I had been following this since they went missing

[bushwacked]

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

 

Don't get me wrong....I'm not saying he deserved it. I'm find the heroic label a bit nauseating when bad judgement put him in the position.

 

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.

 

My mom/dad and in-laws live on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. I will not drive my wife and son over the mountain passes during a heavy winter storm. I'm not insulting him, he seemed clearly ignorant of how bad the conditions could get. One of the many cases of bad judgement this guy seemingly exhibited.

 

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.

 

 

I didn't know they were stranded that long, so that clearly changes my opinion on him leaving in an attempt to get help. And I've spent more time in the Western winter mountains than you have spent inebraited in your Southern cesspool trailer.

[crispirons]

i feel bad for the kids and wife. tragic.

 

 

i do enjoy watching the show survivorman because it shows it is possible to overcome the elements. no way would i have waited 9 days. he needed to bust a move after day 2 if you are asking me. also, why wouldn't he make a big fire if he had access to a lighter?

 

did you know that you can light a frito on fire??

[Retrograde assault]

Bad things happen to good people sometimes. Read today that he died not to far from a well stocked cabin.

[yo mama]

i feel bad for the kids and wife. tragic.

i do enjoy watching the show survivorman because it shows it is possible to overcome the elements. no way would i have waited 9 days. he needed to bust a move after day 2 if you are asking me. also, why wouldn't he make a big fire if he had access to a lighter?

 

did you know that you can light a frito on fire??

 

The wife actually burned tires.

 

Also agreed that he should have either stayed put, or set off sooner.

 

Not sure this guy is a "hero," per se. But I think we can all agree that, regardless of what he could have done better, he risked his life for his family's. And that took a lot of balls, and a lot of heart.

Edited December 9, 2006 by yo mama

[Seattle LawDawg]

I certainly have no desire to condemn the guy, but when you put your family into a deadly situation and then try to get them out, I can't support the HERO naming either.

 

After learning which road they were found on, I really can't figure it out. They were 60 miles past the road they were supposed to take to get to the highway and only another 15 or so miles to another hwy that would have clearly been much safer to travel and would have gotten them fairly close to their coastal destination. That road does have plenty of warning signs on it. They may have needed to burn the gas and the tires, but by the time they were found, it looks like they could have driven out.

 

While I would never travel in the mts without appropriate supplies, given his travelling situation, there are certainly many people who would not be prepared. In that case, the choice is head into the mts unprepared or miss staying at a coast resort.

 

I still believe Mr. Kim made the correct decision in heading out. At some point he knew the road was closed. Either:

A.) He saw the signs and decided to give the road a try anyway.

B.) He noticed it on a map they had; or

C.) He just figured it out after not seeing another car for 9 days.

 

Figuring that there was not going to be anyone coming down the road for some time made the decision fairly simple. He knew that no one had any reason to look for them on that road.

 

You can hike around there for quite a while without getting a cell phone signal. There are plenty of areas where I can't get a GPS reading either.

[Seattle LawDawg]

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.

 

 

I'm not sure how expecting people to make wise decisions is insulting. I believe that most people that travel NW mt roads during the winter, whether hwys or smaller roads, do carry some supplies; maybe not everything they could need but enough to increase their chances of survival. Another of the true tragedies of this situation is that there will still be people next weekend, who followed the story, and do the same type of things. Armed with that "It couldn't happen to me" attitude, they'll be the next news story.

Edited December 9, 2006 by Seattle LawDawg

[bushwacked]

I believe that most people that travel NW mt roads during the winter, whether hwys or smaller roads, do carry some supplies; maybe not everything they could need enough to increase their chances of survival.

 

 

 

Exactly, our car has studless traction tires that we only use during winter. We pack chains, an emergency road side kit, extra warm clothes, and food. That is just what you do around here this time of year for trips up into and/or over the mountains. I'm sure some people have heeded the lessons of this tragic event.

