Hitchhiking in, need eplaya's help

[Eric]

Here we go again...


*sigh*

[VultureChow]

One bag of ice is a little less than one gallon of water. So four bags of ice for 12 bucks will get you there. Plus it will be cold.

Edit: Also you get a bag for free when you volunteer for a shift at Arctica, so you can always do that and stay cool in the process.

[some seeing eye]

Hello Mr Theraplist. It is trivially easy to arrange a ride with an opportunity to pick up water along the way and have the vehicle bring you and the water in. Friends, Craigslist, the BM online BM rideboard, regional message board, FB. Ditto same, ride out, trash out - the center camp ride board or standing with a sign at exodus=hitchhiking out.

But you are seriously insulting everyone on this board by what you are proposing.

You should know better!

Each of us has read and understood the material on the main burningman.com website, prepare - even 2013 first year participants, we build the city, many have done this for quite a few years, and we spend a lot of time on playa keeping an eye out and for breakdowns in the system and keeping people safe.

Time is running out for preparation for the event. It is neither a tourist or urban nomad setup where $$ or ego ensures survival.

You deserve any and all ridicule you get here. Rainbow and Mutant accept a small number of leaches. Burning Man does not.

[Dr. Pyro]

If you ask me this guy needs a therapist. Or maybe he's the rapist. Spelled the same.

[mudpuppy000]

If you ask me this guy needs a therapist. Or maybe he's the rapist. Spelled the same.

Good luck arranging a rideshare with a name like that.

[GreyCoyote]

Ten points for style. I will give you that. But I dont feel like we should be encouraging you. At all. Any plan that starts off with hitchhiking is a bad one.

I used to think there was no wrong way to burn, but I may have to revisit that.

I suggest you pick a different plan. You are radically relying on all Burners to pick up your slack, and this is a really bad idea.

[msj2u]

I agree with GreyCoyote,

Since you are so short on funds, I suggest you sell the ticket for face value and save the money for a different venue. If you can prove it is a real ticket, I will even buy it and gift to someone.

MSJ

[Savannah]

You're going to need significantly more than $40 for food, water, camp dues (so you can share shade) and to be able to offer a little money for gas to a rideshare from the airport. It's asking too much and leaving way too much to chance to try to do that on $40. Many Burners are very kind, but they can get taken advantage of a lot for that reason. They would rather save the day for someone who did their utmost best to be self-reliant than look after someone who is under-prepared from the get-go.

You might donate plasma, pawn things, take on odd jobs, borrow cash from relatives, hit up your local university seeking paid human subjects for the least invasive studies you can find, watch someone's kids (if you are not the type to set them on fire) mow lawns, work extra shifts, do temp manual labor or temp office work. (You told us your Dad bought you your first ticket--what does he think about you going a second time? Does he know you're good for it if he lends you money? And are you?)

You're 18 now, right? It might be time to celebrate that by taking charge, rather than asking someone to take charge of you.

[Elorrum]

I think you can't afford it. Sell the ticket, and come when it will work out better. Sorry. but this isn't the free box.

[Captain Goddammit]

There were years I couldn't afford it... SO I DIDN'T GO!!!!

But then, I'm a halfway responsible citizen.

[ygmir]

*notes laughter in the forest*

[BBadger]

Wow man, you sound like a fucking liability. A guy with no sense of responsibility, nothing to offer, and who just wants to mooch his way around the burn. You're the last person I would want to help facilitate a burn for -- even with spare resources. I could spend that water on abating dust.

Oh you want advice and tips? GET A LIFE. You spent $400 of your remaining $440 life savings on a Burning Man ticket with no real means to use it besides betting that others will facilitate your mooch-a-thon at the burn? You need some life-priorities, some real direction. It doesn't seem like your first trip left any lasting impressions -- except maybe some delusions that burning (or life in general) comes without effort -- so try something different like staying home and figuring out your future.

Do yourself a favor and sell your ticket while it still has value. Give it up to someone with real prospects of going and who may have something to offer besides mooching and partying at night. Then you can buy yourself something important for yourself, like food, or shelter, or maybe some bus-passes so you can go GET A JOB.

