Mountain woman
She's aiming to conquer world's high spots
It's a slow creep to the summit, blindingly white ridges dropping into haze, and cyclones of snow swirling the scenery.
Many times, temperatures get so raw that toes ache to the bone, jacket zippers freeze shut, and hair crystallizes.
To endure the journey, Lei Wang focuses on the simple: Synchronizing her breath, thinking only about the next step, and not - no matter how tempting it is - calculating time.
"When you start climbing, it seems impossible," said Wang, a 36-year-old Somerville resident who aims to reach nine of the most extreme points in the world. "You seem so weak, so small, and nature seems so powerful. But slowly, one step after another, you overcome."
Known as the "Seven Plus Two" challenge, the grueling mission consists of scaling the highest peak on each continent - called the Seven Summits - and crossing the last degrees of the icy, snowy North and South poles on cross-country skis. Only about a dozen people in the world have accomplished it.
Wang, a US citizen who grew up in what she considers an unathletic China, aspires to be the first woman to complete the arduous expedition. She also seeks to become the first Asian-American woman to scale the septuplet of towering mountains.
Starting her quest in 2003, Wang since has reached the summits of Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and Denali (Mount McKinley), and plans to complete the remainder of the challenge by the middle of next year.
But she insists it is much more than a test of might and determination, or even the thrill of digging an ice ax into 20,000-foot peaks.
Instead, she calls herself a normal person with average athletic ability who has chased a literally lofty dream - and her hope is to inspire other average people to go after the so-called "impossible."
"It's only you," the 5-foot-2-inch climber said between bites of a crab cake sandwich and plantains at a Billerica restaurant.
"You're the only one who can tell you you're strong, and that you can do it."
Chiefly, she's motivated by her heritage, she said. Born in Southern China and raised in Beijing, her memory of Asia is of a strict and limited society with no emphasis on physical activity beyond lackadaisical runs.
"All we know is 'work hard,' " Wang said, explaining that much of her childhood involved constant study.
Still embedded in that ethos, her parents can't understand her quest, she said. They think it's unnecessary and dangerous. So, when she talks with them over the phone, Wang often edits the details and potential risks pertaining to her challenge.
And good thing, because the climbs have been quite severe at times: She described days relegated to tents because mountainsides were a haze of white, and extreme cold that flash-froze water.
In addition to the physical challenges, good climbers have to prepare their minds for the tedium - and sometimes boredom - of eight straight hours of ascension. "It's mentally very hard," Wang said. "Sometimes you can be very physically strong, but you give up mentally."
Endurance is another key factor - and Wang appears to have a bottomless well of it, according to her running and climbing partner, fellow Somerville resident Mark Shiffer.
On most measures of fitness, she's average, Shiffer said. "But in terms of endurance, she is just completely unequaled. She may be slow but she can go for a very long time."
It's a strength she's definitely going to need over the next six months, with a full lineup of mountains to conquer.
She plans to tackle Carstensz Pyramid on the island of New Guinea this month, then the remaining peaks - including the behemoth Everest - by next spring.
In the process, she'll also cross both polar ice caps on skis while lugging a 100-pound sled. Each of the treks, which will take roughly 10 days, may be the most trying part of her quest, as both will cover blank ice masses spanning all directions with no landmarks.
Still, Shiffer noted, "I'm willing to bet she does extremely well in that situation - a slow, steady march forever."
But things didn't start out quite so intense. Her first step was a recreational climb of Kilimanjaro in Africa in 2003 - and she barely made it up the mountain.
Disappointed by her physical weakness, Wang returned home to a rigorous running schedule. Later, after seeing the documentaries, "Touching the Void" and "The Women of K2," she set a goal to climb the seven monster peaks.
"I gave up everything not related to climbing," said Wang, noting her former affinities for such pastimes as horse riding and golf. "It's taken over my life."
Indeed, when she's not working as a product specialist at Charles River Development, a Burlington-based management and investment firm, she's training: She runs three times a week, climbs at MetroRock in Everett twice a week, and hikes on weekends.
Her expedition, which she estimates will cost $250,000 between equipment, guides, and travel, has also taken over her finances; she's seeking sponsors to help absorb some of those expenses.
When she finally completes the taxing journey, though, she has no plans to hang up her climbing gear. Someday, she wants to do a full crossing of the North and South poles, and she'd like to tackle Everest more than once.
She intends to share her story from the motivational podium, too. Scaling the world's highest mountains has given her a fresh viewpoint on overcoming life's obstacles, Wang said, and she'd like to pass it along.
"I feel confident about myself, and positive about everything I do," she said. "People ask me, 'What do you fear?' " With a shrug, she said, "I don't know." 