Dad Still Lost As Missing Family Found Alive ( Latest on CNET Editor )

The Associated Press ^ | December 5, 2006

[george76]

Searchers intensified their efforts Tuesday to find a San Francisco man missing for more than a week in a rugged, remote area of the snow-covered Oregon Coast Range as his wife and two young children, rescued just the day before, recovered in a hospital.

Trained dogs, horse patrols and a helicopter with heat-sensitive sensors were sent to join other helicopters, snowmobiles and foot patrols Tuesday for 35-year-old James Kim.

Trackers had followed his footprints until dark Monday night.

"They determined that he went over the side of the road into the Big Windy Creek drainage area and that's when the two deputies from Jackson County went over the edge and they are tracking his footprints right now," ...Tuesday morning.

"There are some cliffs they may have to go down to get down to the creek.

And there's still snow and ice, cold temperature, but they've been out all night and they plan to be out all day. And their hope is to find him today," ...

Kim...had left his wife and two young children in their frozen, snowbound car and set off into the wilderness to seek help, wearing only tennis shoes, a sweater and a jacket.

State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings said Kati Kim told a detective the family intended to take Oregon 42, the usual route from Interstate 5 to the south Oregon coast, but they missed the turnoff, found Bear Camp Road on the map and decided to take it instead of turning back.

Their car was 15 miles from Bear Camp Road when found.

The complicated network of roads in the area is commonly used by whitewater rafters on the Rogue River or as shortcuts to Gold Beach in the summer, but the roads are not plowed in winter and can be impassable.

[metmom]

He'd have been better off staying with his family. Hindsight is 20/20. Prayers that he is found soon and safe.

[metmom]

Sounds like he needs some prayer right now.

[Paradox]

He probably thought that they would never be found, so he set off on foot. It doesn't sound good for him I'm afraid. The best thing for them to do, IMHO, would have been to do things to attract attention to the car, from the air. I dunno, I watch too much of "Man vs Wild", "I Shouldn't be Alive", and that one with the Canadian guy, forgot its name..

[Moonman62]

This isn't the first story I've read where the people who stay behind get rescued, but the one who goes for help doesn't.

[TheBigB]

I was always taught that when lost, the best thing to do is stay where you are.

[DumpsterDiver]

A good place to get frequent updates is at the website the family has set up at www.jamesandkati.com.

12/5/06 - 7:30am - We're up and hoping for good news, anxiously awaiting the success of the search and rescue team. I was able to speak with Kati briefly last night and she is in good spirits, worried and waiting, but joking with me in only the way that Kati can. The girls are in great shape.

The Kim and Fleming's primary concern now is to reunite the family. Kati's mother, father and brother should be travelling to Oregon today to be with the family.

I spoke off camera with one of the interviewers yesterday and we talked about how easy it is sometimes to be cynical in life, but how something like this really shows the true heart of people everywhere. There were so many times these few days where emails from people out there have had us crying and tearing up because of the sheer amount of love expressed - in many cases for a family they don't even know. It has really kept us going and *IS* keeping us going.

Thank you again for all of the support and to all of the people up in Oregon finding James right now.

[Red Badger]

Remove a headlight from its holder and shine it up into the air toward helicopters or set the spare tire on fire. All of them if necessary. Use fuel from tank as a last resort bonfire..............

[george76]

He was apparently wearing cotton blue jeans...

Bad news when we heard that he left the road for a creek bed.

Prayers for the family.

[george76]

Thanks.

Our prayers that the searchers get lucky, soon.

[I_like_good_things_too]

It doesn't sound good for him, but I also thought there was no way a 7 month old & 4 yo would survive for this long too.

[Jack Black]

Winter supplies in trunk of car! Boots, gloves, fire starting stuff, space blanket, hatchet or large knife, some emergency food, gun, compass, folding shovel. Yes I do have all this stuff in my truck.

At least be able to cut wood and make a fire.

It's sad. I don't think it looks good for the man.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

The Mother was still in lactation and she had both children nurse which gave them both a little food and heat!

[george76]

They are still searching.

[Paradox]

Anyone going into areas like this should have an emergency pack, and I'd also take a radio/tranciever.

One of the things I'd do is make a big a$$ fire, and alot of smoke, wherever I am lost.

[Elyse]

---Remove a headlight from its holder and shine it up into the air toward helicopters or set the spare tire on fire. All of them if necessary. Use fuel from tank as a last resort bonfire---

They did set the tires on fire, but it was before the search helicopters had started looking in that area and they had an umbrella that they covered in reflective tape that she used to signal the rescue helicopter.

[CertainInalienableRights]

This is a good time to think about putting a few things in the trunk of the car for emergencies if you live in (or travel to) areas with snow potential.

I bought a couple of cheap vinyl bags at a discount store. Put in a blanket, a light, but warm jacket that's "squishable", some candles, lighter, matches. An old coffee can (to put the candle in), some canned food (and can opener), working flashlight, some basic tools (including a collapsible shovel), flares, etc. I can take the bags of winter stuff out in the summer, or transfer them to another vehicle.

It isn't even a bad snow you have to worry about - fuel pumps, just as an example, can often die without warning leaving your car essentially dead. If you're in the middle of nowhere in the winter, the car's going to get cold fast. Even if you're in the city, if its a bad night, you may have to wait hours for a tow.

