Photo by Nathan Gebele / Writer Emily Crisman's first Randonautica experience began on this wooded trail located between two neighborhoods in the Mountain Creek area.I was recently introduced to Randonautica, an app that promises to take you "on a truly random adventure in the world you never knew existed." I love the idea of exploring the unknown that's right in front of me, so I was an instant addict.
To get started, all you have to do is share your location and say your intention aloud - or just think it. The app claims to read your mind, turning your thoughts into reality and demonstrating how the outside world reflects what's going on inside your mind.
Or, you can choose a "blind spot," which generates a truly random point - no intention needed.
But I chose to set an intention, which supposedly affects the app's algorithm, creating an "anomaly," or deviation from the uniform distribution of points.
Then, you follow directions to the coordinates you are given, which – supposedly – take you on a journey that aligns with your intention.
I chose "something ancient."
"Randonauting," as it's called, became a trend on TikTok during the pandemic, and strange coincidences and spooky stories abound from those who've tried the app. One group of teens near Seattle were led to a suitcase that contained the parts of two dead people who, it turns out, were murdered by their landlord. True story, so try at your own risk and keep your intentions positive.
There are a few other recommended guidelines - don't go alone or at night, stay off of private property and pick up trash at your destination to leave it better than you found it. (The symbolism reflecting your intention may just be in the trash.)
My first journey led me about 2.5 miles from my house, which was my starting point, to a trail that weaved through a wooded area between two neighborhoods on Mountain Creek Road. The grass trail looked as if it was mowed regularly, and several wooden bridges were built over the creek meandering through the somewhat swampy area. There were three or four splits in the trail that led to small, empty clearings large enough for two or three people. The app led me to one of those clearings. The trail has several access points from a communal field-type area with a bench and fire pit behind one of the neighborhoods. There were no signs saying it was private property, but it wasn't a public park and there was no parking lot. It seemed fine to leave my car on the street, which only residents of the neighborhood would have reason to use. My husband, Nathan, and I didn't see anyone else while we were there, but there were a lot of homes and that felt a little eerie.
I didn't find anything specifically ancient, but there was a strange pillar in one of the clearings that I think was a sundial - so there was that.
But it was still definitely exciting - I was full of wonder as I entered the trail and followed it to the mysterious and seemingly unexplainable dead-end clearings. I was eager to try more.
Heading to a random location made me ultra-aware of everything I was seeing and experiencing, as I used my senses to the fullest extent possible so I didn't miss anything - sort of like you would do during that moment in a scary movie when you're waiting for a dark shadow or some other creepy thing you know is about to appear somewhere on the screen.
The next time I tried the app, I set my intention to "somewhere peaceful." The coordinates led me to Chattanooga Memorial Park, to a gravesite on the outskirts of the cemetery covered with fresh dirt and lots of flowers. I find cemeteries peaceful, so I guess my intention worked. I regret not checking the headstone for the name of the person buried there, and I've considered going back to see if there's some sort of significance. But then I think there's something more significant about the fact that I had no interest in who's grave it was when I was there, which is really weird of me now that I think about it.
Then, I started to get a little addicted to the app. It was a good way to add some intrigue to my daily walks. It seemed to take me places where few people regularly go - lots of cul de sacs, an old playground in a field outside of an elementary school that burned down, several new homes under construction at the end of tiny streets you didn't know existed, and several sites where homes or facilities used to be that have burned down or been demolished.
While Randonautica has become less exciting over time, I may or may not have purchased extra "owl tokens," which you can buy to have the app generate more points if you use all of the 150 free tokens allotted to users each day. Each adventure costs 20 tokens, though they're free unless you go over your daily allotment.
Can't think of an intention? "Take me to my future house" is a fun one, as is "take me to an untold story." And you can't go wrong with "something good" or "something beautiful."