McGrath falls heavily into a crevasse
Published on 07.12.2009 - Antarctic Odyssey
Although she has only just begun her trek from Hercules Inlet, Meagan McGrath has already suffered a heavy fall into a crevasse, where she was trapped for 8 hours before being rescued.
Somewhere out there, there is undoubtedly a god who looks after the fearless  like our Canadian Air Force officer, Meagan McGrath. She had barely left Hercules Inlet (where she was dropped off on 1st December by the ALE logistics team) and was in great shape and highly confident about her physical abilities, when the following day and in full flight as it were, she plunged into a crevasse that she hadn't been able to locate in time.
Fortunately, she was still quite close to the base at Patriot Hills. According to the report from ALE, Meagan spent several hours trapped in the crevasse. When she realised that she would be unable to free herself by her own devices, she used her satellite phone to request assistance from Patriot Hills. McGrath reported that she was cold and soaked through, but not injured.
A four-member team from Patriot Hills set out to find McGrath, maintaining telephone contact with her every thirty minutes.
After spending eight hours trapped in the crevasse, McGrath was taken to Patriot Hills, where a medical examination revealed nothing more serious than contusions to her ribs. A member of the rescue team also managed to recover all of McGrath's equipment.
On 6th December, having recovered from her minor injuries at Patriot Hills, and after weighing up the pros and cons with the ALE specialists, the intrepid Canadian adventurer told the world that she would be continuing her trek and would make a fresh start on her solo journey to the South Pole.
