[Previous<] [Page 7 of 9] [>Next]	[^Back to Ray Koltys]

Burn

Saturday night, the night of the burn, buzzes with excitement and anticipation. Many people don costumes for the occasion. Slowly everyone gathers around the man, at the center of camp, all lit up in neon. Darkness falls. Rangers harangue people to stay back a safe distance. Finally, the event begins.

This year, the burn itself actually seemed to go as planned. First came a parade of firedancers and vehicles belching fire. Then the fireworks started--fairly impressive ones--and at last, what everyone was waiting for: conflagration.

Sunday night, they burned the Temple of Joy. The occasion was much more subdued. People had already started leaving that morning, and the crowd was smaller. Those who were there were quiet and appreciative of the beauty of the event. And it was beautiful, watching the astonishingly detailed structure vanish amid towering flames and dancing smoke devils, acknowledging the symbolism of the things people had written there to let go of. Regrettably, due to another Lomo error on my part, all my photos of the occasion are hopelessly out of focus.

[Previous<] [Page 7 of 9] [>Next]	[^Back to Ray Koltys]

>