Adrian Hayes

With adventurer Adrian Hayes

There’s never a dull moment in an adventurers life, particularly when it comes to UAE hero Adrian Hayes… over the last ten years, I’ve followed Adrian’s extreme expeditions and had the pleasure of capturing some of them. I’ve seen him at his best and and at his worst… I’ll never forget his flying start on his Footsteps of Thesiger expedition, when the camels turned into rodeo bulls and threw Adrian and his expedition team members off their backs and onto a rocky wadi bed. The next stop was the local hospital rather than the desert! Time with Adrian during both Footsteps of Thesiger and the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge has left me with some wonderful memories. We even did an adventure race together once but unfortunately my bike frame snapped just five kilometres into the race so we were forced to complete the full Arabian Quest course on foot… needless to say we were last in, but at least we didn’t give up!

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Adrian is a hard man to pin down as beyond his great adventures, he has a crazy busy schedule with speaking engagements and corporate coaching in Europe, the US and here in the Middle East. I love spending time with him though… it’s always inspiring to pick the brain of a full time adventurer, where he stands now and how he turns future fantasy’s into reality. So I jumped at the opportunity to organise a shoot when a simple yet great idea sprung to mind.

We both share a friend and client, Dewald, who distributes amazing outdoor brands like Marmot and Patagonia. Together, I felt we could build a super strong portfolio of images around Adrian’s training regime and desert jaunts, in preparation for tackling high altitude peaks in the Himalayas or hair-raising polar crossings. Marmot could throw in some amazing new gear… without which Adrian would probably have rocked up in a tatty Ironman Finishers Shirt dating back to 2005 (!)… and Marmot, in return, would get great visual assets and stories for social and editorial use. Win-win for all!

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So organised it was and we set off, suited and booted, on a energetic day shooting, hitting the desert in time for the morning sunrise. We headed for Fossil Rock first of all, followed by RAK’s mountains in the afternoon. Needless to say, we had lots of fun and got cracking shots along the way.

What’s my take on Adrian’s life as a full time adventurer? It’s restless, thrilling, vibrant, passionate and his living on the edge is an inspiration. As a worldwide, record-breaking adventurer, the world is certainly a crazy one. Where to go next? What to climb? What to cross? Who’s not done what? You constantly need to be thinking of something harder, higher and more extreme than what’s already been accomplished. How do you maintain your unique voice in a pretty crowded space?

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Perhaps this instills in you some crazy thoughts and ideas?

Thanks Adrian for the inspiration and energy!

Wk.

Project Pause… The Empty Quarter

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST…  The inspiration for Project Pause came at the tail end of 2013, during a flight on an assignment to Qatar. The magical views over Nakheel’s The World islands stirred my hunger to spend more time in isolation, away from distractions and a hectic schedule. It brought an abrupt awareness that my days are filled with chasing deadlines, promoting noise and pushing for creativity. Add to this an energetic family life and I realised that the engine most definitely needs to be recharged every so often.

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My initial idea was to spend five days on an island in The World but access and permissions issues proved to be a real obstacle course. So now, just over a year later, I’ve remapped the idea. You see, a recent automotive gig in The Empty Quarter reminded me on the sheer beauty, scale and isolation of the desert. Hundreds of kilometres of the best desert landscape in the world, right here on our doorstep. So I’ve decided to take the bull by the horns and next month shall be dropped off somewhere in the middle of The Empty Quarter, amongst of the biggest dunes you can imagine, for one whole week. Solo.

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I walked through The Empty Quarter back in 2012 with explorer and adventurer Adrian Hayes, covering his Footsteps of Thesiger expedition. I even wrote my own ebook ‘Real Men Don’t Shave’ (on sale for just $11) about the amazing experience. The Empty Quarter is simply a magical place and I’m so much looking forward to spending time there, seeking adventure, thinking and being.

Why? Do you really have to ask? The quest to live a simple life, just me and a note book, a supply of healthy food, a stack of powerful reading, a tent and the spirit of Robinson Crusoe. Just letting the days evolve as they’re meant to evolve. Sometimes, little more is needed.

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I shall spend time completing some personal projects and thinking about how I want the next few years to pan out. I might even come up with a solution to save our planet. Who knows! It’s an open quest and I’m open to whatever may present itself.

More to come…

Wk