Gary the Google Trekker - Throwback Thursday 🗺
How together we put South Africa's premiere trails on Google maps & where it all began
Dear ReWilder,
We’re feeling a little nostalgic and maybe you are too. It all began in 2017, when the likes of a few wanderers decided to carry a 20kg backpack named ‘Gary the Google Trekker’ around the meandering trails of South Africa. But why? Gary had the ability to capture an image with every step you took, turning the undocumented trails of our country into a virtual wonderland. We can now plot and plan the routes we wish to traverse on foot, eye out any key sundowner spots, or even just dream of taking these steps while surfing on the web late at night. The goal here was to showcase South Africa’s best hiking trails to the world, to encourage visitors to these wild spaces.
One could say that this was the birth of ReWild Africa. When the four initial directors, Ali, Sam, Justin and Liam, engaged in a collective drive and motivation to occupy a profession that contributes to the restoration of the boundlessly beautiful and diverse planet we call home.
You’ll see a video below that encapsulates the feeling that this project gave to many South Africans. And be sure to read on to learn about some of the personal experiences that each of the guys had; from a rogue leaf, a 10-year-old Alistair, great white sharks and more.
Words from Sam:
“Dr Stephan Harding, my professor from Schumacher college once told me a deep experience, fosters deep questioning which then feeds back to deep commitment.
The Google Trekker Project was an exceptionally deep experience that allowed me to create bonds with the wilderness and her people - making me question how I live with wilderness and what it means to really connect with our true nature. I realised that I am not separate from the non-human world, and so I began cultivating a deeper sense of knowing the wild.
This deep questioning took me on a journey to discover and create with co-trekker Alistair, the emergence of Rewild Africa, a start-up that would share the beauty of the natural world, the diversity of people & culture all whilst shedding light on solutions to ecological restoration. I was extremely lucky to have been a part of this team, who I still work closely today. I strongly encourage people to seek their form of ‘deep experience’ that immerses them into a deeper sense of connection with themselves and this incredible planet we share with all the other beings.”
“Whenever I think of this project, I am filled with many emotions. Carrying Gary was not an easy task, whether it was trying to summit Cathedral peak or re-doing the Otter trail because of a leaf that covered the lens. I will never forget standing very still in the Pilanesberg National Park when an elephant curiously looked at us and lifted her trunk; the thrill and excitement of this moment was unbelievable. What an experience it was to get up close with the diversity of Southern Africa…”
Words from Alistair:
“The gratitude that I hold for this project is immense. This journey was a modern-day pilgrimage of all sorts for the team and I - visiting the many natural wonders of my home country. From standing atop the Drakensberg mountains to following our early ancestors to caves from the Cederberg, all the to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
I completed the Whale Trail when I was a confused 10-year-old, and I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would retrace these steps and see this view again, but with the weight and privilege of showcasing South Africa's greatest trails on my back. This project was the beginning of this entrepreneurial journey, starting ReWild Africa. What was an 8-month assignment as the Lead Google Trekker, became a lifelong pursuit of working to protect these wild spaces, and for that - I am forever grateful. I only wish to pay it forward for others to share in a similar, life-changing journey”.
Words from Justin:
“Looking back on this feels like a dream. A dream filled with adventure, beautiful landscapes, wild animals, amazing people and a pillow fight with a baboon stuck in my hut that one time. For someone relatively new to filmmaking at the time, it was the ultimate boot camp. We needed to create a film for every park we visited, as well as collect over 200 shots from across the country for South African Tourism; such as leopards in the morning light or POV (point of view) bungee jumping, and even a Great White shark close up* (*jokes).
Our country is made up of nine amazing different biomes (or vegetation types), and to see them all within a short period of time really allowed me to appreciate how unique and diverse our country truly is. From the dry and ancient Richtersveld to the wet and wild Tsitsikamma forest. I am forever grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we embarked on, and all the amazing South Africans we met along the way that helped us carry Gary the Google Trekker.”
If you’d like to learn more about some of the incredible SANParks around South Africa, jump onto this youtube playlist to do so: from Augrabies, Addo Elephant Park, to Camdeboo and more.
Long live the Google Trekker! And long live that feeling that drives us to wild places, that creeps into our bones when we’re sitting at our desks, and pushes us to keep discovering, keep moving, and keep curious about this wondrous planet that surrounds us.
News from ReWild Africa 🐾
Our latest FreeWild Friday was in the Noordhoek wetlands, where we assisted in removing alien invasive species from the fynbos biome.
If you’re interested in working in the wild, sign up for the next ReWild Experience is happening in the Kruger National Park from 22 November 2021, to the 2 of December 2021
Register for a webinar WHY Reconnect, where co-founder Sam Chevallier will be talking around the Gaia theory, Deep Ecology and Biomimicry with Sovereign Nature.
Take a look at our Showreel if you haven't yet.
Our partners - the Global Rewilding Alliance have just shared with us an open letter on animating the carbon cycle before 2023.
If you haven't checked out Open Forests yet, please do. Here is a great article that tells their story of how they empower people to make forest projects more
Resilient, Regenerative, Responsible, Social and Inspiring.A big thank you to Discover Africa, Drive South Africa, SAN Parks and SA Tourism for making this project a reality.
Wild regards
Megan May and the ReWild team