Meagan McGrath during a successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest in 2007. (Science North/Sudbury Star/Canadian Press)

An Ottawa woman Friday became the first Canadian to make a solo trek, walking and skiing, to the South Pole.

Meagan McGrath grew up in Sudbury and now lives in Ottawa.

McGrath's sponsor, Science North, said Friday she reached her goal at 3:58 p.m. ET after a 40-day journey of 1,045 kilometres from Hercules Inlet to the Pole.

Two days into her journey, in early December, McGrath fell into a crevasse, bruising her ribs, and was unsure at the time that she could continue.

But, Dec. 7, she set out again from Patriot Hills, a commercially owned base camp in the continent, to resume her journey, which had been put on hold for four days.

McGrath, an aerospace engineer and a major in Canada's air force, has successfully taken on a number of other challenging expeditions, including a 2007 climb to the summit of Mount Everest and a trek to the North Pole. During her Everest adventure she was hailed as a hero when, on her way down the mountain, she helped rescue a sick Nepalese woman climber.

She is the youngest Canadian on record to climb the "seven summits," the highest mountain on every continent.

"I am extremely proud of Meagan McGrath and everything she has overcome to achieve this extraordinary feat," said Jim Marchbank, Science North CEO Friday.

"Meagan is a real scientist doing real science when she embarks on these expeditions, and Science North is honoured to have the opportunity to follow her and share her discoveries and achievements with members of the public, including youth.

"I look forward to congratulating her on such an outstanding personal success," he said in a statement on Science North's website.

McGrath is expected to camp for several days at the South Pole until a flight is arranged to pick her up and bring her home.