[Turtleburp]

Probably better off just getting a really cheap bike and cycling in

[DrYes]

This year I, for lack of a better plan, hope to hitchhike into BRC. I'll be bringing 1 backpack of supplies, as much water as I can carry, and a fold up bike(hopefully). What I'd like to do to make this really work is have places on the playa where I can fill up my water and set down my pack. I can't think of another way to survive out there than to talk to some people I can trust(ish) ahead of time and set something like this up.

This brings me to attempt this years burn in one of two ways. I can either A, really freelance this and just have a few places around the playa where someone has agreed to let me fill up my water and stash my pack for some night partying; or B, find a camp I can join and use that as my spot to resupply. My problem with B is that I don't have a whole lot to contribute to a camp (besides my love and creativity, of course). This year's ticket came at the cost of bringing my entire financial situation down to 40 dollars, so I'm on a rather tight budget.

Anyways, what I'm here asking for is your help. Any advice, tips, or ways you can help my situation would be greatly appreciated. If you know of a camp that sounds like what I need, let me know! If you're a camper who can bring in an extra 3 gallons for me, awesome :3

I love your spirit!

But I have to agree with other people, albeit perhaps less caustically than some might choose to.

Understand that one of the principles of Burning Man is self-reliance. Obviously, nobody is completely self-reliant, but the principle is important to the extent that it strongly encourages people not to become a burden on their fellow Burners.

I'm sure you mean well, but you're basically proposing to intentionally be a burden on those around you. You aren't bringing enough supplies for you to survive, forcing the good people around you to compromise their experience to take care of you because you weren't properly prepared. That kind of sucks for those people, unless they know -exactly- what they're getting into ahead of time. Now, maybe you'll find people willing to help take care of you, but think about it from the perspective of prepared Burners: What is it you offer that makes it worth taking care of you without feeling irritated or resentful about it? You've said yourself that the answer is nothing.

I seriously applaud your willingness to go without and get there at any cost. I have nightmares about missing BM every year, but I'm not sure I'd hitchhike in if that was my only choice. I am sure, however, that I wouldn't want to be the sparklepony that didn't bring enough water. That's a cliche I'm not interested in matching up with.

[Sic Pup]

watch someone's kids (if you are not the type to set them on fire)

Sigh...whatever happened to keeping babysitting potentially fatal?

[GreyCoyote]

watch someone's kids (if you are not the type to set them on fire)

Sigh...whatever happened to keeping babysitting potentially fatal?

Thats funny. Last night I was watching "the Incredibles" with a little tot who positively cackled when Jack-Jack found he could combust at will. The cartoon-babysitter was mortified. I started laughing like a fool when I remembered Savannah's post.

Burning Man is creeping into real life. And I fear Grandpa is raising a pyro-tot. His mother will NOT be amused!

[MacGlenver]

Wow man, you sound like a fucking liability. A guy with no sense of responsibility, nothing to offer, and who just wants to mooch his way around the burn. You're the last person I would want to help facilitate a burn for -- even with spare resources. I could spend that water on abating dust.

Oh you want advice and tips? GET A LIFE. You spent $400 of your remaining $440 life savings on a Burning Man ticket with no real means to use it besides betting that others will facilitate your mooch-a-thon at the burn? You need some life-priorities, some real direction. It doesn't seem like your first trip left any lasting impressions -- except maybe some delusions that burning (or life in general) comes without effort -- so try something different like staying home and figuring out your future.

Do yourself a favor and sell your ticket while it still has value. Give it up to someone with real prospects of going and who may have something to offer besides mooching and partying at night. Then you can buy yourself something important for yourself, like food, or shelter, or maybe some bus-passes so you can go GET A JOB.

I would second this; however, unlike DrYes, I would say it more caustically if possible.

R.A.D.I.C.A.L.S.E.L.F.R.E.L.I.A.N.C.E.

At least you were smart enough to post here so we could shoot you down rather than have you surprise some hapless good samaritan. I'll give you that... Now you just need to take our advice.

[Sham]

If you are just bring a back pack, this means you will most likely not have a change of clothing or the proper clothing for both cold nights and hot days. Will you be wearing the same underwear and socks the entire week?

I know that I spend about $300 for supplies/food prior to hitting the playa---not including about 200lbs. of tent, shade, lighting, clothing etc.

If you're budgeted for $40 for everything, you really should consider skipping this year altogether and plan on 2014. It's somewhat true that if you drift into a camp with your hat in your hand and tell them you haven't eaten for a day, that someone will give you something. But do you really want to burden others with your ineptness?

