Stairs That Tell a Story: Glenora Stairs

Location: 97 Avenue and 109 Street
Stair Count: 202

Glenora Stairs.

Those two words alone can make half of Edmonton cringe just hearing them spoken aloud. Fitness boot-camps and athletes conditioning their bodies for events often use these stairs as exercise equipment. I've watched individuals with backpacks go up and down, then up and down again. I do not envy them.

One of the busier sets of stairs in the city, I think the only time I've been there without it being clogged with people was in early Covid days. Their downtown location makes them well-used year-round. In addition to physical fitness, they connect pedestrians to the High Level Bridge and LRT foot-bridge. The gravel parking lot--if you're lucky enough to find a spot--is free* and without a time-limit; I park there regularly when I have appointments in the area. The view from the top--or any of its steps, really--overlooks the river across to the forested south banks, and is prime real estate from which to watch the Canada Day fireworks.

For several years, I spent my summer months working as a community aide for a young boy on the autism spectrum. We went on outings daily, and more than once, we hit up the wading pool and splash deck of the Legislature grounds. Keen to make the most of any outing, I would purposely park in that gravel lot at the bottom of the stairs, making the stairs part of the excursion. Like most 4-year-olds, he loved counting when there was lots of something. Unlike most 4-year-olds, he could count significantly higher than 10 with accuracy.

So.

One morning, we counted our way up Glenora Stairs. 1... 2... 3...

The stair case has landings at two mid-way points, but he had no intention of stopping for a break on either of them.

74... 75... 76... 

Some of the other stair-users passed us on their way up. Others appreciated an excuse for the slower pace of this preschooler on a mission, and followed along behind us.

And eventually: 200... 201... 202!

At the very top landing, where the stairs spill out onto Constable Ezio Faraone Park, my charge let out a dramatic breath and groan like he'd just summited Mount Everest. The adults in earshot--myself included--chuckled; I exclaimed something along the lines of "we did it!"; and we continued on our way to the Legislature grounds.

I'm pretty sure he didn't think about those stairs again until we descended them to go home. My legs, on the other hand, reminded me of that climb for the rest of the day.

Yes, Glenora Stairs sees a lot of foot traffic; a conduit and corridor for getting people from here to there, top to bottom, bottom to top. Take them with breaks, or take them all in one shot. Take in the view as well.

And whether you're 4 or 40, when you reach the top, pause long enough to take a deep breath; you did it!

 

 

 

*The cost is actually ascending those stairs (or the steep incline of the Legislature's back road), because everything you might be doing in the area is UP.