Jump to content
[[Template core/front/custom/_customHeader is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]

I had been following this since they went missing


cliaz
 Share

Recommended Posts

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/06/missing.family/index.html

 

 

Father's effort to save his family called 'superhuman'

 

MERLIN, Oregon (CNN) -- Hoping to save his stranded wife and children, James Kim decided Saturday to venture into the cold and unforgiving Oregon wilderness wearing only street clothes.

 

It had been more than a week since Kim and his wife, Kati, had begun the drive home after a vacation in Oregon.

 

They took a wrong turn and found themselves stranded in snow and lost with their young daughters on one of Oregon's treacherous backroads, which are rarely plowed during the winter.

 

Their food and options were running out.

 

What James Kim, 35, encountered searchers would later describe as rugged, steep, snowy terrain with sodden branches, slick rocks, downed trees and poison oak nestled between sheer cliffs.

 

Despite those conditions, authorities said, he covered an estimated eight miles before rescuers on Wednesday found his body in a ravine.

 

"It seems superhuman to me that he was able to cover that amount of distance given what he had and also that he had nine days in the car" before setting out, Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said.

 

"I'm amazed," searcher Robert Graham told reporters. "We spent hours down there and made very little distance. ... The conditions were very rough. It's been cold, the terrain is so rugged, just spending one day out here is very exhausting."

 

Kati Kim and the couple's two daughters, Penelope, 4 and Sabine, 7 months, were found Monday when searchers saw the mother waving an umbrella. They had just set out on foot when they were found, authorities said.

 

The three spent a night in the hospital and were released Tuesday.

 

The family got stuck in the snow November 25 while traveling home to San Francisco after a Thanksgiving trip to Portland.

 

They attempted to take a shortcut over roads that can be impassable in winter.

 

Temperatures at night hovered near or below freezing.

 

The parents ate berries, authorities have said, while feeding the children baby food and crackers. When their meager food supply ran low, Kati Kim -- who was nursing the younger child -- breast-fed both children.

 

After nine days James Kim left his family to seek help, promising to return if he did not find anyone.

 

An autopsy on Kim's body was expected to be conducted Wednesday night, and authorities said the cause and manner of death likely would be released Thursday.

An arduous and determined trek

 

Using a map, authorities showed that Kim had headed south and west for about three miles before entering the drainage area and following it eastward -- in the direction he came from -- for about five miles.

 

Authorities tracked him by following his footprints in the snow.

 

Kim's body was found about noon Wednesday (3 p.m. ET).

 

He was about a half mile south of the car at the foot of a huge cliff, authorities said.

 

"It appears to me he was highly motivated, and he knew what he was doing, coming down [the drainage area]," Anderson said. (Watch Anderson's emotional reaction Video )

 

Authorities were not sure why Kim chose that route, he said.

 

A deputy found a message written on white paper on the road, Anderson said, describing the note as an SOS saying the family had been stuck since the Sunday after Thanksgiving and that two children were in the car.

 

"Please send help," it said.

 

Authorities are not sure which of the Kims had written the note, Anderson said.

 

A note was also found in the car.

 

It was written by Kati Kim and said where she and the children were headed.

 

The three had not traveled far from their car before searchers found them, Anderson said.

'James Kim was a hero'

 

Earlier Wednesday, rescue workers said they had found what they believed was a trail of clues from Kim, including three shirts, a wool sock, a blue girl's skirt and pieces of an Oregon state map.

 

Kati Kim had told authorities her husband had taken the items with him when he left their car.

 

Operating on the assumption he might still be alive, searchers had dropped care packages in the area.

 

The news that he was found dead left searchers "devastated," said Anderson, who grew emotional while telling reporters of the discovery. "I'm crushed."

 

Kim was a senior editor at CNET Networks.

 

"This has been a heart-wrenching experience for everyone involved," CNET CEO Neil Ashe told reporters. "I know that I speak for everyone at CNET Networks when I say that James Kim was a hero, and we will miss his greatly."

 

He said the company would do all it could to assist Kim's family and honor his memory.

 

Searcher Joe Hyatt told reporters the rugged terrain of Oregon can be deceiving to those who are unfamiliar with it.

 

"When you're up in the mountains, it all looks nice and peaceful," he said.

 

Of Kim, Hyatt said, "I can only describe him as an extremely motivated individual. I would describe him as a true hero."

 

Wednesday evening, Scott Nelson Windels, a friend of the Kims, issued a statement thanking the searchers and others involved in the incident.

