Inside My 14-Hour Escape From Burning Man

This is my sixth Burning Man. Just when I think I’ve seen all the blinding dust storms, psychedelic misadventures, and porta-potty horrors that are humanly possible, the most unimaginable thing happens. On Friday evening, the skies open and dump torrential rains, transforming the dry alkaline lake bed—where the event is traditionally held—into a muddy hellscape, where it’s impossible to walk more than a few hundred feet, let alone ride a bike or drive a motor vehicle. I confer with my campmates. Eventually, we decide to shelter in place. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [Inside My 14-Hour Escape from Burning Man 2023]( [Inside My 14-Hour Escape from Burning Man 2023]( This is my sixth Burning Man. Just when I think I’ve seen all the blinding dust storms, psychedelic misadventures, and porta-potty horrors that are humanly possible, the most unimaginable thing happens. On Friday evening, the skies open and dump torrential rains, transforming the dry alkaline lake bed—where the event is traditionally held—into a muddy hellscape, where it’s impossible to walk more than a few hundred feet, let alone ride a bike or drive a motor vehicle. I confer with my campmates. Eventually, we decide to shelter in place. [Read More](   [There Are More Ways Than Ever to Die From Extreme Heat]( [There Are More Ways Than Ever to Die From Extreme Heat]( The Washington Post has an excellent series going on the human cost of the climate crisis. But brace yourself. [Read More]( [Todd Howard Is the Video Game World's Christopher Nolan]( [Todd Howard Is the Video Game World's Christopher Nolan]( In a rare, in-depth interview, The Bethesda director opens up about Starfield, the game he's waited for his entire life. [Read More](     [A Middle-Aged Man's Backyard Revolution]( [A Middle-Aged Man's Backyard Revolution]( What is late-staged, middle-aged, white male environmental activism but ending up in a ridiculous shouting match about native plants? That’s how it worked out for me, at least. But long before I found myself screaming, “What if this were your front yard?!” at a guy operating heavy machinery, I was just a writer forging a path into the environmental movement—by way of the popularity of a novel I wrote with the cheery title of Annihilation. Looking for an escape, I became obsessed with restoring the natural ecosystem in my yard. Then a neighbor’s tree came crashing down—and kicked off a new battle. [Read More](   [28 Luxury Couches That Deserve to Be the Centerpiece]( [28 Luxury Couches That Deserve to Be the Centerpiece]( It's not enough to feel good (though it needs to), it's gotta look good, too. [Read More]( [The 14 Best Backpacks for College Students (or Anyone, Really)]( [The 14 Best Backpacks for College Students (or Anyone, Really)]( Get one that's well-designed, easy to keep organized, and you'll probably keep it forever. [Read More](     [The 82 Best Grooming Products of 2023]( [The 82 Best Grooming Products of 2023]( Whether you're a grooming novice or the type of guy who spends hours in front of the mirror, the key to a modern routine is working smarter, not harder. Each year, hundreds of new products promise to up your game with innovative solutions to old problems, multitasking ingredients, and better delivery systems. We fact-checked these claims by putting the items through extensive tests and came out the other side with the definitive list of everything that actually lives up to the hype. No matter your particular needs, the stuff featured here works to make you look and feel your very best. [Read More](   [From the editors of Esquire: In an exclusive piece of fiction from Stephen King, a family takes a scenic route–and everything goes terribly wrong. Learn More!]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019