Report From the Gathering #3

Hey there, this is The Other Karen. I got another
call from Karin, the creator of this blog, from
the Gathering in Wyoming. She gave me lots of info
about what is going on there and how to prepare
for the drive and the hike in.

Again, I apologize for lack of apostrophes and
parenthesis. Karin’s blog, for some reason,
prints gobbledy-gook when I write them.

Here is the news…

THE ROAD IN
The drive in is difficult because the cops are
stopping for every little thing and then, often,
are searching cars. One person has a court
appearance for not having brake lights, even
though she does, because the low sun was shining
on them and they are a bit dim. Another person has
a court appearance because he did not apply his
brake while on a corner, even though he was going
slowly because a cop was following him.

There are four parking lots.

TERRAIN
There are two trails into the site. The WAGON
TRAIL is 2.5 miles of flat hiking and then a half
mile on a very steep incline going up. The SNAKE
TRAIL is only 2 miles but goes up and down a lot
and then straight up at the end.

FRONT GATE IS NICE!! You need to seriously allow
yourself 6-8 hours to park, hike in, have
something to eat!, find a campsite, and set up. If
6-8 hours has you hiking or setting up in the
dark, SERIOUSLY consider camping by your car the
first night, or by the fire at Front Gate. Its a
nice scene. Stay and enjoy it.

Karin “hustled it” from Main Meadow to the
front gate, down hill, and it took her two hours!

Once you are in, its level land. There are Aspen,
Pine, and Fir trees. There are blue and yellow
flowers in the fields and big gorgeous granite
boulders. On-site there is minimal cop-movie. They
come through about once a day on ATVs for an hour
and are gone.

ALTITUDE
This has been a SERIOUS problem this year. There
have been lots of people who have found themselves
with severe headaches and vomiting on their first
day onsite. This includes some long-time Rainbows
who are used to occasional high elevations and
living outdoors.

Allow for altitude sickness when you plan what
time of day to hike into the site. This is another
good reason to hang at Front Gate the first night
and acclimate before the crazy hike in.

Some of the older folks are bitching and moaning
because they feel ineffectual because they cant
walk around too much.

RADIOS
Rob is getting radios together today. This makes
lots of folks happy because the amount of hiking
to pass information around has been very
strenuous.

C.A.L.M.
There are currently 3 CALMS set up.

WEATHER
It tends to be in the mid 70s during the day. The
nights are still very cold and some folks arent
sleeping at all well because of it. Bring long
johns for sleeping and possibly double sleeping
bags. Bring a hat to sleep in. Please bring any
extra blankets or bags for folks that need it!

GASOLINE
The nearest gasoline for sale is UNUSUALLY FAR
away from the site this year. Be sure that you
fill up to the TOP before heading up so that you
can get back down. If you have gasoline jugs,
please fill them up and bring them in for your use
or for other folks. This will save on the usual
situation of having to siphon out of some cars to
get other cars back to town.

POPULATION
Its surprising how few people are currently
onsite. There were about 500-1000 at dinner last
night. Population seems sparse and less than
expected as does the quantities of cars coming in
per hour.

OTHER MISC.
There is lots of meat in some of the kitchens.
Warriors of the Light was very recently built.
Yeast Man has not been seen. Some folks are sad.

MISSING SON OF THE SHERIFF
Garretts mother is on site nearly every day
because there have been rumors that he has been
seen onsite. His mothers family -his parents are
apparently divorced- loves the Rainbows, are very
appreciative of all the work that is being done to
find Garrett, and is coming in a lot to walk the
site and chat folks up. They often bring meat for
the kitchens.

So, the unreported story is that Garrett allegedly
had a fight with his friends the night before he
disappeared. He -I believe she said- came home
that night but was gone by morning. No one was
worried until he failed to show up for work.

When his truck was found at the end of a dead end
road in the forest, there was a bullet hole in the
windshield and one in the fender.

There are flyers with his picture going around the
site and some folks claim they have seen him. But
its getting to the point that he would likely know
he was being searched for.

NOTES ON SHANTI SENA
In my last report you read that the cops deemed it
illegal to yell “Shanti Sena” because it might
incite a riot. This has now been amended. Folks
are allowed to yell it as long as they really are
NOT trying to incite a riot. This of course, is up
to the opinion of the nearest cop.

It is believed that this will be interpreted to
mean that you can call for help if someone is
beating up someone else, but likely not allowed if
there is a cop-action going on and you are calling
for other Rainbows to come witness the action.

So! It is advised that if there IS some sort of
cop-action and you feel compelled to call for
Shanti-Sena to witness the action, that you step
back into the woods, away from the fray, make your
call and then disappear, coming around again to
another place in the circle. Dont stand beside the
nearest cop and call.

SUMMARY
Other than the horrendous hike in, the altitude
sickness, the missing locals, and the difficulty
in finding a vegetarian meal at times, there is an
awesome Gathering happening. You should come home.
Come.