When We Love Our Gear to Death: The Last Goodbye to an (Extra)Ordinary Hat

It can be hard to say goodbye to your gear, especially when it’s a piece that’s been with you through thick and thin and joined you on every adventure over the span of 15 years. Just like with people, sometimes the life of an item comes to an end; it can’t be healed, it can’t be repaired. And it’s time to say goodbye.

In nearly every one of Beau Miles’ videos, his hat can be seen accompanying him. When his hat—his most loyal piece of gear—died, he did one thing: “With a heavy heart and a head full of memories, I’m taking my beloved hat for one last run.”

The hat’s last journey, a 40-kilometer run from Mt Baw Baw to Walhalla, is a celebration of its service to Beau. And—a little warning—it’s heartwarming and heartbreaking simultaneously.