CODY, Wyo. — Two college wrestlers continue to recover after they were mauled by a grizzly bear while hiking in Wyoming over the weekend.
Cedar City native Brady Lowry and Kendell Cummings from Evanston, Wyoming were with two of their Northwest College teammates, hunting for shed antlers on the South Fork near Bobcat-Houlihan Trail on Saturday.
"There was four of us on the mountain, we're all shed hunting and then towards the end of the day we decided it was getting late," said Cummings.
As the group made their way down the trail, Cummings said they came across one area where Lowry told him a grizzly bear might be.
"A bear, just like almost immediately after he said it, jumped out of the bushes, got right on top of him," said Cummings.
Cummings was about 10-15 feet away from his teammate when the attack began. He said he stepped in to help, yelling at the bear and grabbing sticks and rocks to throw to get the animal off his friend.
When that didn't work, he walked up to the bear and grabbed a hold of its ears before it turned and looked at him.
"My heart sank, I took a few steps back and then it took one great big step towards me and knocked me on the ground, and then pushed me up against the trees and started chewing on me," said Cummings.
The bear eventually left, only to return again.
"That's when he started to get my head and my face," Cummings recalled.
After the bear left the area again, the group was able to call 911.
"I thought I was going die, I was panicking," said Cummings.
With the help of their teammates August Harrison and Odin Jackson, as well as a local resident and a hunter, the two attacked by the grizzly were able to meet up with search and rescue members.
Lowry was taken by ambulance to the hospital, while Cummings was airlifted with multiple injuries.
"Sixty-some staples in my head and then my cheek is stitched up here, got my neck, but not very good, in my arms and my legs, they have there stitched clear across," said Cummings, describing his wounds.
Through it all, Cummings says the support from his wrestling teammates has been awesome.
"The first day I was here, my whole team was in here making sure I was all right and talking with me and stuff, my coach came by," he shared.
Teammates, like Harrison, have been right by his side the whole time.
"I'm just glad I was able to get them off the mountain and that we are able to still be here today and tell stories about it later, I mean I would really do anything for my friends," said Harrison.
For Cummings, he says he is thankful to be alive.
"I'm glad to be here," said Cummings. "I thought that was it."
Northwest College has set up an official fundraising website for Lowry and Cummings to assist in paying for their medical expenses.
