Nine Grizzly Bears in Two Days // World Bicycle Touring Episode 47

We took a slight detour on our bicycle tour through Alaska to explore Denali National Park. While we were there, the Denali Park Road was closed temporarily at the midpoint due to the Pretty Rocks Landslide. However, hikers and cyclists were able to walk 5 miles around the road closure to access the far reaches of the park. Experiencing the heart of the park without any vehicle traffic was such a privilege and a truly incredible cycling journey. The wildlife was unreal (we saw 9 grizzly bears in 2 days!) and the scenery was jaw-dropping in every direction.
It feels like we say this about a lot of places, but Denali was by far a huge highlight of our world bicycling tour!
Instagram: / rollingexistence
Bicycle gear list below. We're running a mix of traditional panniers and bikepacking bags.
2020 Surly Ogres
36h Rohloff Speedhubs
36h Son 28 Dynamo hubs
Ryde Andra 40 rims
Marathon GT365 29x2.0 tires
Avid BB7 brakes, 200mm front, 160mm rear
Sinewave Cycles Beacon headlight/USB charger
Ergon SMC Core (Andrew) Terry Butterfly Century (Jenny) saddles
Rogue Panda custom frame bags
Ortlieb Back Rollers Plus rear panniers
Bedrock Bags Hermosa front panniers
Tubus Cargo rear rack (Andrew), Tubus Logo Classic (Jenny)
Planet Bike AL fenders
Camera Gear:
Fuji X-T4
Fujinon 16-80 mm f/4- Fujinon 23 mm f/2 prime
GoPro Hero 8 Black w/Media Mod + DIY windscreen
Rode VideoMic Pro
Mavic Mini 1 drone
Music Credits:
Purrple Cat - Cold Pizza
Provided by Lofi Girl
Watch: • Cold Pizza
Purrple Cat - Falling Star
Provided by Lofi Girl
Watch: • Falling Star
Purrple Cat - Lunar Eclipse
Provided by Lofi Girl
Watch: • Lunar Eclipse
Purrple Cat - Too Tired
Provided by Lofi Girl
Watch: • Too Tired
Purrple Cat - Tabula Rasa
Provided by Lofi Girl
Watch: • Tabula Rasa

[@VeloObscura]

Denali looks so awesome. It's bittersweet that the buses will be back by now. That's a weird one to unpack, as although I'd rather have it to myself - scaring the bears away might be a good thing!

[@DavidMcleavy-j1t]

Admire what u are doing , inspiring !!!, gives me a lot of pleasure , and joy in youre presentation. Safe riding.

[@TristWallace]

Ive watched a lot of bike touring channels and I think you guys seem to have the most efficient setup as far as bikes and equipment goes. Those helmet hats are probably a huge skin-saver on the face!

[@outtatrex]

Thanks so much for this video, I really enjoyed it, and I love how you edited it, beautiful video, and very interesting to learn more about Denali National Park. I noticed your kinda nervous laugh when you said, " Yeah , lots of bears here... " I am glad you survived ! Cheers !

[@MrJx4000]

That was amazing, can't wait for the next one.

[@RollingExistence]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@rabh6746]

What an incredible place and the nature is mind blowing👌Nothing like some huge grizzly bears to get the heart pumping and the adrenalin flowing to tackle those hills😉Awesome video guys👍

[@Rino-bicycle]

you didn't seem to have too many flies, I was surprise you did not wear just sandals to cross the little brook. Very nice sceneries.

[@garypalmer2066]

I backpacked Denali NP three summers in 1978,79 and 2006 June July and August. It's beautiful park.

[@chrislonsberry1974]

I rode back to Wonder Lake in 2010. The road was open then. It’s a shame it was closed when you were there. It’s a beautiful ride, a beautiful place! I will always remember that trip.

[@SlowMovingSaddles]

Thanks for sharing ❤ Love your videos!

[@garypalmer2066]

I bikepacked from Cantwell just outside Denali NP in August 2006 after working part of the summer there, down to Homer Spit then back to Seward and took a ferry to Valdez then back to Anchorage 1300 miles in 4 weeks.

[@titoune1469]

Nice to see you again. Seems like your trip is getting closer to the arrival point… Enjoy !!!! 👍👍👍

[@horizontaal]

The moment you realize you could be prey, that changes your whole perception. Scary and exciting. But I think your polar sombreros might scare them off ;)

[@vibnwis]

Amazing

[@biketouringnature]

Nice video! So beautiful.

[@df7816]

I love you two. I've watched it all. Hey _ the fish is cool. I really like the fish. Show more of the fish . X

[@RollingExistence]

Haha thanks, we were hoping people could see it. Andrew catches a few in the video we will release in the next couple weeks.

[@BlueFlyer83]

Wonderful video, as always. But I have a burning question...where are you guys now if this was filmed in July last year?

[@RollingExistence]

We have ended our around the world tour after 2.5 years on the road and are slowly working through our footage.

[@BlueFlyer83]

@@RollingExistence glad to hear you're doing well! We look forward to seeing the rest of your trip!

[@ART-qw9ds]

👍

[@touchitstrokeside]

Awesome video guys, interested in what you did with your bikes when camping in bear country. Did you put them 150m away? Or just leave them next to your tent and put all your food elsewhere? Doesn’t look like too many trees to hang your food from! Did you have any trouble falling asleep? 😅

[@RollingExistence]

We kept our bikes next to our tent but stored all of our food/scented items in an Ursack (Kevlar bear-proof bag) about 100m away from our tent. We also cooked our food 100m away from where we were camping. In Denali we were luckily able to find a tree every night to tie our Ursack to. Camping in grizzly country definitely had us on edge! Every squirrel sounded like a huge animal and we were always scanning the horizon for bears. Quite an experience but our stress levels were pretty high!

[@youngsikjun6274]

❤❤❤

[@ForkNLeans]

❤

[@AlyssaMaeFriend]

Were you guys in shape before leaving on this journey? I have so many questions whenever I watch your videos lol aren't you starving hungry every day?

[@RollingExistence]

We were not in shape before starting, we just started slow and only did 30-40 miles a day to begin with.

[@clickbaitnumberone1403]

Good one. Will your tour be finished when arriving back in the states?

[@RollingExistence]

Yes, we have now ended our 2.5 year tour after riding the GDMBR to Colorado. We're slowly working our way through the footage.

[@Mariancerveraruiz-ls9zn]

😊

[@ForkNLeans]

Was that a bear in that creek at around 7:39 mins ?

[@RollingExistence]

No, thankfully it was a caribou!

[@ForkNLeans]

@@RollingExistence ok. I was like what was that! Lol.. beautiful to see the bears ..glad you took us because I'm afraid but wow 😁

[@williamoshaughnessy9995]

That's the life ,my dream is what u do,do you have any advice