[surfer]

From what I have pieced together. James Kim and his wife made a plan. James was going to follow the road back out and look for Rogue River - he knew if he followed Rogue river he would run into a town. They had estimated it to be about 4.5 miles away.

So it might be assumed that James saw the creek area and thought either it was Rogue River or was going to lead to it. An old survival tatic used to be to follow rivers because they ultimately alway led to a town. There are many theories on this now.

[1rudeboy]

I understand the "follow the water" concept. I would not be very willing to head into a snowdrift to test it . . . of course, I wasn't there.

[Ditter]

I read yesterday that there were bear tracks on the road. He might have been trying to avoid a bear when he left the road. I know that sometimes in the coastal mountains that bears don't hibernate in winter but I don't know if that would be the case here. I do know that city people who have no experience with the wild country have no idea what it would take to survive. This is so tragic. I am a city person but after years of hunting trips with my husband I have been educated in survival techniques.

[Sally'sConcerns]

I'm glad I'm not Sara Rubrecht, emergency services coordinator from Jefferson County. She was called once Friday morning by John James, owner of Black Bar Lodge, because of a hunch he had. She didn't call him back. Later that day Mr. James ran into her after he and his brother had found fresh, recently snowed over tiretracks when they'd gone out looking earlier that day...she wasn't in a listening mode though according to Mr. James even though he tried to tell her.

If she had listened to Mr. James when he he tried to tell her what he'd seen they all might have been rescued before Mr. Kim took off on foot on Saturday.

So close.

[r9etb]

So it might be assumed that James saw the creek area and thought either it was Rogue River or was going to lead to it. An old survival tatic used to be to follow rivers because they ultimately alway led to a town. There are many theories on this now.

Another mistake. It sounds swell to "follow a stream," but stream banks are often impassable even during good weather. It killed James Kim.