The word Ascend means to go up, to elevate. We might say "the plane ascended" but we'd be pretty careful when applying that word to something a person would do. Unless you're Shakespeare you wouldn't normally say "I ascended the ladder" because that's too grand a word to use for something that is about a simple change in elevation. We would just say - "I climbed the ladder."
However - we would use that word at the Coronation of a Queen or King when they "ascend" the throne. In that context - what is happening is far more profound than simply going up some steps and sitting down. What is happening there is not a simple change in altitude - its a change in authority and relationship.
About 40 days after Jesus' resurrection we are told that He ascended to the right hand of the father. He did this visibly in front of a group of people - literally going up into the clouds. Why did Jesus choose to return to the Father in such a visible manner - perhaps to show us physically something that was happening cosmically that made the relationship we can have with Him infintely more personal and powerful.
