sTaking excessive time on YouTube can be risky for men of my generation. The vortex of the algorithm can easily steer you towards the extremes of misogyny, away from the parts of the internet that foster connections and promote agreement.
Luckily, the rabbit hole I stumbled upon led me (in a completely linear path) to a newfound sense of childlike adventure.
That’s the title of the video that captivated me. “I attempted to traverse the entire country in a straight line. Part 1.”
I have always been drawn to frivolous conquests, but this one was especially nonsensical: a man journeying across Wales on a winding path, leaping over hedges, sprinting through fields, climbing mountains, navigating rivers, sinking in peat bogs, shouting at farmers.
It was an act of pure foolishness and machismo. In just a few minutes of the video, things take a turn for the worse. Unable to cross a swiftly flowing river, our unfortunate traveler is forced to deviate a few meters from his intended path. Nevertheless, I was hooked.
The individual in this video is Tom Davies (also known as Geowizard), the originator of this impossible challenge. Soon after his video, imitators began to emerge. They began navigating the rugged terrain in pursuit of the boy’s glory.
I consumed it all. Post-video, I witnessed YouTubers transplanting the best aspects of the internet into the wilderness. The world is turbulent and hostile, Nature is the same. Applying internet gaming principles to the expanse of nature is akin to bringing order to chaos.
There is no peril in a direct mission. Just setbacks to overcome. Jumping over prickly hedges, scrambling over mountains, or sliding along cliff edges is all part of the challenge. An irate landowner becomes an NPC (non-playable character) – observe and avoid. It’s reminiscent of a classic platformer. If you fall, the worst that can happen is restarting the game. If you don’t make it across all of Wales in the initial attempt, then it’s back to the starting point I’ll try two. subsequent attempts include I’ll try threeand Immediately.
Direct missions are (almost) harmless, pointless, and even absurd. At its core, it evokes a rebellion in a cultural era where masculinity often veers into toxic territory. Reddit threads showcase fathers and sons bonding over weekends creating their own challenges. A standout contribution to the canon is a duo of New Zealand teenagers shedding tears for their friendship and camaraderie. They reminded me of the mundane joys of my own youth.
It is worth noting that Geowizard, along with many of the linear voyagers following in his footsteps, are technically trespassing when traversing vast swathes of private property needed to accomplish their mission. “It’s a bit of a lark,” he remarked to the Guardian in 2021.
One could argue that their transgressions serve a political purpose. Geowizard has successfully “crossed” the UK, a country where less than 1% of its land is owned by the populace. Field House Boy were the first to capitalize on Scotland, where land ownership is the most inequitable in the Western world.
British writer Robert MacFarlane opined in a reflection on moorlands that nature is at risk of vanishing when there is a disconnect between individuals and their surroundings. From afar, moors may seem desolate at times. Navigating through the intricate ecology involves walking across moors.
Perhaps this is precisely what the linear adventurers are advocating for. It’s about feeling the ground beneath your feet and reestablishing a connection with the land that has been monopolized by private entities and concentrated wealth. It may be one of the few internet phenomena that has inspired people to get outdoors.
Source: www.theguardian.com