Enock Glidden is an American disabled athlete and professional adventurer. A

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

-based accessibility activist, he advocates for others with disabilities.

Education

Glidden received a degree from the

University of Maine at Augusta The University of Maine at Augusta (UMaine Augusta or UMA) is a public college in Augusta, Maine, United States. It is part of the University of Maine System. UMA provides baccalaureate and select associate degrees and master's degrees for re ...

, where he was the university's 2023 commencement speaker.

Career

Glidden was born with

spina bifida Spina bifida (SB; ; Latin for 'split spine') is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the vertebral column, spine and the meninges, membranes around the spinal cord during embryonic development, early development in pregnancy. T ...

, a neural tube defect that damages the spinal cord and nerves. He received his first wheelchair at the age of four. Glidden was introduced to sports at the age of 13 at Katahdin Junior High School in

Stacyville, Maine Stacyville is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States, in the foothills of Mount Katahdin. The population was 380 at the 2020 census. It achieved national prominence in 1939 when 12-year-old Donn Fendler was lost on Katahdin for nin ...

. He has participated in sports like wheelchair racing, skiing, and competitive shooting. In October 2015, Glidden climbed

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

Washington Column Washington Column is a roughly 1800-foot high rock formation, arising from Yosemite Valley. It is east of the Royal Arches, behind the Ahwahnee Hotel. North Dome is above it. Washington Column can be viewed from many points in Yosemite Valley, ...

by using a metal bar attached to a mechanical ascender. The following October, he scaled Yosemite's

El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...

after doing more than 800 pull-ups a day to train for the climb. Glidden was carried in a rescue basket and the descent took 12 hours. It was featured in the short documentary ''Enock''. Glidden rock climbs and ice climbs with Paradox Sports, which offers adaptive climbing across the United States. He also works with Maine Trail Finder to assess the accessibility of trails around the state. Glidden's blog, "Go Beyond the Fence", recounts his adventures and encourages people of all abilities to experience the outdoors.

Personal life

Glidden grew up in the town of

Patten, Maine Patten is a small town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 881. The Patten (CDP), Maine, village of Patten is in the northeastern part of the town. History The town was named for Amos Patten, a re ...

. He lives in

Bethel, Maine Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Bethel and West Bethel. The town is home to Gould Academy, a private preparatory school, and is near the Sund ...

External links

References

Living people Sportsmen with disabilities American disabled sportspeople University of Maine at Augusta alumni Sportspeople from Maine Year of birth missing (living people) People from Patten, Maine {{US-sport-bio-stub