Posted on 12/09/2006 9:33:13 PM PST by saquin
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - James Kim walked more than 16 miles before he died trying to save his stranded family in Southern Oregon's rugged Rogue River Canyon - six miles more than was originally thought, a search official said Saturday.
Phil Turnbull, chief of the Rural/Metro Fire Department in Josephine County, also said that as Kim's wife and two children waited in their car to be rescued, they weren't as close to a fishing lodge as authorities had initially thought.
A field report that had incorrect coordinates for the location of the family car led officials to calculate initially that Kim had walked about 10 miles before dying of hypothermia, Turnbull said.
But the mapping error did not affect the way the search for Kim was conducted or its outcome, Turnbull said.
By the time the coordinates of the car were reported, he said, rescue teams had already tracked Kim, 35, into the Big Windy Creek drainage.
He was found there Wednesday, about half a mile from the Rogue River.
"It really didn't have any impact on the search for Mr. Kim," Turnbull said.
The family left Portland on Nov. 25 on the way home to San Francisco and got stuck in snow after taking a wrong turn at a fork on a little-used, narrow road through the mountains of Southern Oregon.
A vandal had apparently cut a lock and opened a gate to a logging road, officials said, giving the family a choice of routes in dark, snowy conditions.
Kim's wife, Kati, 30, and their two young daughters were rescued Monday, two days after he struck out on foot in search of help.
The map error led searchers to believe that the Kims' Saab station wagon was about a mile from a fishing lodge.
But the owner said he didn't recognize the area as being near his lodge and double-checked.
Instead of being about a mile from the lodge, Turnbull said, the vehicle was 6.37 miles farther along the road than thought, meaning James Kim had walked that much farther than searchers first thought.
"Holy smokes, that was superhuman effort to get that many miles," John James, who operates the Black Bar Lodge, told the Grants Pass Daily Courier, which first reported about the error. His lodge was closed for the winter but stocked with food.
Turnbull said it was important to "set the public record straight" and "to emphasize the efforts Mr. Kim made to rescue his family."
Was so hoping he would be found alive. Very sad ending. Prayers for his family.
This is sad. This is the first update I've seen since the original story. Prayers for his young family, and prayers for him.
We were really hoping he made it. We never go anywhere unprepared, especially in adverse weather, even just the few miles to the store. Just sad. Wasn't there another young family missing during the same snowstorm, in the same area too?
From this story, I know some will wonder what if they had expanded the search he might have been found. Conditions like those and it's fortunate that he was found at all. Sometimes, they're never found, especially if they lose direction and head into more remote terrain.
---Turnbull said it was important to "set the public record straight" and "to emphasize the efforts Mr. Kim made to rescue his family."---
What's up with all the effort to say Kim did nothing wrong? He left the road without knowing where he was going and it proved fatal.
Nobody, especially those who pontificate from the safety of their computer, knows exactly what they would have done in the same situation.
No cell phone ?
It doesn't help anyone not pointing out the mistakes that were made. I spend a lot of time in the mountains of NW Montana under all sorts of conditions. While there's no guarantee against turning up dead, there are a number of preparations you can make to protect against that eventuality and a number of things you never do.
I've repeatedly heard the sheriff and other officials go out of their way to say Kim did nothing wrong and I honestly wonder what's up with that. Usually these incidents are used to instruct others on what not to do in a similar situation.
That's the point. He stayed with the car and family several days and finally decided to follow a map for what he thought was four miles to a town.
Usually you stay with the car, but after several days, he decided to walk for help. After all, they had kids with them.
There are questions if the GPS system and map were accurate. Some earlier reports said the GPS system and map showed a "good" road wrongly; now it comes out that they accidentally turned on a side road in the dark because a vandal opened the gate.
Unless you've been in rural roads in snow storms, you can't imagine how easy that is to do.
You made it up, that's what's up with it.
I don't think they could get a signal. This story is so sad and just a shame. But people now may be more aware of what to expect when traveling in these areas. Hopefully they will be better prepared or better yet stay on main routes. I can not even begin to imagine what it must have been like for them to be stranded for so many days and my prayers go out to the Kim family.
I don't think many men would have the stomach to stay and witness that, and I would certainly hope that a MAN would try and save his family, at the risk of sacrificing himself.
That is exactly what James Kim did.
I have wondered from the start why the helicopters with heat seeking devices weren't employed from the get go. They don't find people by saying they are available.
I've been following this story from the beginning and have yet to hear why they got off the I-5 to begin with, especially in snowy weather. I saw one story that said they were supposed to stay in Gold Beach the first night. Were they trying to take a shortcut over the mountains instead of taking route 42 and following the coast?
James Kim did what a good husband and father would do. His selflessness is inspirational and he has my admiration and respect. God rest his soul.
I'd have rubbed to sticks together, chop-sticks even, to create enough heat to 'combust' some of the local flora and fauna, not to mention using things like lint.
Situations like this cry-out for a smoker. Their 'BIC' could shortcut things and a blaze could be happening in record time.