 

"We want to send out our utmost thanks to the Search and Rescue teams who risked their lives in the efforts to bring James back to us, they are true heroes to risk their own lives for a stranger," it read.

 

"Please continue to keep Kati, Penelope, Sabine and the rest of their family in your thoughts."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this story just totally depresses me. last night i told my wife about it, and we watched the story on the news, and she had tears in her eyes and cursed me for informing her about it the night before she left for a four-day business trip. it's just a really sad story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is very sad to hear about and here in Oregon, its been the top news story for quite a few days. Our prayers go out to the family.

 

And now the reality check: The guy was on a his way from Portland to San Francisco....if he was in the Mountains, he was already off track. So, taking a side trip into the mountains while we were having the cold snowy weather that we were having might have been his first mistake. Honestly, we were having the first real winter storms of the year and many highways were being closed in the mountains. He then turned on to what was basically a logging road. I'm not sure how a logging road could be confused with anything that could resemble a shortcut. Finally, I understand he was traveling, but to go into the mountains, during the winter, in bad weather without any of the basic 10 supplies is irresponsible. I snowshoe in the backcountry around that area and have worked with S&R teams in Washington and it is amazing to see the number of people who simply do not plan ahead and get in trouble because of it.

 

I think he did correctly wait at his car about as long as he could. Its been a pretty heated discussion up here but after 9 days, he needed to make the move. 9 times out of 10, the car is going to be found first but there's a point at which additional efforts must be undertaken. After that though, he should have never left the road. I believe he was wearing mostly cotton which most likely contributed to hypothermia once wet, although again, he probably had no choice and was limited by the articles of clothing he expected to wear while in Portland where we were cold but still probably 15-20 degrees warmer than in the mountains.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is very sad to hear about and here in Oregon, its been the top news story for quite a few days. Our prayers go out to the family.

 

And now the reality check: The guy was on a his way from Portland to San Francisco....if he was in the Mountains, he was already off track. So, taking a side trip into the mountains while we were having the cold snowy weather that we were having might have been his first mistake. Honestly, we were having the first real winter storms of the year and many highways were being closed in the mountains. He then turned on to what was basically a logging road. I'm not sure how a logging road could be confused with anything that could resemble a shortcut. Finally, I understand he was traveling, but to go into the mountains, during the winter, in bad weather without any of the basic 10 supplies is irresponsible. I snowshoe in the backcountry around that area and have worked with S&R teams in Washington and it is amazing to see the number of people who simply do not plan ahead and get in trouble because of it.

 

I think he did correctly wait at his car about as long as he could. Its been a pretty heated discussion up here but after 9 days, he needed to make the move. 9 times out of 10, the car is going to be found first but there's a point at which additional efforts must be undertaken. After that though, he should have never left the road. I believe he was wearing mostly cotton which most likely contributed to hypothermia once wet, although again, he probably had no choice and was limited by the articles of clothing he expected to wear while in Portland where we were cold but still probably 15-20 degrees warmer than in the mountains.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Sad story but you have to question why they chose those roads. I'm sure it will all come to light soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A hero in every sense of the word. I hope his family is well taken care of. :D

 

 

 

Feel horrible for the guy and his family, but does it make me uncaring if I stay away from the "hero" label as it seems like a blatant lack of common sense endagered his family and himself?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feel horrible for the guy and his family, but does it make me uncaring if I stay away from the "hero" label as it seems like a blatant lack of common sense endagered his family and himself?

No, not at all, unless something comes out that they had to take those roads for a reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, not at all, unless something comes out that they had to take those roads for a reason.

 

I just don't see that happening. I5 was open and is the most traveled and easiest route between Portland and San Francisco. The only thing that I can think of is that they wanted to follow the coast down. From that area, there are two main cutoffs to 101....One in Roseburg which was more than 60 miles behind them and the Redwood Hwy which they weren't too yet. If they really did have a map, they should have been able to figure that out. I don't know if it has been released which map they used, but the state hwy map and the AAA maps designate the road that they were on as Closed During the Winter.

 

IMO, there is nothing that would have forced them onto that road with kids in the car, inclimate weather in a volvo station wagon.

Edited by Seattle LawDawg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if it has been released which map they used, but the state hwy map and the AAA maps designate the road that they were on as Closed During the Winter.

I think they had two maps--I believe one of them was a Rand-McNally that did not indicate the road was closed in the winter.

 

(I still think the guy's death was basically caused by their own mistake though.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they had two maps--I believe one of them was a Rand-McNally that did not indicate the road was closed in the winter.

