Sean McGrath stepped onto Bailey Park Landing, took a deep breath and exclaimed, &uot;I can smell the jambalaya now.&uot; Though weary from traveling 371 miles by ski from Memphis, Tenn., Friday, McGrath felt a new invigoration upon landing in Natchez Friday night. The Mississippi Challenge is downhill from here.

&uot;After skiing 371 miles, I’m surprised that I still feel good,&uot; Sean said. &uot;I’ll probably collapse when I get to the motel, however.&uot;

Sean and his brother Brenton began their ski trip in Minnesota on Monday. There is a cast of 46 supporters making the trip by boat or van.

&uot;We have boats custom built by Baja Marine and four motors supplied by Mercury Marine,&uot; said Pete Johnson, who is a spokesman for the trip. &uot;Despite hitting all kind of debris and limbs, we are still using the same two motors we started with.&uot;

And it was obvious from all of the hugs and kisses at Natchez-Under-the-Hill there will be no stopping this team from reaching its final destination, the Gulf of Mexico.

&uot;The easiest part is ahead since we are so close,&uot; Brenton said.

In 1996, the McGrath brothers skied the Murray River in Australia, which is close to 1,900 miles long.

The McGrath brothers were joined on that trip by Neville Wilson and Ross Salmon.

Wilson died of stomach cancer in January, and the McGrath brothers have dedicated their trip down the Mississippi to him.

&uot;The toughest part has been not having Neville along on the trip to talk to,&uot; Sean said. &uot;On our other trips we would be side by side talking the whole way. It’s tough looking over and not having him there.&uot;

Wilson’s final request was to have his ashes thrown into the Gulf of Mexico.

&uot;It really has been an emotional trip,&uot; said Brenton, who is a leukemia survivor.

&uot;Brenton and Neville are two reasons enough to spur me on to complete this event,&uot; Sean said. &uot;In 1999 I became a father for the first time and my whole world has changed. Now I, along with my wife, have the responsibility to look after our son and our daughter who was born this year.

&uot;If I can set in motion something that will aid the search for a cure to leukemia, then I believe this is a noble cause,&uot; Sean said. &uot;When my time is up, I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say that I have lived a good life and mankind is better off for me being a part of it. The satisfaction is in knowing I have done something that could someday save the life of a child, maybe even my own.&uot;

A six-person film crew, Rum Jungle Media Inc., is following the pair down the river and providing updates on the Web site www.mississippichallenge.better.net.au.

A documentary is also in the works.

&uot;We’ve been working on this for four years, and we’ll make it in just six days,&uot; Johnson said.

Johnson said money he is unsure how much money has been raised at this point of the trip.

&uot;We’re raising money in Australia and we’re also selling T-shirts and getting donations along the trip,&uot; he said.

And you can count on their completing this trip. Crocodile Dundee couldn’t have done it better.

Joey Martin is sports editor of The Democrat. He can be reached by calling 446-5172 ext. 232 or at joey.martin@natchezdemocrat.com.