---What's up with all the effort to say Kim did nothing wrong?
You made it up, that's what's up with it.---
Excuse me? It was all over the news. The sheriff or one of his representatives, used exactly those words: "I want to emphasize that Kim did nothing wrong."
It struck me as odd.
If traveling up unpaved roads in the mountains in winter without proper gear is "nothing wrong" now, then excuse me. If leaving the road and treking off through the woods is "nothing wrong" then excuse me. If getting into water (Kim, 35, was found face-up in water no more than 3 feet deep...) in freezing weather is "nothing wrong" then excuse me.
It wasn't during the height of the pot growing season. These devices are being pointed at houses along your street to determine if a heat signature warrants a warrantless search. Trust me, if a cop parks outside your house and points a 7-8" digital screen toward your house, he ain't watching Bambi reruns.
Lord help you if you've taken to using growlights to help some sickly houseplants make it through the winter. Our cops really want to help. Don't take the shorthair-cuts and black boots as anything more than their willingness to fit in.
"The state or county or whoever has removed all the signs and identifying mile markers, etc., so that it is next to impossible to find any of the caves around Bend. Unless you've been there before and remember where they were, don't bother. You won't be able to find them.
Here is an on line version of how to get to these caves:
"Various locations south of Bend . . Besides Lava River Cove (see #27), there are many lava tubes southeast of Bend. These are generally well-marked and a great place to explore with some preparation Go south of Bend on Highway 97 to China Hat Road (Road # 18); turn east and travel about 8 miles on mostly gravel roads. Rood #1820 goes to Arnold Ice Cave. Also marked with signs are Boyd Cove and Wind Cave. A detailed map of the area is advisable. Check road conditions.
Ugh. Okaaaay! Rood #1820? Gravel Road? That's right! Or is it a left?
We're talking some serious remote and rugged territory here. Even trying to use a cell on I5, the Interstate Highway, the phone cuts in and out.
Once you're more than 15 miles from the highway or so, you might as well be on Mars.
I just don't understand why he didn't do everything possible to keep the fire going. Green pine wood thrown on a fire makes one heck of alot of smoke.
It is sad, and my heart goes out to the family, but it proves if you are going to do any kind of distance travelling in the Western US, you need to be prepared.
The speculation is that Google Maps or Mapquest or something else, without regard to local conditions, generated a map which would do that.
As I understand it, that's part of how they eventually located the car.
"A list of stuff to carry in the trunk might have been useful for the sheriff to recommend for others in the future."
Yep. Some people just don't know how to survive in the wilderness. Sometimes it just doesn't matter, but you can increase your odds of surviving.
Not at all trying to make light conversation, but a while back on a popular leftist board we all know and loathe, the topic of surviving the Bush armageddon came up. One of the exalted survivalists had praise heaped on them because they knew how to cook on a propane grill at home. That was their extent of survivalism. They were not joking either, that really was roughing it to them.
I wondered if it was something like that. Having been raised in mountainous country, I know that the most direct route can often be the most dangerous if weather is capricious. I wonder about the safety of naive urban folks who slavishly follow their on-board GPS systems in unfamiliar mountain or desert terrain. Weather, both cold and hot, can be mighty unforgiving to stranded travelers.
His death is a perfect example of the extent a man would go through to save his family.I am certain he knew the consequences should he fail.I think of him in heroic terms.God bless him and his family,and the people who never gave up against all odds.
From what I read, when they started seeing signs to that effect, they decided to turn around and go back to the interstate. The road was too narrow at that point to turn around so Kim backed up for a while until he saw a road turnoff (this was the spur road that is usually locked by a gate in the winter) and took that, probably thinking it would loop him back to the road or that he'd find a place to turn around. They got stuck in the snow on that road.
From what I read, they family intended to take I-5 to Highway 42 to Gold Beach. They missed the exit for 42 and instead of doubling back to it, they looked at a map and saw Bear Camp Road which looked like a good direct route to the coast so decided to take that. Apparently, on the map it looked like a regular road and they didn't realize the danger in winter.
Prayers for the Kim family.
Here are some other threads where we've been discussing this story at length and swapping snow survival tips:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1751267/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1749424/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1748417/posts
Its good you taught your children those things. My dad taught me how to change a tire before I could get my permit. He also made sure we knew what to do out on the water as we live in a boating area. I was always told to keep a small mirror when I was hiking or boating to flash for help. A cd works too. Or a car mirror. He also made sure we carried compasses. This is such a sad story but maybe with all the attention this story has gotten people will realize they need to be more aware of where they are going and to keep supplies in their cars. Prayers for the Kim family.
What you read is wrong. The first two signs are on the interstate.
Late to the thread, but I don't think the point is to act as if he didn't make a mistake. The point is to acknowledge the monumental, if futile, effort the man made out of love for his family. 16 miles in mostly freezing temperatures (in tennis shoes!) is a tremendous effort. God rest his soul.
well said
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