2013 is just not your year. Your first big step as an adult is to make the right decision here and stay home.

Sham....

[Captain Goddammit]

Well the truth is it will work, you'll get to Burning Man and survive it and probably manage to have a great time.
But you will be a mooch.

[MacGlenver]

Well the truth is it will work, you'll get to Burning Man and survive it and probably manage to have a great time.
But you will be a mooch.

Yeah, that's the shitty part, which is why I want to give him as hard a time as possible now. It's spite

[Dr. Pyro]

But do you really want to burden others with you ineptness?

Sham, I think the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

[trilobyte]

You'd do best to arrange a rideshare (as others have suggested). You don't want to be in a situation where you've been randomly picked up on the road, and because of something as silly as a wrong turn in a conversation or people who randomly just don't click and there's no obligation or agreement... you're let off on the side of the road. The cops will pick up hitchhikers once you get past I-80 (they may even pick them up beforehand), and as you might imagine the road and the environment are extreme.

If doing stuff like paying your share of costs for gas to get there or for food and water is out of your reach, then it might be time to rethink your plan. It's radically self reliant, not radically reliant on others. Determined underdog > shiftless drifter. Perhaps getting a few extra shifts or some overtime are a possibility. Connect with a camp or potential rideshare and see if there's an opportunity for sweat equity.

[McStrangle]

I think I initially read this wrong in that ''As much water as I can carry'' meant ''As much water as I can fit in my ride should someone deem fit to take me''.

So I was all, why is everyone ragging on this dude trying to get a lift?

Then I went back and read the initial post.....Somewhere to fill up my water and set down my pack? Snark away, eplaya, you magnificent bastards. Maybe if he shows some tits?

[Elderberry]

*notes laughter in the forest*

[BBadger]

Sometimes you've gotta have "tough" without the "love." "No" without the "thanks."

We shouldn't encourage or tolerate people being unbridled mooches, and facilitate their ways. It's preventative medicine for the playa and the soul!

[VultureChow]

If you are just bring a back pack, this means you will most likely not have a change of clothing or the proper clothing for both cold nights and hot days. Will you be wearing the same underwear and socks the entire week?
Sham....

Ehhh when I used to backpack a lot, I could do a week with just my external frame backpack, and that included underwear changes, socks, cool and warm clothing, a tent, sleeping bag, food and a stove. It's not luxurious living by any standards, but it's doable. Yes you will wear pants/shorts, fleece jackets, long underwear more than once. But who hasn't done that while camping, on and off the playa. The water is the real space and weight hog, but as I suggested, ice becomes potable water pretty quickly out there.

This is not to suggest that OP is not a moocher. I suspect that though they have only $40 to spend on supplies, they have enough pharmaceuticals to last them the week.

[theCryptofishist]

Here we go again...


*sigh*

Now that we have explained to the op that this is a no go, can we stop giving Eric a sad and don't post anymore?

[VultureChow]

Here we go again...


*sigh*

Now that we have explained to the op that this is a no go, can we stop giving Eric a sad and don't post anymore?

I'd give him a happy, but I lack the proper equipment.

[msj2u]

I see you've got 2 different threads going; however, I'll just answer this one.

Read the survival guide that came with your ticket for the information you need and best of luck with your water situation.

MSJ

[GreyCoyote]

No flame intended here. The cautions expressed are well founded. Nobody wants you to be a corpse that never made it to the fun side of the moop fence. People die in the desert, and it is not such a rare occasion. That you are experienced makes for good conversation, but MOST of the people who wind-up a statistic are not Noobs. (Noobs generally wont push it intentionally. They back-off once they understand the rigors of the place).

Having said this, you are clearly hell-bent to burn this way, so there isnt a lot left to discuss. You are either hitching a ride, or you are walking. That should be about like backpacking in Furnace Creek in August. If you are comfy doing that, then you should have no problem at BM, and there isnt a lot of wisdom to impart.

Final thought: sometimes young people get their head wrapped around an idea and it turns into a vision quest. Ask yourself if this will still sound like a good idea 20 years down the road. Pretend your son or daughter just made that post instead of you, and ask yourself what your response would be. Only in this light will you understand the responses you have been given.

Good luck. Hope it works out safely for you.