THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 29, 1994 TAG: 9409290500
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
Call this story Snake, Rattle and Roll.
Warren Paulk of Manteo was pedaling along the town's winding bicycle path through the woods not far from his home when a 3-foot rattlesnake attacked.
The snake struck as Paulk rode by, and its fangs punctured a tire.
``I saw him about the same time he saw me,'' said Paulk, 64. ``I lifted up my right foot, and he grabbed hold of my front tire. His head got into the spokes.''
With a deadly snake coiled in the wheel, most cyclists would be frozen on their seats. But not Paulk.
``I'm not afraid of snakes,'' he said. ``I just grabbed a piece of wood, and caught him, and put him on the ground, and then I stepped on his head.''
Though his cold-blooded attacker was dead, Paulk's tour de trouble Monday wasn't over.
``I started to ride on, and then I realized my front tire was flat,'' said Paulk. ``I've never seen anything like that before. It was peculiar.''
Paulk faced a painful walk home - in still-stiff new shoes.
``I had to walk about one-half mile,'' he said. ``I was going to use my ride to help break in my new shoes. Instead I had to walk. I've got blisters on my feet.''
Paulk could not identify the type of rattlesnake. ``It wasn't a diamondback,'' he said. ``It was brown, and about 3 feet long and an inch-and-a-half around. It had six rattles.''
While Paulk said he was not afraid, he does worry about local children who play on or near the path, a recently completed million-dollar showpiece in this Outer Banks town.
``The kids play on the asphalt,'' he said. ``It's amazing that someone else hasn't been hurt.''
Paulk gave the snake to Manteo Middle School student Chris Hurdle, who exhibited it at a Scout meeting.
Paulk, who rides his bicycle five times a week from his Manteo home to the Washington Baum Bridge, said he will continue his daily ritual, with one exception.
``I'm going to be a little more cautious,'' he said. ``I'm going to keep my eyes on the ground a little more.'' by CNB