Danger Ranger      Black Rock Ranger Visionary Burning Man Participant '89-' indefinately... "We are riding the edge of chaos, where the timeless engine of creation spins with abundance. The Rangers primary duty is to hold that doorway open for everyone willing to pass through."

Boggmann      Captain Black Rock Rangers Burning Man Participant '90-'99, years as Ranger: 6 "Rangers in the old days at Burning Man had one basic function...saving the poor lost souls who missed the camp while driving across the playa at night and even a few during the day. Out past all of the old camp sites, just off the right edge of the Black Rock itself, the desert narrows to the Humboldt Sink. The area became a tar pit to the unwary, sometimes swallowing complete theme camps as they caravaned to the playa." "In one such case, a girl had been missing, expected for 24 plus hours, and so myself and Baker-18 (Ranger Captain) went into Gerlach to begin a search, where of course we ran into friends at the bar of Bruno's Country Club." "While explaining the mathematical method by which one could find camp (12 miles @ 20 degrees/south), Bruno overheard us mention that we were on a search for a lost girl and says matter of factly: 'theee, aaa losta girl, shesse ina room number 4'." "Apparently, the young lady had crashed in her vehicle the eve before, about 25 miles out on the desert past camp, in the rolling sand hills of the sink. After waking in the morning, she set out on her bicycle, heading towards the railroad tracks. But within a mile she abandoned the bike as useless. Oooh...did I mention she had no water? Somehow, she made it the 3-4 miles to the railroad tracks where she collapsed until found by a passing Southern Pacific train. The train then drops her in Gerlach where Bruno gives her a meal and a room. We never did find the car...."

HailMaRy      Performance Liaison & BAT Manager/Resources Coordinator Burning Man Participant '96-'99, years as Ranger: 2 "For me it is critical to participate in the community that is Burning Man. I love the freedom, the expression, the intensity of the festival. I love working with artists to help hold the psychic/spiritual/physical space for them to create. I love working fire performances. Every time I have gone to Burning Man my life has changed. The experience of rangering has pushed the envelope of my life beyond what I thought I was capable of reaching." "If you have been to Burning Man, then you know what I mean and why it is important to participate. If you have never been, then I suggest that you participate and be prepared to have a life altering experience. Once experienced, you will never forget."

FlyingGuy      Senior Ranger Burning Man Participant '97-'99, years as Ranger: 2 "I became a Ranger because someone said it would be a good thing, and well it was. You have a unique prospective from which to view the entire Burning Man event. You move through camps and places and see things that only a few actually see." "Burning Man becomes a part of your very soul, and if you let it ( because it does have a life of its own ) it will steep you in its mysteries and boundless energy, and pull you up into a level of consciousness, or unconsciousness as the case may be." "But of course the biggest reason is the people, the myriad of life forms that come through Black Rock City and inevitably leave their mark on you, and affect you in ways you will only begin to understand after the event is over and you have left no trace."

Geek Girl      Ranger Burning Man Participant '96-'98, years as Ranger: 1 "My first year at Burning Man I didn't know what to expect and was blown away. The second year at Burning Man I was rescued by a Ranger when I had gotten lost out on the Playa looking for Black Rock City (BRC) even though I had a compass with me and thought I was headed in the right direction. My third year, I became a Ranger myself because had seen the positive role they played in keeping people safe and helping new comers navigate the strangeness. I wanted to meet these folks who were willing to work to help create this experimental and free society. Since then, I have learned that Rangering extends well beyond the borders of BRC and it has helped me in other aspects of my life." "Most important to me has been the training in non-confrontational mediation. Being a loud-mouthed girl raised in New Jersey, with a big heart but a lousy temper, Rangering has been a priceless learning experience. I have met so many wonderful people who wear Ranger hats and live by a sense of community first and foremost. To me, they represent a model for a society that I prefer. Helping, loving, caring, giving 110% of themselves for the greater good." "My most positive and most negative experiences as a Ranger happened within 5 minutes of each other. A woman was driving her car at breakneck speed through the camp on Labor Day when leaving BRC. I flagged her down to ask her to drive more slowly. She was enraged that I had stepped in front of her car (though I had been a good distance away because I'm not interested in sacrificing my life for something so trivial as an idiot driver). While she was screaming at me in what appeared to be post-amphetamine agitation after a sleepless night, another BRC citizen came up on her bike and told the woman to back off and play nice. After the crazed driver moved on, the bike lady thanked me profusely for all the good the Rangers do, and invited me back to her camp for breakfast, which I had to decline because I had work to do." "All of this is why, if I have the chance to visit BRC again, I only want to go as a Ranger."