Posted: Nov 05, 2009 09:50 am EST
(ThePoles.com) This Antarctic season several Everest summiteers will be challenging themselves on the biggest ice cap in the world; Meagan McGrath is one of them.

This Canadian woman will ski the 1130 km from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole solo, unsupported and unassisted. She spoke to ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer about how and why she decided to ski to the SP, about her trainers and training, about the solo challenge, her safety equipment and special treats in her sled.

ExplorersWeb: What is your cold weather background?

Meagan: Growing up in Sudbury, Ontario, I grew up with cold temperatures. Temperatures as low as –40°C during the winter are not uncommon, and the average Sudburian realizes that life goes on, even in the cold.

Working in cold temperatures is something a Northern Ontario person does because that is life. My cold weather upbringing has made me comfortable in dealing with cold temperatures. I’ve participated in winter camping, high altitude mountaineering, and an expedition to the North Pole.

I’ve been to Antarctica previously, conducting a mountaineering expedition to Vinson Massif, and discovered how cold it can get. I was excited and intrigued by the ferocity of the cold – I was well prepared then, and I am well prepared now.

ExplorersWeb: Why did you decide to ski to the South Pole?

Meagan: Haha! Well, you might not believe this, but I was at Everest Base Camp, waiting for my summit push. A thoughtful guy from Australia, Paul Adler, had brought some books with him for the purpose of a small base camp library.

Many of the books were mystery and murder stories, and I was looking for something a bit light. Lo and behold there was a book about a guy who undertook a polar adventure. I was reading the book in my hot, yellow tent, when the guy reached the South Pole.

I had a “Eureka” moment! I knew that this was to be my next adventure!

I had been looking for something to do after Mount Everest. I had always thought about a polar adventure, but didn’t know what was involved. As I read the book of this fellow making his way to the South Pole and the preparations involved, I realized that the skills required were very similar to those for a high-altitude mountaineering expedition.

Next to our camp, was a Lhotse expedition and I knew that one of the gentlemen on the expedition, Will Cross, had been to the South Pole. I bought him some apple pie in exchange for some information on what a South Pole expedition involved, and this was the beginning of my serious consideration of the expedition.

ExplorersWeb: How did you physically train for this expedition?

Meagan: I’ve been weight training and cycling and running. I’ve tried pulling a tire, but pulling a tire in downtown Ottawa (Canada’s capital city) is difficult to do without interruption from curious pedestrians.

ExplorersWeb: What psychological preparation have you done?

Meagan: I’m a strong believer in visualization. It could be from my sports background, or something I learned along the way – but in any case, I visualize and go over the expedition again and again in my head.

The challenge of being alone for approx 45 days is difficult to practice, but I’m doing my best with my visualization skills.

ExplorersWeb: When things go tough on the ice, what will keep you going?

Meagan: Knowing that I have folks back home who are cheering me on is the biggest and best motivator. I was brought up with a sense of commitment to challenges. I was taught that once I started something, I had better finish. This philosophy has kept me going in some tough spots before, and should I require a bit of motivation – the commitment to completing a goal will keep me going.

ExplorersWeb: Did you have a polar trainer/ mentor/ somebody you got information from about the route and conditions on Antarctica?

Meagan: Yes – absolutely! I’ve been very fortunate to receive advice from some of the best polar travelers out there. Christian Eide, Ray Zahab, Richard Weber, Margot Talbot and John Huston.

ExplorersWeb: What advice did you get for this expedition that you haven’t knew before?

Meagan: I certainly had a general sense of what’s involved to complete this expedition before I committed to it. What I’ve learned from the experts, however, are the finer points – you know what they say, “The devil’s in the details.”

Getting a grip on how much fuel I’ll be using per day, and learning about the best type of stove, sled, skis for a polar expedition in Antarctica has been particularly helpful in tightening down the expedition.

ExplorersWeb: What do you think will be your greatest challenge on Antarctica?

Meagan: Monotony. I think monotony will be tricky to deal with.

When I did the Marathon des Sables (running through the Moroccan Sahara Desert for 7 days), I thought that the routine of waking up, running, eating and going to bed was getting a little long. Now I’ll be doing something similar for 45 days!

