Friday 7 June 2019 16:25, UK
Super League legends Barrie McDermott and Lee Briers will be breaking new ground for rugby league when they head to the Grand Canyon to raise funds for the Steve Prescott Foundation.
The eight-day trek includes Sky Sports rugby league expert McDermott and former Warrington Wolves half-back Briers leading teams in what will be the first game of rugby league played in the Canyon on the banks of Lake Powell.
That will only be one small part of the 2019 University of Bolton Grand Canyon Trek though, which will feature climbing, rafting and paddling, along with the chance to climb and walk some of the lesser-known routes.
The trek starts on October 15 when the group fly out from Manchester to Phoenix, travelling to the South Rim Grand Canyon camp from the airport.
Day two sees the 30-strong party split into three groups of 10, walking different trails on the 3,000-foot descent into the canyon, with distances ranging from five to 18-mile round trips followed by returning to camp in the evening.
The third day is when McDermott and Briers' teams go head-to-head in a rugby league match in the Grand Canyon, followed by paddling 20 miles up lake in kayaks to a campsite on a beach overlooking the red rocks.
Day four will see the group paddle back and transfer to Buckskin Gulch, with day five seeing them tackle the 20.6-mile hike through the world's longest slot canyon.
The sixth day includes a more than 11-mile loop hike with 2,900 feet of climbing and descending before transferring to the campsite near Zion National Park.
The trek concludes with the 5.5-mile hike of Angels Landing to take in the spectacular views of Zion Canyon, with the group flying back on October 23 after a brief stopover in Las Vegas.
A limited number of places are still available for anyone who wants to join McDermott and Briers in raising funds for the Steve Prescott Foundation, which supports The Christie cancer centre in Manchester, the RFL Benevolent Fund and the SPF Special Causes Fund.
Anyone who is interested in joining the trek should email [email protected] or visit www.steveprescottfoundation.co.uk for more information.