 

(I still think the guy's death was basically caused by their own mistake though.)

 

 

People who travel in the mountain west during a horrendous snow storm should realize just because there is a road on a map, that doesn't mean you can traverse it. It seems as this guy maybe made an even worse decision by trying to drive some unpaved mountain roads. Furthermore, when you are trapped like this family was, the number one rule is to never seperate, but to hang tight and wait for rescuers.

 

I hope to never be in a situation with my family like these poor people were.

 

I've been trapped/lost overnight on 2 different occassions due to weather conditions. Once hunting by myself and once snow machining with other people.... both times I/we had food, fire, warm clothes and survival was never in doubt. Even though our overnight snow camping trip was unplanned, it was fun. Preperation is necessity.

 

This guy was naive and met a bad set of circumstances. I respect his will to help his family, but he made some very poor decisions. Not a hero, just a sympathetic victim to mother nature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People who travel in the mountain west during a horrendous snow storm should realize just because there is a road on a map, that doesn't mean you can traverse it. It seems as this guy maybe made an even worse decision by trying to drive some unpaved mountain roads. Furthermore, when you are trapped like this family was, the number one rule is to never seperate, but to hang tight and wait for rescuers.

 

I hope to never be in a situation with my family like these poor people were.

 

I've been trapped/lost overnight on 2 different occassions due to weather conditions. Once hunting by myself and once snow machining with other people.... both times I/we had food, fire, warm clothes and survival was never in doubt. Even though our overnight snow camping trip was unplanned, it was fun. Preperation is necessity.

 

This guy was naive and met a bad set of circumstances. I respect his will to help his family, but he made some very poor decisions. Not a hero, just a sympathetic victim to mother nature.

 

 

the guy may have made poor decisions, but there have been plenty of situations i've been in that i've been unprepared for -- i'm just lucky they weren't life-or-death scenarios. i haven't been reading up on the story, so i don't know how the family got so far off track, but i do know that this guy froze to death, alone, a mile away from his wife and two daughters, whom he wasn't even sure were alive. whatever poor decisions the guy made or lack of common sense he had, he died in one of the worst ways i can imagine, and for that, i'm just not willing to condemn him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the guy may have made poor decisions, but there have been plenty of situations i've been in that i've been unprepared for -- i'm just lucky they weren't life-or-death scenarios.

 

 

 

Assuming this guy purposely went onto a mountain pass; ommiting a safer interstate route during an intense winter storm; then took a forest service road in his Volvo; that goes beyond making a basic poor decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Furthermore, when you are trapped like this family was, the number one rule is to never seperate, but to hang tight and wait for rescuers.

 

 

OK, pretty obvious you have no clue.

 

As I know it, they waited 9 days, after all food and warmth were expired, they made a decision, in a last fight for survival, he left to try and find help.

 

As a last ditch effort, right before death, this is all you can do, no one will tell you different.

 

Stay in the city girly boy, this man tried to save his family. Forget what decisions got them there, once stuck, he did what he could. The fact you demean him, I spit in your mouth you sissy concrete wh00re.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Assuming this guy purposely went onto a mountain pass; ommiting a safer interstate route during an intense winter storm; then took a forest service road in his Volvo; that goes beyond making a basic poor decision.

 

you're right, the guy had what was coming to him. how easy it is to sit back and examine his choices after he's dead.

 

for what it's worth, this was in one of the latest stories:

 

The Kims had driven from San Francisco to Seattle for Thanksgiving and were on their way home. They planned to spend the night of Nov. 25 at a luxury lodge outside Gold Beach on the coast.

 

Driving south on Interstate 5, the Kims had missed the turnoff to the coast and instead drove through the Siskiyou National Forest.

 

They passed signs warning that Bear Camp Road may be blocked by snow, but kept going. At times, James had to stick his head out the window to see through the falling snow, said state police Lt. Gregg Hastings.

 

They descended into a confusing warren of logging roads.

 

By the time they turned around, they were 15 miles off Bear Camp Road and stopped where they hoped to be spotted from the air, fearing they were running out of gas, searchers said.

 

i've done this plenty of times. the story doesn't say whether they knew they had taken the wrong turnoff; i've often thought i'd taken the correct road when i really hadn't. true, his subsequent errors compounded the problem, but you can't compare this to going hunting or snow machining. of course you go prepared in those situations; you'd be an idiot not to. but to say this guy should've had nine days' worth of food and warmth in his car, and then boil it down to "he should've taken the interstate instead of a logging road, especially in a snowstorm!" is pretty insulting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wont judge his actions. The man did what he thought was best and personally as a man/husband/father I think he did the right thing no matter how tragic the outcome.

