Staff Reports
At this point, Columbus climber, writer and adventurer Walter Glover could well borrow a fitting phrase from Superman: “Up, up and away.”
Oh, he’s hardly flying, mind you. But he’s doing something which often sounds nearly as impossible: aiming to climb the world’s famed Seven Summit mountains.
It should be pointed out that such feats may sound improbable unless you’ve ever heard Glover mix inspiration and motivation in one of his books or talks.
Glover’s video talk “Let’s Go For a Little Hike” will be presented via Zoom on the Bartholomew County Public Library Facebook page at 6 p.m. Jan. 7. He will discuss his new book, “Mount Aconcagua and Mount Rainier: Seven Mountain Story Book III.” He chronicles going four vertical miles high in minus-25-degree weather in Argentina at the highest mountain range in the world outside of the Himalayan range in Nepal.
Then he turns his climbing boots back home to Mount Rainier.
And he does all this while raising awareness and money for children’s wellness initiatives, including $140,000 to date.
“There is certainly no finish line when it comes to empowering children to be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually fit to grow into well-integrated adults,” Glover has said. “And all children need and deserve that opportunity, hopefully with the light of a good mentor.”
Glover, a retired chaplain who has been climbing for more than a decade, has earned his share of accolades for his descriptive and detailed writing that included a stint in the past as a reporter at The Republic.
“I feel as though I’m back on the peak every time I read it,” said climber Bryan Blalock, who was part of the Aconcagua expedition, said of the book.
Of course, Glover’s excursions are fraught with danger. He has survived acute mountain sickness at Mount Everest, broken ribs at Mount Rainier and multiple aneurysms at Mount Aconcagua. He credits his desire to stay in good physical shape for making it into his early 70s.
His book is available locally at Viewpoint Books and also at The Ark.
