116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Eastern Iowa woman takes on world's highest mountains
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Nov. 26, 2013 11:30 am
To train for her hobby, Jen Loeb heads to the gym to take on the Stair Master. While carrying a homemade sandbag on her back.
Loeb, 37, is a mountain climber with lofty dreams. She wants to be one of the first Iowans to climb the Seven Summits - a challenge that involves reaching the summits of the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.
Training in Iowa, noticeably devoid of mountains, makes it hard to prepare for the physical demands that come with altitude, which is why Loeb came up with the sandbag method. Right now she works out with a 36-pound-pack. Earlier this year, when she was preparing to climb Denali, the highest peak in North America, she carried over 50 pounds on her back.
“I get some strange looks at the gym,” she said. “But let me tell you, when I'm standing on top of a mountain, it's worth every strange look.”
In the last three years, Loeb has reached the summit of three of the peaks - Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Denali in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina.
That leaves Elbrus in Russia, Vinson in Antarctica, Puncak Jaya, also known as the Carstensz Pyramid, in Indonesia, Kosciusko in Australia and Everest in Nepal.
Yes, that is actually a total of eight mountains. That's because some people say Kosciusko, on the Australian mainland, should count as that continent's highest mountain. Others say the much higher island mountain Puncak Jaya should qualify. Loeb said she figures she should climb both to cover all her bases.
She hopes to knock one more mountain off the list by the end of the year - she's planning to leave to climb Kosciusko in mid-December, along with plans to climb peaks throughout New Zealand to gain experience.
Taking on the Seven Summits challenge was not one she did lightly. The Mount Everest climb alone costs $65,000 just to sign up for the expedition. Each major expedition requires her to take two or three weeks off work. She wouldn't say how much she has spent on gear - things like specially-designed boots, ice axes and sleeping bags rated to withstand sub-zero temperatures - but did say she could have bought a car with what she's spent.
“I mulled it over for a really long time - can I afford it, can I do if physically?” she said. “Finally, I thought, ‘How many people get the chance to do this?'”
She said even if she can't make it to the top of the formidable Everest, she's glad she's trying.
“There are a million things that have to happen between now and then,” she said. “But even if I don't make it, it's still an amazing experience.”
Loeb, who works for General Mills in Cedar Rapids, lives in rural Marengo. Though she could do more climbing in a state like Colorado, the Jesup native said Iowa is home, and staying near family and friends is a priority.
Traveling around the world to climb mountains helps reinforce that priority, she said.
“When you're a long way from the comforts of home and the ones you love, all the frivolous things in life are stripped away, and you realize what really matters,” she said.
So why go at all? She said its hard to explain what drives her to keep climbing.
“It's a really incredible feeling to stand up so high,” she said. “I enjoy the challenge, just pushing myself mentally and physically.”