I thought I'd make a thread for those that like to over plan regarding breaking down a few factuals in regard to the 17th Gathering map. No stories, just bullet points. Knowledge is power. And I'm bored at the moment...

The map's orientation is generally North to South but would be slightly tilted to the left. The sun rises over the trees of "Oddities" and shines directly over the event until around 6p when it sinks low enough for the line of trees (shown on map directly North of "Missing Link") to cast their shadow into the bowl of the Main Stage. Otherwise, sun all day till it sets without obstruction.

The highest point in the whole grounds is the hill on the North side of the JCW stage. Were it not for the trees, flags and banners it would have an almost unobstructed view of the Main Stage (far in the distance). Kayfabe has a bowl shape to it with the wrestling ring in the middle.

Another thing to note about Kayfabe on this map is that is shows a pathway that leads to the Seminar Tent area... now, this was the same on last year's map HOWEVER... at some point the must have deemed it a security weakness and wired the fence shut. The Seminar Tent area does [DID] not require a wristband and that pathway lead right into the Kayfabe camping area. So that meant anyone in Kayfabe had to walk down their hill and go all the way around and up again to get to a seminar tent that is RIGHT next to their campsite. IOW, don't count on that path being available (or for long) unless they've modified their fencing since last year to allow it to remain open.

Straight-up, Alakazam is the parking lot behind a fence separating it. The major benefit of camping here is the direct access to the Seminar and Autograph Tents (and whatever else is up there like the movie tent or if you wanna get preached to). I have not camped there but as reported previously, most reports of sites getting tossed have come from these roundabouts because of their proximity to the NON-wristband areas. But if you find your schedule is looking like you are gonna be up at the top of the hill most or if you got some strategy for that autograph line it's perfect.

The fence that makes up the East wall of Alakazam actually DOES have a path that runs its length. It is on the NON-wristband side of the fence but they DO check anyone that uses the path to get down the 90degree hill that leads to the majority of the "Missing Link" grounds. Missing Link has the largest area of FLAT camping space (unless yer a crazy ninja that sets up on the hill itself). It's also a good spot for peepin' the occasional artist walking around checking things out (cuz Main Stage is right next to it).

I can't comment as to the Big Balla area beyond having seen it and walked around it. (Perhaps a Balla might wanna chime in on it) But a thing to know about it if yer lookin' at the map, is that it's not exactly a "shortcut". After everyone gets set up and tent lines start stretching and power cables n'shit are all over the place, it is NOT faster (at times) than taking the roads. And you WILL be using the roads. It becomes a fuckin' Juggalo Labyrinth of tents, RVs, vehicles, random dangers or grossness to avoid; and there will be plenty of times where you'll have to dance around etiquette and walk through someone's shit with them all sitting around... just be cool, give a whoop whoop and move on (or stay and say hey, whateva).

The other thing to note about the Big Ballas section are the roads that frame the area to the North and South. These are the primary walking paths to and from the Main Stage. IOW, these are HIGH traffic areas. It is up to you and you own insurance coverage and general care of your car if you wanna set up shop along these areas. Big RVs are one thing but smaller vehicles will be COVERED in dust and will be bumped into thousands of times throughout the week. Bring a paint stick.

"Oddities" was my first Gathering campsite so I got a fondness for it. It is one of the only places that might be considered "woods" but it is SMALL, if you have a car pass you will NOT be able to park your car here. While the road that runs in front of the area marked on the map IS still Oddities, there is a deep riven that runs the length of it (on its East side). Most were parking their cars along the road and camping at the base of the riven. Along that riven is a dried up creek. To get to the ACTUAL Oddities area you gotta hop over it OR use the ONLY BRIDGE that no one really seemed to key in on. In the mornings the wooden bridge becomes slippery and people bust ass. There IS a place where you can kinda see the Main Stage but to be sure, it is generally removed from the bustle of people moving along the road that is only a short distance but has nothing to do with it. The trees obstruct the view. That can be a pro or a con depending on your needs. Oddities is also directly behind the Pendulum Stage. You'll be hearing whatever is going on there. I still managed to get sleep. The fence shown on the map separating the Stage from Oddities was rolled back a panel to allow traffic to travel through it AFTER everyone had set up camp. Otherwise there was no real traffic from anyone that wasn't camped there. That can be a pro or a con [nudge].

Additionally, you can [could] camp along that fence between the Pendulum Stage and Oddities. but you had to hug to it as there needed to be vehicle access and to avoid the Tent cables.

"Gypsy Row" is a hill that slopes at about 30percent. It is wide and if you take a look at it using Google Maps, you can still see the pathways that get etched out as people make them on their own (the images were taken approx. around the time after the first Gathering there and incidentally, the current images on Google StreetView of the place were taken within a WEEK of last year's Gathering). It becomes a shortcut to Pendulum and a workaround to avoid crowds at Carousel. It is also ROCK FREE. While it may have a sleight slope to it, it is soft and without stumbling. You can even take your shoes off and walk on grass for a while.

That leaves "N.I.A. Ninjas In Action". The NorthEast corner could be considered the farthest point from ANYthing other than the Carousel Stage. N.I.A. has another of the few places that could be considered "woods", however it is also closer to the Interstate to the North. A pro/con of the area is that there is no real reason for the average wanderer to travel past the Carousel Stage. Most traffic comes in from the South road and unless you're just lookin' to meet EVERYone, the journey ends there.

You may find yourself bouncing between the Seminar Tent and the Carousel Stage as those are where the *scheduled* events seem to fall if you aren't checking out artists at the Pendulum Stage, riding the rides, on Merch Row, attending the WolfPac live shows or Busey's Beauties...(during the day).

Another factor that is NOT displayed on the map is LIGHTING...

At night, there are plenty of sources of light in primary areas. Most others are lit by some generator based baseball field type lights. This is something to consider in choosing a campsite. Other than these lights, most places are pitch black. The alternative is having these lights shining through your tent at all hours casting shadows like a Juggalo Puppet Show.

[meh] That's all I got for now.

If anyone has any FACTUAL shit they wanna contribute, PLEASE DO! Not stories, but factual shit. This is our last year in Legend Valley AKA Shangri-La, and I'm sure there are first-timer people out there that can benefit from such anecdotal information like when the honey wagons show up, shower line rules, water/ice advice, etc...

Hope it helps some to Gathering harder and smarter!!!