Burning man was fun the first couple of years in 91-95 while I was working in Gerlach but it soon got ridiculous, and I watched helplessly as tens of thousands of people a year turned the black rock region from a wild a desolate place to basically I5 in Los Angeles all year long. Now half the area is closed off. Hot springs like Frog Ponds have virtually been wrecked and always have at least 100 squatters at them at all times with the water containing so much coloform and ecoli that I am stunned that everybody doesn’t get urinary tract infections just for walking close to them. There are signs everywhere now. I have treasured areas nearby that are mostly unexplored by the masses yet, but as so many people crowd, and because of it, more and more areas get regulated and then closed, More and more explore further and further out.
I have thought of ways to stop the burning man for decades without actually hurting anyone, and I think I have come up with a winner. I want to have a 10000 burning koran camp. Of course I will have to tell the organizers that they are bibles so it will be ok. But then when it comes time to burn get as many video cameras as possible on it and announce to he representing burning man and set 10000 korans alight and vanish. They would never be able to have another burning man for fear of terrorist attack
I was at Frog Pond in June. Not a soul in sight. Today it is standing room only.
I’ve been myself a couple of times. It’s not all granola types. Silicon valley types pretty much ruined it.