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After a three-year hiatus, the United Way ClimbUP fundraiser is back — along with the CN Tower’s oldest stair climber.
On Monday, Walter Decker celebrated his 99th birthday. On Saturday, he plans to climb 1,776 steps to the tower’s observation deck — for the third time. This time, he’ll be joined by three more generations of family.
Decker first climbed the tower in 2015 at the age of 91. He says he raised $1,600 that year — money that goes toward addressing poverty and housing issues in the Greater Toronto Area. He completed the climb in just over 47 minutes.
“I’m sure it’s gonna take a little longer this year,” he told CBC Toronto. “I have slowed down for sure.”
Despite that, Decker isn’t worried. Three times a week, he climbs the Kenilworth Stairs up the Hamilton escarpment. It’s a habit he says he picked up more than a decade ago, shortly after his second wife died.
“I was grieving,” he said. “I needed a diversion.”
Decker says the stairs slowly transformed from emotional support, as he processed his grief, into a personal challenge. He entered his 90s looking beyond the Hamilton escarpment. Like many Ontarians looking for something bigger, he eventually turned to Toronto.
“I wanted the CN Tower,” Decker said.
‘A personal challenge’
Decker also wanted to raise money for charity. That’s where United Way Greater Toronto’s ClimbUP campaign came in: climb the tower and help residents meet their basic needs.
Thousands of people are expected to participate in this year’s stair climb, said United Way Greater Toronto executive director Daniele Zanotti.
The charity hopes to raise $1 million this weekend, which marks the first CN Tower stair climb since pandemic restrictions forced the charity to cancel in 2020.
“We’ll see how much I can raise this year,” Decker said.
Saturday will be his first climb since 2016. With his family already in town to celebrate his birthday, ClimbUP seemed like the perfect outing.
Climb will be family affair
On Saturday, Decker will be joined by his 72-year-old son, his 40-year-old grandson, and his two teenaged great-grandsons.
“We’re gonna be chugging right along, you know, there supporting each other,” said Jonathan Decker, one of his grandsons, who flew in from Seattle.
Jonathan says the family’s been training with Decker this week. He says the climb has pushed him to work toward his own fitness goals.
“It’s so inspiring. That’s just the word that comes to mind with my grandpa,” Jonathan said. “He is a powerhouse. No question.”
Decker’s son David says he was surprised when his father first told him in 2015 that he planned to climb the CN Tower. Surprised, but not skeptical.
“He knows his own mind and his own physical abilities, and so it was encouraging to hear that dad was going to want to try this,” said David.
He flew in from Los Angeles because he didn’t want to miss the opportunity: “This is going to be a treat.”
Decker says don’t expect him to climb the stairs when he’s 100. His granddaughter is getting married in San Francisco on the same weekend as the 2024 climb, so he’ll be out of town.
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