Beau Miles is at it again! I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak behind the scenes on his recent escapade.

 

Backyard adventurer Beau Miles is a regular face at We Are Explorers. Heck, he even has his own tag on the website. The man gets out there.

 

What the Heck Is Beau Miles Up to Now?, photo by Tim Ashelford, bad river, beau miles, kayak, portrait

Beau Miles in his trademark hat, kayaking PFD and… kitchen gloves?

 

I’ve met Beau a few times, coffee, talk panels, interviews – for two adventurous types our interactions had been spine-numbingly corporate.

So I was stoked the other week when he called and asked me to come and shoot stills on his latest adventure.

‘I’m kayaking down an urban river mate, one of the unhealthiest rivers in Australia. It’s gonna be gross.’

Somehow, I was sold, and at 7am I was standing on a random oval in a part of Sydney I’d never been before.

This was the river’s ‘headwaters’ and Beau’s starting point for a kayak voyage to the ocean that combined backyard adventure, environmentalism, and a dash of trespassing, to taste.

What the Heck Is Beau Miles Up to Now?, photo by Tim Ashelford, bad river, beau miles, kayak,

True to form, the man was already putting on sunscreen as the sun peeked over the horizon. Looking into the entrance of the drain creek, I wondered if the lotion could stave off the definitely-carcinogenic properties of the water.

I’m pretty sure I saw Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish darting through the murky waters.

What the Heck Is Beau Miles Up to Now?, photo by Tim Ashelford, bad river, beau miles, kayak,

As expected it was an epic day out, with at least as many wildcards as any ski tour or multi-pitch climb I’ve been on.

What happened? What was the river called? You’ll have to wait and see. This escapade was the first of four downright dirty river descents that’ll form a series of short films later in the year. And don’t worry, we’ll be covering every scungy detail.

What the Heck Is Beau Miles Up to Now?, photo by Tim Ashelford, bad river, beau miles, kayak, peeking

Standing by and watching without lending a hand was a strange experience indeed.

And that was the last time I saw Beau Miles…

It’s worth noting that this adventure was undertaken before the record rainfall that hit most of NSW recently.