Local man bitten by rattler
Z ach W h alen o f
Lexington had intended to
catch a snake as a trophy, but
ended up getting much more
than he bargained for—a bite
Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
on
the finger, a close call, a
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
series of anti-venom shots
University o f Oregon
and
a ride in a helicopter.
Eugene, OR 97403
W halen, 21, said
he was snake hunting up
Rhea Creek last Wednesday
with a friend, Sam Martin,
when they came upon a rat
tler. They caught the snake,
which turned out to be a
Timber Rattler, put it in a
plastic sack, tied it up, then Zach Whalen, bitten h\ a rattler at his home in Lexington
put it in a pillow case and
tied it up again. They were
looking for more rattlers, but
couldn’t find anything, so
headed home w ith the snake
in the bag.
“ I really don’t know
why we caught it,” said
Whalen. “The whole pur
pose was to skin it with its
head and all, stretch it and
tack it to a board.” He left
the snake at Martin’s house
and then came back the next
day to check it out. “ 1 was
showing it off and it w rig-
gled out of my grip, turned
Whalen shows his injured finger
around and bit my finger
with one fang,” he said. and ran down to GD's Res
“ The other fang m issed. taurant in Heppner where
Then I dropped it and killed Whal en' s mom, Chris
it with a shovel. I had to kill Whalen, was working to tell
it, because it could have got her. Oddly enough, Chris
me again or got some kid. was w aiting on a group
There are kids next door. from the Albany Democrat-
Then I went inside and told Herald (an associate editor,
my dad's girlfriend. Shelly a photographer and a press
Jones, ‘1 think w e’ve got a m an, acco m p an ied by a Timber Rattler
VOL 126
NO. 29
8 Pages Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
problem.” ' A frantic rush to friend who was an engineer
the city o f Lebanon M iehaela's birthday. She
4On the E dge’ travels bring quartet to Heppner the hospital then ensued. with
who
was
serv ing as their turned 12 on July 12.
Whalen said that he
Whalen said that he
co u ld n 't even really feel videographer), when she
had “captured lots o f snakes
the bite when it happened, heard the news (see story,
and killed lots o f snakes
this
issue).
They
had
been
but said it started burning
before," but added that he
on the way to the hospital. making a trip around the
has since learned that the
state
o
f
Oregon
and
made
“ By the time I got to the
Timber
Rattler is stronger
hospital it got to the point mention of the snake bite in
and more aggressive than
where I could barely talk,” cident in their on-line blog.
the Western Diamondback
Whalen
and
Gutier
said Whalen. He said that
Rattlesnake.
rez
first
made
a
frantic
trip
emergency staff at Pioneer
W halen say s the
up
to
Pioneer
Memorial
and
Memorial Hospital adminis
sw
elling
in his hand has
tered one vial of anti-venom then took off by vehicle to
gone down somewhat, but
serum before the Med-Star the Tri-Cities, as did his dad,
his finger still hurts “pretty
Ron,
and
Jones.
life-flight helicopter began
had” when it “twitches” and
Gutierrez
said
they
loading him up to transport
it is possible that he could
him to Kadlec Medical Cen administered at least four
still
lose that finger. He
ter in the Tri-Cities. He said more v ials to Whalen over
emerged from the ordeal a
that he felt better even after the next several hours at Ka
little bit older and a little bit
dlec.
“He
was
so
out
o
f
it,
only one vial. “ Not very
wiser, and says that while
he
doesn't
remember
it
all,”
long after I got the first dose,
he will continue to hunt
I could talk right again,” he she said. “But, he was doing
snakes, he won’t be catch
said. Whalen said that al so much better even that
ing them alive any time in
night.”
He
was
discharged
though it was his first ride in
the future. He still maintains
from
Kadlec
around
6
p.m.
a helicopter, “ It w asn't my
his sense o f humor through
Friday.
idea o f an ideal first ride.”
Whalen said that his it all, though. “Can I make
In th e m e an tim e
Left to right: Steve Lundeberg, David Patton, Richard Matson and Ed Patton with their
a suggestion?" he joked.
Whalen’s grandmother, Pat family now calls him the
bikes pause in Heppner during their travels around the state for the Albany Democrat-
“The next time you see a
“holiday
miner”
as
his
or
Gutierrez, learned the news
Herald.
deal happened on his sister. rattlesnake, run.”
spending the night at Ukiah wrote articles about their
A group of employ before com ing into H ep experiences, w hich, said
ees of the Albany Democrat- pner.
Lundeberg, were very well
Herald. an associate editor,
W hile in H eppner received. C ontem plating
a photographer, a p ress they stopped at the Heppner another road trip, they talked
The first annual Tex
man, and the photographer’s Gazette-Times office to use to their bosses about doing as Hold 'Em Tournament
cousin, who is an engineer the computer and sent their a similar series o f articles, will be held on Saturday,
with the city o f Lebanon, blog via the internet to the originally thinking that they July 2 1, beginning at 6 p.m.
passed through H eppner D em ocrat-H erald. W hile w ould travel to the four at the Heppner Elks Club.
last Thursday on a motor eating at G D ’s Restaurant corners o f Oregon. They The event is sponsored by
cycle trip around the edge in Heppner, they said their expanded the project to in the Heppner Day Care and
o f Oregon. They chronicled waitress, Chris Whalen, had clude the whole perimeter Preschool.
their experiences along the just learned that her son, o f Oregon and their idea
The buy-in is S40
way, c-mailing accounts o f Zaeh, had been bitten by got their bosses' approval. per player and anyone in
their experiences to the Al a rattler, which the group Then a pressman from the terested may register that
bany newspaper in a column mentioned in their blog (see Democrat-Herald, Richard evening.
called “On the Edge.”
The first place prize
story). From Heppner the Matson, who celebrated his
The group left from quartet was headed to the 60lh birthday on this road will be a 17 HMR Rifle
A lbany Saturday, July 7, Gorge, not exactly certain trip, decided to join them, from Pettyjohn’s Building
heading first to Newport. where they would stop for as did Ed Patton, 46, Dav id Supply. Second place is a
They then rode along the the night, depending on the Patton's cousin who agreed custom putter and an OSU
coast, cam ping their first photographer’s wishes, and to videograph the trip for customized golf bag donated
night at Lake Selmac. From then it was on to Astoria and them.
by Pat Sweeney. Third place
there they traveled to Ash finally home to their respec
The group said that is a $200 gift certificate do
land and Klam ath Falls. tive jobs and families.
they have had great experi nated by Morrow County
They camped at Lakeview
Two o f the group, ences on their travels, es Grain Growers.
and then traveled across Steve Lundeberg, 43, an pecially enjoying a stay at
For more informa
southeast Oregon, camping associate editor, and David a working ranch at Jordan tion contact Brandi Sweeney
at Jordan Valley. The next Patton, 44. a photographer, Valley. Their one touch-and- at 676-5530.
Brandi Sweeney shows the first-place prize rifle
night they stayed at a motel both long-time Democrat- go experience was when
at Baker, which they said Herald employees, had pre they hit a 50-mile section of
provided a nice change from viously done a 13-article gravel on their bikes. Lunde
At th e MCGG GREEN FEED STORE in H e p p n e r:
camping out. From Baker series on their travels on the berg rode a Vulcan, Matson,
PM l N u tritio n P e t F o o d is n o w R ed F la n n e l
they went to Hell’s C'anyon back roads o f Oregon. They a Honda, and David Patton
and came back through Jo made 13 100-mile trips and and his cousin, Ed Patton,
seph, Enterprise and Elgin,
both Kawasakis.
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