Fortunately, I have some strategies to alleve this aspect of the expedition. Although I’m great company (LOL!!), I’ll have some comedians on my mp3 player – voices in my head who are much funnier than I am!

I tested the strategy of comedians on my mp3 player during my April 2009 North Pole expedition and it worked like a charm! It really helped break up the long days.

ExplorersWeb: What are you looking forward to?

Meagan: My job has kept me quite busy throughout the summer and fall: lots of phone calls, meetings, and a lack of physical exercise. As a result, I’m looking forward to exercise the most. I can’t wait to be using my body on a day-to-day basis. My body likes to move and work hard!

ExplorersWeb: Have you done solo expeditions before?

Meagan: Yes, I’ve done much shorter solo expeditions. When I’m dropped off on the ice at Hercules Inlet, I know I’ll be really anxious about what’s to come. I’ve felt this way before, and this expedition won’t be any different. Once I get a routine in place, however, I’ll relax and be able to get in some great mileage.

ExplorersWeb: Not anybody can do a solo. Why do you think you can?

Meagan: I come with the necessary technical skill to undertake a polar expedition. When it comes to the solo aspect, being a single gal seems to help.

It seems to me that a lot of people aren’t comfortable with themselves, and they require distractions from their thoughts, whether that be in the form of other people being around or music or whatever. Me, I’ve spent lots of time by myself. I know how I talk to myself for motivation, and for comfort.

ExplorersWeb: When is you planned start date (weather permitted)?

Meagan: I plan to start around 28/29 November 2009.

ExplorersWeb: For how many days do you take food?

Meagan: I’ll only have 45 days to conduct the expedition, and I’ll be bringing food for 50 days.

ExplorersWeb: How heavy will you sled be?

Meagan: I’ve been calculating weights recently, and have determined that my sled and backpack should weigh around 80kgs. I’m still working on the numbers, so this isn’t a final figure, but it’s a decent estimate.

ExplorersWeb: Do you have special treats?

Meagan: Oh yes! My friend, Lara Vaarre is a renowned chocolatier in Ottawa, Ontario. She is the owner/operator of “Truffle Treasures”, a chocolate store that has received some well-deserved acclaim and has served her chocolates to the Queen, Prime Ministers and Presidents. I’m very fortunate that she is my chocolate sponsor for this expedition.

ExplorersWeb: Have you gained weight? If yes, how much?

Meagan: Well, I’ve never been a super-model, so I don’t have to gain too much weight! At this point, I’m slightly heavier than my average weight. I continue to train and ensure that my core is strong. I’ll soon begin to increase my calorie intake, and gain weight in preparation for the arduous physical effort in Antarctica.

ExplorersWeb: What safety equipment will you have with you?

Meagan: I will have two EMS Satcom beacons. Each will be loaded with the same “pinging” timings. One will be used regularly; the other will be an emergency beacon (should something happen to the other).

I will also carry two Iridium Satellite phones. The Iridium satphone is a valued piece of gear, as it will provide contact with the outside world, especially in the event of an emergency.

In 2002 Meagan McGrath started her quest for the Seven Summits, which she achieved in January 2008 on top of Carstenz Pyramid in Indonesia. She also climbed Kosciuszko, Australia (April 2006) as part of the Seven Summits. On 21 May 2007 she stood on top of Mount Everest.

Meagan completed the 245.3 km Marathon Des Sables in the Moroccan section of the Sahara Desert; a seven-day run equivalent to five and a half regular marathons. She ran and walked on uneven rocky, stony ground, and sand dunes in temperatures up to 48°C.

At the end of November 2009 Meagan will take on a new challenge by skiing solo from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in temperatures in the opposite scale of the thermometer.

Canadian Meagan McGrath was born in 1977 and lives in Ottawa, Ontario where she works as an Aerospace Engineer at the Canadian Air Force (she holds the rank of major). Her favourite book she says, is hands down “Miles from Nowhere“ by Barbara Savage. Meagan’s favourite movies are “Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Go”. Her favourite food changes all the time and this week it was Indian. On her mp3 player she will have all kinds of tunes, but she is into Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” album for training; and, she says, she can do mellow, groovy stuff like on the various artist “Chillout 2002” album.

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