From usatoday.com /techspace http://www.layoutscene.com/james-kim-path/index.html
Angela Gunn
Friday, December 8, 2006
A mighty effort

"A friend passed me a link to a Google map that'll humble you, charting James Kim's hike to find help for his family. Consider, friends, that he did this after eight days with almost nothing to eat -- a parental love so big it shows up on satellites.
If you'd like to send condolences or to contribute to a memorial in James Kim's honor, they're setting that up over at jamesandkati.com. C|net also has a nice tribute on their site.
(I also notice that we have another piece of information now about how the family ended up on that dreadful road: Apparently the lock that would have held a road gate shut was vandalized. I do so hope someone in the know drops a dime to let authorities know who did that. It sure won't bring Kim back, but we can start garnishing someone's McDonald's wages to pay the costs of the rescue effort if nothing else.)"

Well, he did the honorable thing that I think most people, who are not rescue/safety/camping experts, would do, which is to brave the weather and seek out help while their loved ones stay behind.

It is interesting reading some of your comments about what transpired with the Kim family. I happen to live near the central oregon coast range and last Sunday actually traverssed the width of it through USFS/Private roads. For those of you not in the know and who haven't really bothered to take the time to find out what really transpired from the Oregon State Police you need not damn a man until you know the facts.

1. Most roads in Oregon's Coastal Range are USFS or Private (timber industry) and not maintained by the state or county. These roads are primarily to manage forest resources, occasionally recreation, and only rarely for travel from point A to B. The terrain is complex with valleys and ridges running in all directions. Roads are typically winding and narrow, following close to the direction of the contours of the land.

To travel these roads requires the most updated USFS maps, and an hour or more just to travel 10-20 miles. But even in good weather, with a good map, a good sense of direction, and being native to the area, it is very easy to become confused from the hairpin turns, steep climbs, and sudden drops into creek bottoms; all-the-while surrounded by the dense forest which obstructs nearly all of the surrounding views.

Without a GPS device it can be very difficult to find your way out in low traffic areas. What is a shame is that since he was a techie, he most likely had a laptop with him. A $50 bluetooth GPS device and something like MS Streets and Trips and he would have been fine.

2. Remember They weren't on Route 23 anymore, but they ended up down a spur road 15+ miles. This exacerbated the situation immensly as now they truly were off the beaten path. As they had been heading up 23 it started to snow very hard, to the point that James was driving with his door open so he could ensure he was still on the road. When they came to a junction in the road they stopped for the evening. Obviously they didn't realize that they had deviated from the main road.

3. When they woke up in the morning they found themselves snowed in. They didn't plan for this chain of events, but it was simply the way things ran its course.

James obviously knew about the stay with the car rule and the usefulness of burning tires, etc. However, as has been previously mentioned, after nine days and staring into your wife and children's eyes, I can only too easily imagine what must have been going through his mind and what he felt he must attempt to do for his family. At this point he would have been dealing with constant cold, hunger, and possible dehydration and yet he still managed to make over 10 miles until he ultimately succumbed to hypothermia and passed away.

When the story first broke I didn't understand why he didn't simply backtrack out, but after getting all of the facts and realizing he was on the spur road and that when he left the car he assumed he was only about four miles from the town of Galice that explains whey he left the road for the canyon. According to the OSP, the Kim's were fighting weather for the first few days of being stuck and decided it would be best to stick with the car.

Cass mentioned that he should have huffed it out the next day, but given the circumstances I can certainly understand why he didn't, and why what transpired in this sad incident, did.

James Kim is not a hero. I think that term gets tossed around much too easily these days, but he was a brave man who did what he thought was appropriate for his family. Don't begrudge the man that. My thoughts go out to his family and to him during this sad time.

Verp

One of the first rules of survival, don't leave your vehicle unless you're forced to. If you can survive there food-wise, there's absolutely no reason to leave the shelter and protection of your vehicle.

Condolences to his family. A sad thing for anyone to die for any reason. However, anyone who is going to put themselves into a position where something like this could happen, should properly prepare themselves. May sound a bit cold of me (no pun intended), but I shake my head in dismay every time I read something like this happening.

Living in the area I can say I am not surprised they missed that turnoff, I have done the same a couple of times and ended up at an abandoned mill...

Other than that all I have to say is that in hindsight we can all come up with things he should or shouldn't have done. Just keep this kind of thing in mind when you travel. At the very least keep someone apprised of your progress and what route you will be taking.

This makes me want to get a ham radio license. Probably would if I lived in that area. I live in the opposite corner of the US though - I have to travel to get my wintersport fix and just seeing a flake of snow at home turns me into a kid again lol.

hmmm...a boded rhythm to what I see as a paradox. in other words, the nerd forgot his gear at home and paid the ultimate price.

I found the following succinct yet informative, balanced in a caring sort of way, and worth passing on under the circumstances and the time of year:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/

My condolences to Mr. Kim's family and significant others.

wow - with all of the talk about which processor manufacturer is better, and the war camps that form around graphics cards, hard drives, and every other piece of technology we use day to day, it's kind of a side-swipe to remember that very little of that is truly important in the long run. best wishes to his family.

also, when i first read:
Kim and his family were headed...

i spluttered, because i thought it was "beheaded". :S

That's terrible! I was thinking he probably didn't make it when they said that he left on foot and they _still_ hadn't heard from him.

What a shame, that if he had stayed for 2 more days with his family, he would be alive right now.

Depressing.

Hopefully he passed away while sleeping, that's the easiest and most peaceful way to go. That's also usually what happens in extremely cold weather.

Back when he was working in alaska a friend of mine was told to always have a couple tubs of peanut butter some bags of chocolates and a 50lb bag of dogfood in the trunk. As long as you have clothing you will outlast the snow.

My dad had a simple survival rule. Stay in traffic. If you see a road and no one is on it you shouldnt be either.

Oogh... that's sad. :(

so long dude....R.I.P.

Sad news. Shows how even in our seemingly modern safe protected world a single wrong turning can lead into the middle of nowhere and eventual death through extended isolation.

Sounds like one of those stories you would see on "I shouldn't be alive" on the discovery channel, for his family at least. May he rest in peace though.

Does anyone else watch those survival shows on the discovery channel? Man vs Wild, Survivor man? They are really interesting and good shows.

It's always water. If you have that you can make it without food for weeks.

If you live where it's cold, carry something with you just in case. $25 and a little shopping can buy a wonderful little kit. I carry candles, a lighter, ductape, a space blanket, a bunch of sportsmans hand and foot warmers, and the usual flares, help signs, small hand tools, etc. Call me a geek, but I never leave home without it in the winter, even in the age of cellphones.

I was really rooting for this guy. Sorry to see it. Hope his family has the help it needs to make it through this.

If it wasn't for the 10-character minimum, all I'd have to say is: :(