At night, the Sherwood Forest turned into a glow-in-the-dark spectacle (Nick Meador).

This was also about the time that the festival grounds started to get really, really dusty. After all, the weather had been something like 75 and sunny since Thursday morning. With 40,000 people steadily trampling a dried-out cornfield and ranch, it's no wonder that dust clouds started to rise in the walkways. When I blew my nose on Sunday, dust came out in similar amounts to when I was in London.

Other than the previously mentioned nags, the weekend was -- to be brief and slightly obscene -- fucking awesome. Thursday was the most exciting music day for me, since I'm a fan of the more electronic jam bands like Disco Biscuits and Lotus. Unfortunately, I was dead tired on Thursday from traveling and setting up camp. In fact, it was hard not to be tired every day. The music went until about 4 am Thursday to Saturday, and started at noon Friday to Sunday. The other source of major exhaustion throughout the weekend was foot travel. When your campsite is a mile from the music area entrance, it takes careful planning to make the most of each day and not spend hundreds of dollars on food and drinks.

Allow me to explain: I was careful to bring enough food and drinks so that I could cook most of my meals and not have to buy many beers. However, if you are in the music area when the hunger strikes, that automatically means you'll have to walk four miles round trip. Each trip takes a sizeable toll on your body, and it was always tempting to take a nap there instead of rushing back to the concerts. I took two trips on Thursday, three on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday. That means I walked approximately 15-18 miles throughout the weekend. On the other hand, if I had spent all day in the music area and took naps there, I would have had to pay $6-$8 per meal and $4 per beer. Obviously that can add up to dangerous expenditures.

If things stay consistent at Rothbury, I will probably spend more time in the music area. First of all, I got angry at myself for missing so much music. By Sunday I was so tired that I only saw Steel Pulse and Brett Dennen, and then couldn't muster the energy after lunch to go back to the music area. I definitely could have rested more in the Sherwood Forest area, a fenced-in haven of Michigan pine trees between the Ranch Stage and the Odeum. There were two paths through this area, but people strayed in all directions. A few flower blossom pods stood in the trees for people to hide within, and dozens of hammocks were strung between the trunks. Fabric banners and black light globes hung in the pathways, and were lit up at night with high-grade concert lighting. Tree trunks along the path had sparkly contact paper around them as well.

In short, this place made even the sober feel like they had stumbled into Alice in Wonderland. That effect was strengthened at night, when the lights also waved up at the tree canopy. The ground was soft with moss and pine needles, so many people who couldn't grab a hammock simply passed out on the forest floor. The forest was also the ideal destination for those at the festival who were taking drugs.

At Rothbury the drug presence was widespread, but quiet at the same time. I didn't see anybody freak out or even act all that unruly. Most of the drugs at a festival like Rothbury are hallucinogens that are not considered very harmful for your body. Some are potentially harmful for your mind, but everyone seemed to keep a buddy close in case something happened. I was approached on several occasions by people selling drugs, but they were polite and respected my personal space. Everything is sold according to slang terms, presumably to help the dealer avoid police intervention. At All Good in 2005, I barely recognized any of the names I heard, and even by 2008 it was slightly frustrating to still not understand what the dealers were offering me. However, Internet discussion boards and awareness groups help, and I was eventually able to uncover the real meanings.

There weren't that many street terms to keep track of. "Rolls" means ecstasy, or MDMA, the pill form of the drug that is often associated with raves. These pills occasionally have a small amount of amphetamine as well, since it would help someone dance for extended periods of time. Ecstasy has the reputation of being dangerous, but from what I've read, it seems that most injuries are from dehydration because people dance like crazy without drinking enough water.

Pills are sometimes sold as ecstasy without actually containing MDMA or MDA (drugs with similar effects). DanceSafe.org publishes pill test information from ecstasy pills, and you can search by street term, location, and other criteria. Some pills are half MDMA, half caffeine (stimulant); some only contain over-the-counter cold medicine like pseudo/ephedrine (decongestant) or guaifenesin (expectorant/cough medicine); some include more dangerous drugs like ketamine. As a result, it seems necessary to have a chemical test kit to verify the contents of a pill if someone wants to avoid a scam or a terrible experience.

"Molly" is a crystalline form of MDMA, which is supposedly more pure and "clean-feeling" -- if you can trust the dealer, or if you have one of those test kits. Pills need an adhesive to hold the compound together, but the powder form is just that: a white powder. As such, it can also be "cut" with fake product in order to increase profits. Moving on..."mushrooms" are magic mushrooms, or psilocybin. "Doses" means LSD, or Lysergic acid diethylamide, most likely blotter paper that has been soaked with acid.

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