Born with spina bifida, Enock Glidden is a Maine-based disabled athlete, adventurer, motivational speaker, and an advocate for others with disabilities. He works at Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation. An accomplished rock climber, he has completed an ascent of the Zodiac route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, has a goal to summit Mt. Rainier, and is planning to explore the Grand Canyon in the coming years. Closer to home, Enock has been a vocal advocate for improving the accessibility of Maine’s trails. He partnered with the Natural Resources Council of Maine to get the Maine Trails Bond passed by the Legislature, with a strong focus on accessibility for all. “Everyone should have choices. That includes people with disabilities,” says Glidden.
He is excited about the potential for the Trails Bond to encourage construction of new, much-needed accessible trails and also to improve those trails that already exist to make them more accessible. “I hope it goes a long way to opening up access for future generations,” Enock says. “I want to give people what I didn’t have. I want to make the world better than I found it. That’s what I think this Trails Bond will do. Make Maine better than we found it.”
Enock also serves as an Accessibility Ambassador for Maine Trail Finder where he has visited trails across the state to provide honest reviews on their accessibility for people in wheelchairs. Visit mainetrailfinder.com to read his reviews and find an accessible trail near you.
—Colin Durrant, NRCM Strategic Communications Director