At 80 years old, Muhammad Iqbal is always willing to step up when it comes to helping people in his native Pakistan.

This year, however, he'll be stepping up several thousand times as he climbs Grouse Mountain to raise money for that country's flood victims.

Holding his walking poles and wearing a banner around his chest, Iqbal made his first of 20 planned hikes up the Grouse Grind Tuesday with his nine-year-old grandson at his side, raising $800 with that hike alone.

In all, he hopes to bring in $16,000 by the time hiking season ends less than two months from now.

"People think anyone who's 80, he's probably dying, he's in a seniors home or a nursing home or something like this," said Iqbal.

"I am fortunate I'm in very good health. I've done (the Grind) several hundred times over the years."

Iqbal moved to Canada 51 years ago to do his PhD at McGill University before he landed a job at UBC teaching mechanical engineering, but much of his family, including his brothers and sisters, still lives in Pakistan.

He said a family home was flooded with a few feet of water, but thankfully nobody was hurt. Still, he knows many others have died or have lost their homes completely.

"The people in Pakistan are very close to me," said Iqbal. "We have to look after our family, relatives, friends and community, and then the whole world at large."

The money is being raised through a small charity called the Maria-Helena Foundation, which he has run for about 11 years.

So far he believes he's raised about $5,000 for flood relief through the Grouse Grind plan as well as about $12,000 through fundraising he did prior to starting the hikes.

And he plans to keep raising money, one step at a time.

More information is available on the charity's website, www.mariahelenafoundation.org.

tholloway@nsnews.com