Just came back from my 3rd Burning Man, and I’d say it’s been the best one yet. Got to do a plane ride over the city, light a fire tornado with liquid propane at tank pressure, get close to a couple awesome folks, become a black rock city ranger and much more mind blowing experiences. I feel like I’m getting the hang of it and can summon some playa magic from time to time. I was at a bar at the tail end of a night and got talking with the bartender who’s been going for 18+ years. He had really awesome stories, and it was great fun. Bar hopping is one of my favorite things out there. When I mentioned I left my bike back at camp for the night he offered me a ride on his custom trike with a built in sound system. It was probably the most epic entrance I’ve ever made in my life.
You are gonna be an EXCELLENT ranger! But... take care of yourself. Rangers are like cops, in that they always see the worst of the city. Make sure you get away from Rangerland and from the other Rangers. If you lock in to that social group you will become an asshole and hate everyone at Burning Man. (I have many many many friends who are Rangers, and probably 80% of them fit this description.)
I don’t think I want to buy into Ranger culture too much. I’m there to burn, not to work. I’ve met too many workaholics. I feel the skills are useful, so I’m aiming to pick up a couple shifts per event to help out and get a guaranteed half price ticket so I don’t need to worry about the main sale. Being part of a camp is not really appealing to me right now. My favorite part about being a ranger is giving bad advice to my close friends prefaced with “As a ranger...”. My least favorite part is wearing that ugly ass khaki gear. Maybe I’ll come back to gate, their swag is badass.