I'll be there! It's my first burn. Another user, JackTheBandit mentioned they were going as well. I spent last weekend building plywood furniture for our camp and working on my swamp cooler.
This weekend we are working on a mylar shade structure and figuring out power for the camp. What's an alpha shift?
An alpha shift is a "test shift" for a new BRC Ranger. Before you hit the playa, you go to training. Once you get there, you have to prove that you'll be a good ranger, so you undergo some stress tests and perform a dirt shift with a mentor Ranger. So if I pass my alpha shift, I'll be a Ranger this year! (Black Rock Rangers are nonconfrontational community mediators. They go around helping out disoriented or distressed participants, resolve conflicts, and generally act as trustworthy authorities in cool hats. The goal is to intervene before law enforcement becomes necessary. Even though a Ranger's authority comes entirely through social capital and people listening to them, there's a shared incentive to allow Rangers to resolve issues before cops are necessary.)
I think user steve is as well. Doing my alpha build of our shade structure this weekend. Beta build in an actual field next weekend. I really just want to use these lag bolts, lol.