That is extremely unusual behaviour for a wolf! Especially the part about "More cars began to pull up and honk at the wolf, but he would not leave my bike, as though he thought it was his kill. It took someone finally beaning him in the head with a rock to get him to leave."

Mountain biking has become quite popular here in Alaska. However, cyclists are to some extent at greater risk of dangerous wildlife encounters (moose, bear, wolves) than hikers. Riding a bike one is moving fast, relatively quiet, and probably somewhat more focused on the next bit trail than what else is around you. This makes it easier to get into a bad situation before you realize it. In recent years there has been one girl seriously injured when she bumped into a griz while biking. There was also an interesting You Tube video recently of some bikers charged by a moose.

On another note, it will be interesting to hear how these guys do when they get to the Dalton Highway (the "Haul Road") to Prudhoe. If they found the Cassiar Highway challenging on a bicycle they will really enjoy the Dalton. That being said, I know it is sometimes done on bikes. I've been on both the Cassiar and the Dalton (in a pick up and a van, respectively), and the Dalton was a far worse road, in my experience.