger area than it was until I found the pickup truck containing the cooler. A few minutes later I found the cooler, and inserted the beer.

(The names of the wasted have been changed to protect their identity, embarrassingly enough, I was cold sober.)

When I found my way back to the car the tent was set up and we set up our sleeping bags and unpacked some gear. We had a few drinks with the camp mates. My friend said that he was going to sleep early so he could see the sun rise, suggested this plan for me. I could hear the music pulsing around me, spinning lights on top of cars roaming around a street or two away. As for get up early the plan I said NOPE - my friend and I get different things from the burn.

I set up my EL-wire and camelback. Another experienced burner took me and another burgin on a tour of the esplanade. Amazing. Got to sleep at 2. Got up at 6 to see the sunrise in the deep playa.

This year it is potentially just me by myself. I am practicing setting up my tent in the dark, although this year I hope to get there Monday before sunset.

Definitely no plans, no expectations after setting up camp. I want the feel the freedom of anything goes once again, and wander aimlessly into the desert at night. But I do want to get camp set up ASAP.

[TomServo]

1. Park
2. Meet Neighbors..offer Beer
3. Open my own Beer
4. Stare at my truck and figure where to start.
5. Set up camp..while drinking Beer and Water...unless someone gives me a Corona..kill two birds with one stone
6. Go out and say Hello to the Man

[theCryptofishist]

That click my heels thing.

[ygmir]

I usually pee.

[MyDearFriend]

That click my heels thing.

Dude!

First thing I did, when I rolled into camp for the first time, was drive TamaraKay to the med station. Be Here Now.

[unjonharley]

I usually pee.

and shake

[ygmir]

I usually pee.

and shake

depends on who's greeting me.

[Sham]

....and shake and shake and shake and shake. It's mine and I'll shake it as much as I want!

[Eric]

Set up, have some water, pour first drink. Take a spin around the neighborhood & then either take a nap or go crazy. Crazy is always a good option.

[ygmir]

Set up, have some water, pour first drink. Take a spin around the neighborhood & then either take a nap or go crazy. Crazy is always a good option.

I only speak for me, but, it may apply to others, here.
to "go crazy", implies I left "crazy", and so am returning, or venturing there........well, I live there, so.............

[knowmad]

I used to do it the shabala method. Now I find my glasses, shave my palms, appologise to Baby Jesus and then Shambal.
oh. when we get to playa. well I am usualy the driver for the previous 48 hrs so I excuse my sellf from the campmates and walk out to the man. I then give him the one finger salute, thank him for fucking my day and then walk to center camp to put us on the board so the next wave can find us. if anartica is open I buy 2 bags of ICE and take one to the first bar that is open on the way home, have a drink, and scoot home with the other bag of ICE. congradulate every on in camp fo being so industrious and then pass out.

[ygmir]

....and shake and shake and shake and shake. It's mine and I'll shake it as much as I want!

[youtube][/youtube]

[Eric]

Set up, have some water, pour first drink. Take a spin around the neighborhood & then either take a nap or go crazy. Crazy is always a good option.

I only speak for me, but, it may apply to others, here.
to "go crazy", implies I left "crazy", and so am returning, or venturing there........well, I live there, so.............

Sorry, I should have said "crazier". I don't think anyone who self-identifies as a clown could be called sane...

[Elorrum]

I usually pee.

FIRST THING seriously. how long have I been sitting in my car?
um, if I arrived late late at night, post midnight. I am by myself, I am wiped out, I set up tent cot, and go to sleep. pre tent cot seasons, this was try to sleep in a fully packed small car... yuck. set up starts in the morning time. Thank you tent cot!

[lemur]

lol/.

id never seen a tent cot before
.


quite an odd thing..

[Savannah]

I arrive at night without exception, so I hug anyone of my acquaintances who is still awake and wandering around, then set up my tent and cot ASAP . . . unless it's raining, like it was during my arrival in 2011. I slept indoors that night, since I had a choice.

If it's before 2am, I may walk or bike to the Man the night of my arrival, but if it's late--and it usually is--I go straight to sleep.

[moonrise]

Sleep! (because I'm a lousy long distance driver)

Most of my camp is contained in a modified horse trailer (it's a funky toy hauler). I have very little to set up when I park it. I usually visit with fellow burners in my camp, then some of us go to see the man, find more freinds and something interesting to do.

[Ugly Dougly]

I go to make my obeisances unto the Man.

[Raymaker]

It was our first year 2011, had no plans, after we got through gate we had picked up 6 other peoples luggage in the back of our van while in line, so our first job was to deposit that luggage to three different places on the playa, luckily they were all pretty close to each other, but it still took us a couple of hours. It was dark now and one person hadn't made it to the meeting point we had expected to camp. Because the area was full, we had to sneak into a gap into someone elses camp to wait for them, and decided to sleep in the back waiting for them to turn up, they arrived the next day at about 11.30am. Three of the group decided to stay with us, so we spent an hour looking for a spot to camp. Spend a couple of hours setting up camp, then sat watching what was happening around while gobsmacked. Also we wasn't allowed to ring the bell at the greeters, so this year I am looking forward to be invited to do so, it will lift a lot of resentment off me, find a spot, set up camp and again sit looking around whilst gobsmacked.

[ygmir]

I go to make my obeisances unto the Man.

even before you pee?

[Ugly Dougly]

I hold my pee in, like a real man.

[ygmir]

I hold my pee in, like a real man.

[TT120]

I hold my pee in, like a real man.

More manly

[Ugly Dougly]

Stop, you're stimulating me.

Actually, I didn't feel a need to pee until the next day. Strange, yes?

[neon tetra]

Cover the windows w/ foil. Once that's done... it officially begins!

[shroom]

I've only been once and I started setting up camp asap.