 

I would walk out into the snowy Oregon Mountains in street close if it meant only a 1/2 percent chance that I would be able to find help for my starving kids/wife.

 

I feel for the family and for his suffering he endured during his last moments on earth. To me he is a hero simply because he knew there was a very good change he wouldn't make it back.

 

 

Just my opinion

Edited by cliaz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I don't get is they had lighters and were surrounded by forests. Heck they even had accelerants, Why not build a fire? They would have water, and it takes a LONG time to starve. I've never been in that situation, and perhaps boy scouts and my adolescence spent rough campling may be coloring my thoughts.

 

Besides the guy was a technology guy. I'me guessing there were no cells around or perhaps he tried to get to a higher point for a cell to work?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feel horrible for the guy and his family, but does it make me uncaring if I stay away from the "hero" label as it seems like a blatant lack of common sense endagered his family and himself?

 

 

I think he does deserve the monniker of hero for his self-sacrifice for his family. Many men have done foolish things to save others and been labelled hero because of it.

Edited by cre8tiff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

what happened to this guy could happen to a lot of us. wrong turn, can't read the signs....next thing ya know... :D

 

preventable? probably, but i see more chitty luck than reckless endangerment getting them in that situation.

 

regardless, the guy hoofed it 9+ miles through several feet of snow and rough country, after not having eaten for several days, and probably not having much in the way of backcountry survival type skills. there's something you could call "heroic" about that. but more than that, it's simply tragic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what happened to this guy could happen to a lot of us. wrong turn, can't read the signs....next thing ya know... :D

 

preventable? probably, but i see more chitty luck than reckless endangerment getting them in that situation.

 

regardless, the guy hoofed it 9+ miles through several feet of snow and rough country, after not having eaten for several days, and probably not having much in the way of backcountry survival type skills. there's something you could call "heroic" about that. but more than that, it's simply tragic.

 

 

Plus remember this, the human body can use up to 6,000 calories a day to keep it's body temp. up in that kind of weather. That guy was very skinny to begin with so after 9 days in the cold and then walking 9 miles through 3+ foot snow, his body was eating muscle tissue at that point to stay warm.

Edited by cliaz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

what happened to this guy could happen to a lot of us. wrong turn, can't read the signs....next thing ya know... :D

 

preventable? probably, but i see more chitty luck than reckless endangerment getting them in that situation.

 

regardless, the guy hoofed it 9+ miles through several feet of snow and rough country, after not having eaten for several days, and probably not having much in the way of backcountry survival type skills. there's something you could call "heroic" about that. but more than that, it's simply tragic.

 

 

 

Yeah and this morning I read he was about a mile from a hunting lodge with months worth of food. Too many wrong turns, too much bad luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just don't see that happening. I5 was open and is the most traveled and easiest route between Portland and San Francisco. The only thing that I can think of is that they wanted to follow the coast down. From that area, there are two main cutoffs to 101....One in Roseburg which was more than 60 miles behind them and the Redwood Hwy which they weren't too yet. If they really did have a map, they should have been able to figure that out. I don't know if it has been released which map they used, but the state hwy map and the AAA maps designate the road that they were on as Closed During the Winter.

 

IMO, there is nothing that would have forced them onto that road with kids in the car, inclimate weather in a volvo station wagon.

 

 

 

I JUST made this drive- from Seattle to SF on the Sunday after TGiving, and I am still here in SF, the town is really talking all about this. Very sad story, and I really feel for the faimly. Alot comes to light after the fact, and he obvioulsy did not make the right moves. Hero? gawd I hate that word now, does that really matter?. He did what he thought was necessary to save his family bless him- you have to commend him for that. Did he make the right choices, obviously not, but who does after that long being stranded. One thing that surprised me- he was a tech guy, seems he would figure his cell phone signal would provide rescuers with some info- which sadly is exactly how they found the car. the siskiyous can get nasty - not all of us would make all the right survival moves there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GRANTS PASS, Oregon (AP) -- The remote logging road that James Kim and his family drove down before getting stranded deep in the Rogue River Canyon is normally blocked by a locked metal gate, but it was open the night they got lost because a vandal had cut the lock, authorities said Friday.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/08/missing.f...y.ap/index.html

 

 

 

 

I wonder if they ever caught the person who did that if they would charge them with 3rd degree manslaughter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information