I had a starter give up the ghost at a Home Depot when it was bitterly cold. I walked out of the store as they were closing. By the time I figured out what was going on, the doors were locked and no one was up front. Late at night, in a large shopping area, there's no place to walk to - just vast empty, windy parking lots and empty stores. I waited 2 1/2 hours for a tow that night because the cold had disabled a lot of vehicles. Luckily, I had a cell phone on me and some of the above provisions, but it was still a long, cold wait and that was in a major metropolitan area - not the middle of nowhere.

[Disambiguator]

I think the spare tire fire would be the most effective. Especially in Oregon, a thick, black, oily-looking smoke column would get immediate attention.

[mockingbyrd]

They burned all their tires, and still no one came.

[Rte66]

We've been following this story on these two threads:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1746739/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1748417/posts

[Alberta's Child]

That's exactly what I used to do when living out in western Canada.

In most areas, breaking down on the road is a minor inconvenience -- or a major one at worst. Breaking down or getting lost in rugged terrain and/or in places where it can be -30 in the winter time is lethal.

[Uncle Hal]

How do you burn tires?

[george76]

Thanks.

The sheriff just had a press conference. Some of the details :

They have sent rafts down the river looking.

Searchers spent the night when they ran into a hundred foot cliff.

Other searchers have come out wet and cold.

They are planning on 12 hour shifts of searchers.

The family has hired three private helicopters in addition to one government one.

[Uncle Hal]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/05/MNGTBMPI9U1.DTL&type=printable
Safety tips when traveling

[george76]

Excellent list of ideas.

Thanks.

[all_mighty_dollar]

>>>They burned all their tires, and still no one came.<<>

I think they used them for heat at night, and if so, not a good time for signaling to be spotted.

[AnAmericanMother]

Thanks for the info.

Still praying.

[Elsie]

Their car was 15 miles from Bear Camp Road when found.

???

How can THIS be when they TURNED onto BCR???

[BunnySlippers]

Thjey just said on the lastest press conf that they were not able to usee the horses or dogs due to the terrain.

And that they have tracked him to the Rouge River.

[BunnySlippers]

I think the roads are very poorly marked and maintained up there. I've heard that the side roads look no worse than the main road ... many are just gravel and many are dead ends ... mostly used by loggers in the summer months.

[george76]

I thought that was useful.

[Elsie]

Luckily, I had a cell phone on me and some of the above provisions, but it was still a long, cold wait and that was in a major metropolitan area - not the middle of nowhere.

Uh.... call a cab! ;^)

[Elsie]

How does ya burn tires...

First... you start a small fire....

[Tijeras_Slim]

I was always taught that when lost, the best thing to do is stay where you are.

How do you know? ;)

[george76]

Apparently he left the logging road for the creek and that this creek is too steep for horses ( hundred foot cliffs, etc ).

The sheriff also said that they were bringing a special team in from Eugene who is equiped for cold water searches...sounds bad.

He also said that a specialized 'man' searcher was in route from Bend...

[george76]

specialized 'man' searcher ... tracker...

[BunnySlippers]

Do they think he fell in the water?

[BunnySlippers]

I understand you have to douse them with gasoline.

[daybreakcoming]

Good sensible tips. I will be up in Oregon later this month but not even going to leave I-5 except for food and gas. We have been sorta lost in the Louisiana swamps before ourselves but had plenty supplies and a compass that half worked in the boat - each intersecting bayou looked alike. I never believed that old adage about lost people going around in circles until then.....weird phenomena. This fellow may be doing that also.

[BunnySlippers]

I wonder what his state of mind was like.

Only five miles from the car tells me that he didn't make it far.

[george76]

Apparently, they could easily follow his foot prints in the snow, but then he decended into cliffs and rocky areas with no good snowy foot prints.

So the searchers had to closs the full creek to check the other side...this is where they were getting wet and cold.

I do not think that they know if he fell in.

But this is why the need the Eugene water rescue team who is better equipped to cross cold water.

[george76]

Hopefully this man tracker from Bend can track his footprints over the rocks.

I heard that the searchers were finding some little scuff marks.

[Coffee_drinker]

Has anyone asked the family why they had ventured off the main Highway in the first place?

Also the next question would by why didn't the man walk back on the road they came in on. It sounds like he started walking through the forest.

[BunnySlippers]

How big is this river!

[CertainInalienableRights]

Uh.... call a cab! ;^)

I actually had considered that, but the wait was comparable to waiting for a tow on that night, and I would have then been stranded at home with my car sitting in a parking lot.

Better than freezing, I guess, but I wanted to point out that you don't have to be in the middle of nowhere to be stranded for a couple of hours in the cold. When it gets near zero, a couple of hours can be pretty dangerous if you aren't prepared.

[Paradox]

Imagine if your cellphone battery had died and you had no charger..

[BunnySlippers]

It's pretty clear from listening to the posts of people who have traveled that road. It is ill marked and not maintained. The main road looks no better than the turns-offs so you think you're on the main road and you're on one of literally hundreds of fire roads and logging roads which dead end.

Everyone local says the road is extremely hazardous in winter, yet the chamber of commerce touts the road as being "scenic" without saying it is not traversable in bad weather.

[george76]

I am not from Oregon, but apparently it is big enough for river rafting.

[null and void]

They did set the tires on fire,

At night, for heat.

[null and void]

How do you burn tires?

Pop the clutch at 6000 rpm...