Story Archive

Especially Tasty

A few years ago, Dylan McWilliams, 20, of Grand Junction, Colo., was bitten by a rattlesnake on a trip to Utah. It was a “dry bite” — it only got a little venom into him, and he survived with just a couple of days of feeling ill. Last year, McWilliams, a survival training instructor who likes outdoor adventures, was sleeping outside at a summer camp near Ward, Colo. A bear grabbed McWilliams’ head in its mouth and tried to drag him away; he escaped after punching the bear in the eye, and got nine staples in his scalp to close up his wounds. And last month on a trip to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, McWilliams was in the surf and was knocked off his boogie board by a wave — and he was bitten by a shark. “At first I panicked,” he said. “I didn’t know if I lost half my leg or what.” But seven stitches were enough to close up the wound. “My parents are grateful I’m still alive,” McWilliams said. (RC/Honolulu Star Advertiser) ...Actually, the operative word is probably closer to “amazed.”