just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6
— diplo (@diplo) September 2, 2023
Megan Fan Munce
San Francisco Chronicle
Even after unusually heavy rain and flooding forced them to shelter in place, one veteran Burning Man couple says they’re choosing to focus on the rainbow after the rain.
Karen and David Calisterio, 57 and 64, of Isleton, were serving cocktails at a bar on the campground in the Black Rock Desert of Northwestern Nevada when the rain began around 3 p.m. Friday, Karen Calisterio said. They continued serving drinks as people began to crowd under the bar for cover, many leaving their bicycles there as the mud made it difficult to bike. Karen Calisterio used plastic bags around her shoes to keep them from getting wet.
The precipitation continued and eventually forced 73,000 attendees — known as Burners — to shelter in place Saturday. The gate to Black Rock City will remain closed through Monday, when the event was scheduled to end, according to the festival. Over Burning Man Information Radio, event officials urged Burners to “enjoy the cozy intimacy” and share resources with those who might have not prepared to stay this long. The festival is also deploying buses to help people get out of the campground.
Black Rock City Rangers were walking around and using the radio to communicate updates to Burners, according to Karen Calisterio.
When the shelter in place order was put in place Saturday, the Calisterios improvised and invited other Burners into their RV to eat snacks, drink cocktails and listen to music while creating a rainy day of arts and crafts: Some people painted canvases the couple had brought with them, and others turned the mud outside into sculptures, Karen Calisterio said.
Despite reports of dismay and frustration from various Burners on social media, “All our neighboring camps seem to be embracing the experience and having fun,” Karen Calisterio told the Chronicle over text.
By Saturday night, there were only sprinkles of rain remaining, and large puddles were starting to dry up, according to the Calisterios.
It is the couple’s seventh time attending Burning Man. Karen Calisterio said they’d never experienced something like this before. A decade ago, the festival was also hit by severe storms that trapped many Burners in the campground.
The Calisterios had always planned to leave Wednesday, two days after the festival is scheduled to end, but others in their camp weren’t as lucky. Some of the people sharing their camp were scheduled to return their RV to Idaho on Monday and then fly to Florida. They’re currently trying to reschedule everything over email with limited cell connection, Karen Calisterio said.
The festival was scheduled to burn its eponymous, towering effigy Saturday night, but all burns were postponed, the festival said in a statement.
The National Weather Service forecasted more rain for the area on Sunday, followed by sunny weather Monday.
All in all, Karen Calisterio said the rain has added to their Burning Man experience: “Spirits are high.”
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