Everyday Hiking Hero: Grant Christie
He’s hiked the entire coastline of South Africa, he’s a professional guide and he creates miniature wildlife scenes using Lego… We want to know more about Grant Christie!
HSA: Name, age, city / town where you live?
GC: Grant Christie, 34, Pretoria.
HSA: Where, when and how did you start hiking, and who introduced you to hiking?
GC: My earliest memories of hiking are as a young boy on a farm near Dullstroom. We would go there with two or three other families, and every trip included a hike to the Lunsklip Waterfall where we would picnic for lunch and then hike back.
Overlooking the Olifants River
HSA: Your favourite hike or hiking area?
GC: This is very difficult to answer! But probably in the indigenous forests of Tsitsikamma — between Wilderness and Storm’s River.
HSA: What does hiking mean to you as a lifestyle choice — what motivates you?
GC: I love the simplicity of hiking: the fact that you have everything you need with you on your back, and that hiking can take you places other forms of travel cannot. Moving slowly lets you notice so much more of your surroundings. It also allows people to connect like no other activity can — that’s been my experience.
Hurdling the Lion on the India Venster trail, Table Mountain
HSA: Tell us a little bit about your previous life and what made you walk away from a conventional 9-to-5?
GC: I used to work as a civil engineer for a consulting firm. There was a pair of ravens that nested near the office. I used to watch them fly around while I sat checking drawings and contracts, filling in timesheets and stressing over deadlines. I felt like a bird tethered — I longed for the freedom they had.
Indian Himalayas – photo by Nico Wills
HSA: Your “Six Million Steps” journey is an incredible achievement. What inspired you, and what was your biggest takeaway?
GC: Thank you. It was an immense challenge in many ways. The idea came about while I was facilitating a 23-day school expedition. Toward the end, I started thinking about going back to the office and it filled me with dread. I wondered why I couldn’t just keep walking through the bush instead. Memories of the Otter Trail and other coastal hikes came flooding back, and I thought: “It would be pretty cool to walk the whole coastline!” I looked into it and saw that only a handful of people had done it — which probably spurred me on even more. Eventually the idea grew so big that I had to do it, and I finally plucked up the courage to resign.
I learnt so many things, but if I were to share one: the first step is the most difficult. Beginning something — whatever it is — is what takes courage. Once you take that first step, it’s usually easier to keep going.
Selfie level expert at Blombos during his Six Million Steps expedition
HSA: If you could change one thing in the world, what would your legacy be?
GC: One thing I try to instil in the groups I walk with is a greater respect for the environment. If everyone was just a little more mindful of their impact — on the planet or on others — we’d be in a much better place. It all comes down to awareness.
Annapurna – Nepal
HSA: How do you balance your different passions — conservation, guiding, exploring, mentoring and motivational speaking?
GC: I work with a lot of school groups, leading and facilitating hikes and expedition journeys. It’s a great platform that brings together several of my passions — engaging with kids about life, the environment and personal growth. Even if I’ve hiked a route many times, each group is different, and that makes every experience unique.
I haven’t been able to do many personal expeditions lately, but I have some ideas in the pipeline — watch this space 😉
HSA: Who is your favourite hiking buddy and why?
GC: I’ve hiked with some serious characters over the years, but because of the nature of my work, I often hike with complete strangers. Still, Shane Anderson — or Uncle Shane as most school kids know him — is one of my favourites. He’s a scout master and qualified mountain guide with immense knowledge, yet he’s humble and easy-going. I’ve learnt a great deal from him.
HSA: Your favourite piece of hiking gear?
GC: My new Osprey Aether AG 70 L backpack. It’s extremely comfortable and, as someone with little natural hip padding, it has transformed hiking for me. Also… an umbrella! In Southeast Asia, where I did a fair amount of trekking, it helps during the monsoon — staying dry without overheating. In sunny South Africa, it doubles as shade on long, exposed sections.
Monsoon in Nepal
HSA: Your favourite hiking or inspirational quote?
GC: “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” – Ursula K. Le Guin (often misattributed to Ernest Hemingway)
Or:
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot
HSA: What is your dream hike or adventure?
GC: I have several dream expeditions 😉 One would be to circumnavigate Iceland.
Drakensberg Northern Traverse during his assessment as a Mountain Walking Leader
HSA: What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while hiking?
GC: There have been many! One that stands out was probably funnier for the people who saw it. During my Six Million Steps walk I spent a lot of time alone, so I’d often sing or talk to myself. One day, on a long isolated beach, I was singing my heart out when I passed a set of rocks — and there behind them was a whole group of people having a picnic! I burst out laughing, waved, and kept singing. They must’ve thought I was crazy.
HSA: Your best tip for new hikers?
GC: Don’t set off with brand-new gear — test it first. And if you’re new to hiking, wear shoes you already find comfortable, or at least break in new boots before heading out. Blisters are not your friend!
Misty moments – teaching a school group how to navigate and find a beacon in poor visibility
HSA: What’s the worst or best thing you’ve seen on a trail?
GC: I’ve seen wonderful and awful things, but what bothers me most is litter. I can’t understand how people can carry drinks and snacks into beautiful places but can’t carry out their empty, lightweight packaging.
I once took a school group hiking in Suikerbosrand near Johannesburg. A rowdy group passed us drinking ciders and energy drinks at 9 a.m. Not long after, we found their cans and bottles dumped under some rocks. I picked everything up, walked over and handed it back to them saying, “You forgot something.” Just carry your damn litter out with you, people — it’s really not that hard.
HSA: Thanks for chatting with us, Grant. All the best with your future expeditions!
Follow Grant’s adventures on Instagram: @grant.christie
Portrait by Nico Wills