[Seattle LawDawg]

Missing climbers sought on Mount Hood By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER, Associated Press Writer

Mon Dec 11, 1:50 PM ET

 

 

PORTLAND, Ore. - Rescue teams headed up the flanks of Mount Hood on Monday to search for three climbers reported missing in heavy snow, the Hood River County sheriff's office said.

 

The mother of one of the men said he had called his son on a cell phone to say he was stranded in a snow cave just below the summit of the 11,235-foot peak while his companions went for help.

 

"From the conversation, it left us very concerned for the person's welfare," Hood River County Chief Deputy Jerry Brown said.

 

Snow was falling heavily Monday at Timberline Lodge, where the three were to have met friends on Friday or Saturday, and a winter storm watch was in effect for the area at least through Tuesday. The Oregon Air National Guard had a helicopter on standby in case the weather improved.

 

The route the climbers took is very difficult, with slopes of 50 or 60 degrees and occasional sheer walls of ice, said Steve Rollins, a rescue leader with Portland Mountain Rescue, which sent two teams up the mountain.

 

"There is more than 2,000 feet of that terrain," he told The Associated Press.

 

Rollins said conditions on the mountain were deadly. There is "very hard ice, coupled with very high winds. You have a lot of snow on very hard ice. There is no easy way off the mountain," he said.

 

Authorities described the three men as experienced but said none had climbed Mount Hood before. About 10,000 people a year start for the summit and on average 20 to 25 of them need to be rescued.

 

A note that the three missing climbers left at a Forest Service station detailing their plans said they were taking "minimal gear," Doug Jones, a permit specialist with the Mount Hood National Forest, told the Oregonian.

 

The trio left their car on Wednesday to climb the difficult north side of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest peak, and had planned to spend two nights on the mountain.

 

One of the climbers was Kelly James, his mother, Lou Ann Cameron of Bryant, Ark., said in a telephone interview Monday.

 

She said James called his son, Jason, from inside a snow cave on the mountain's north face Sunday afternoon, saying the other two men had gone back down the mountain to seek help.

 

James said he felt confident the men would return, but Jason later said his father "didn't sound good," Cameron said.

 

Authorities were unable to re-establish contact with James and there had been no sign of the two other climbers.

 

"I'm just scared he was hurt and the other guys went to get help," Cameron said.

 

Cameron described her 48-year-old son, who lives in Dallas, as an avid climber who has scaled Mount McKinley and peaks in South America and in Europe.

 

It was the second time in less than a month that someone was reported missing in snowy, isolated areas of Oregon. James Kim of San Francisco died of hypothermia after leaving his wife and their two small daughters in their snowbound car in the Coast Range while he hiked out in search of help. His wife and children were rescued.

[Seattle LawDawg]

These three climbers are in for a very difficult next few days. There isn't anything more than educated guesses as to where the other two may be right now, but it is believed that Kelly James is within 1 or 2 pitches of the summit (could be as high as 10,000 feet). Rescuers have been and will continue to be unable to go higher than 6000 feet over the next few days as Mt. Hood faces high snowfalls and winds expected well over 100 mph at the higher elevations and temps going well below zero at night. I do believe that one team is dug in at around 7500 feet and ready to push the summit if weather should clear. Forecasters are predicting that the next realistic timeline for an attempt will be Tuesday.

 

I've heard that they have minimal gear but even minimal gear for this time of year should be more than most carry during Spring climbs.

[Seattle LawDawg]

These three climbers are in for a very difficult next few days. There isn't anything more than educated guesses as to where the other two may be right now, but it is believed that Kelly James is within 1 or 2 pitches of the summit (could be as high as 10,000 feet). Rescuers have been and will continue to be unable to go higher than 6000 feet over the next few days as Mt. Hood faces high snowfalls and winds expected well over 100 mph at the higher elevations and temps going well below zero at night. I do believe that one team is dug in at around 7500 feet and ready to push the summit if weather should clear. Forecasters are predicting that the next realistic timeline for an attempt will be Tuesday.

 

I've heard that they have minimal gear but even minimal gear for this time of year should be more than most carry during Spring climbs.

 

 

 

1 found dead. RIP.

 

The other two are still missing.