Hawaii residents join in for a hot time at Burning Man

Once a year, tens of thousands of adventurers from all over the world converge at Burning Man, a communal camp-out and temporary society in the high Nevada desert.

Hawaii’s presence at the weeklong event is relatively limited, given the expense and difficulty of attending, but Mac Kaul, coordinator for Ka Pilina Interactive Arts Society, Oahu’s Burning Man-sanctioned nonprofit group, estimates that more than 200 "Burners" from the islands attend either Burning Man or regional events each year.

Kaul, a retired emergency room nurse who relocated from Nevada to Oahu, is marking her 11th "Burn" this year. She usually heads to the desert several days in advance of the event, which this year starts Monday, volunteering with a group that serves meals to artists who are installing their works.

On Oahu, Kaul and Ka Pilina puts together regular gatherings, including "Collidiscope," a three-day event modeled on Burning Man.

On Wednesday, Ka Pilina is sponsoring a photo shoot for Burners from Hawaii. Participants will meet at the "Man," dead center in the camp.

"One of our goals is to collaborate with the other islands, to become a big ohana," said Kaul. "This is another chance to get that accomplished."

Buying and selling are prohibited at Burning Man, except for the coffee and ice sold by organizers. Campers must bring all their food, water and shelter, then pack out everything including trash and water.

Temperatures may soar above 100 degrees during the day and drop below 40 degrees at night. Alkaline dust coating the ancient sea bed irritates skin and eyes.

There is no running water, electricity or sewers, though portable toilets are provided.

Yet people eagerly take on the cost and hardship in exchange for the challenge and reward of building a temporary city where giving gifts, wearing extravagant costumes and lighting up the night are encouraged.

What’s the appeal? Kaul says it’s the friendliness, creativity and honesty.

"I like the idea that no matter who I am or what I do, people will accept me," she said. "We all tend to open our hearts a little bit more, invite people to join us in this craziness. I think the biggest thing is to be part of a community."

Her first year at Burning Man, Kaul helped staff the camp’s on-site emergency room, where dehydration is the most common malady. Participation is another basic principle of the gathering.

"That makes the Burning Man experience so much richer," Kaul said. "You’re making it happen."

ORGANIZERS describe Burning Man as a "temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance."

After the sun sets, the open desert in front of the camps turns bright with LED-wrapped bicycles and generator-powered art projects, some on wheels, and the air pulsates with booming electronic dance music from myriad sources.

On the sixth of seven nights, an 40-foot-high wooden figure — the Man of Burning Man — is burned to ashes atop its 50-foot-tall perch. Thousands gather round to watch.

Burning Man started in San Francisco with a small group — and much smaller Man. In 1990, when officials objected to the fire ritual at the city’s Baker Beach, the event moved to federal land in Nevada. It has grown exponentially with 51,000 tickets sold in 2011, 58,000 last year and 61,000 this year. Burning Man organizers expect a top population of as many as 68,000 this year, once volunteers and staff are included.

Oahu’s Alani Apio, a community consultant, playwright ("Kamau A‘e") and artist, is one of the first-timers planning to attend Burning Man, where he expects to encounter "divine insanity."

Apio, 48, said half-jokingly that his focus will be "trying to survive."

"I’ve done extreme camping," he said, as part of the grassroots Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana. "But not on an alkaline salt bed, and not with 60,000 people."

Despite the potential hardship, Apio said he wants to experience Burning Man.

He expects it to have a creative effect.

"People don’t know this about me, but I’m a painter as well," he said. "I want to go back to art.

"Burning Man — that’s a jump in the deep end."