Oregon mountain bikers survive encounter with grizzlies on trail south of Anchorage

Ore. cyclists survive encounter with Alaska bears

PORTLAND, Ore. — A mountain biker from Portland says he and his companions survived a hairy encounter with a grizzly sow and her two cubs on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.

Kyle Eisenbach, Tyler Nord and Nord’s fiancee, Kimi Elliott, were biking on the Resurrection Pass Trail on Tuesday. They pulled around a blind corner and almost ran over the three bears sunning themselves. Eisenbach told The Oregonian that the bear gashed Elliott’s shoulder.

Eisenbach and Nord began screaming at the bear, which advanced on them. Nord slipped and the sow pounced, puncturing his leg with its claws.

Nord finally managed to spray the bear with bear spray and it walked off. The three bandaged themselves with a first-aid kit and drove to an Anchorage emergency room.

Information from: The Oregonian, www.oregonlive.com