Posted on 12/04/2006 3:18:35 PM PST by sockmonkey
If you have Google Earth, you can trace the road from where the car was left, on back to the intersection with the main road, NF-23. I'll try and do it using topo maps here (though it may be easier to start at the end of all this and work towards the car.)
Tracing back from the car (located at the u-turn in the upper right below "Windy" in "Little Windy Creek", and all of these can be zoomed in and out for perspective), the road goes west about 5.5 miles and then u-turn east. It does not connect with NF-23, which is on the other (south) side of a ridge, but rather runs parallel to it. In between them and also parallel is Bear Camp Road. Here is the u-turn area NF-23 is the thicker black line running diagonally under the word "Ridge", Bear Camp road is the next parallel road (thinner line, below the '1000' in the lower right side), and the side road they were on is the u-turning line above it, above the "750" in the upper right.
About 2 miles further east and south(zigzagging) there is a switchback road that connects their side road to Bear Camp Road, but I doubt they went down that section based on the angles of intersection. The side road they ended up on runs parallel to Bear Camp Road and NF-23 eastward about another 2 miles, where it originally split from Bear Camp road. That split is a shallow fork in the road, so at night they simply stayed to the right instead of going left at that fork. The split can be seen here, center and slightly right, zoom out for perspective.
Now Bear Camp road runs east and south another 4.5 miles before it finally meets up with the main road, NF-23, at another fork. In the lower center here. Again, at night they came to a fork and just swung right instead of left. This fork where Bear Camp and NF-23 split is 10.5 miles west of where NF-23 leaves the river (which turns north), about 10 miles west of Merlin. That split with the river is Galice, and also where the road from Glendale intersects the road to Gold Beach (NF-23.) Shown here, upper right.
May be easier to follow on the topo maps by going in reverse, like they did going west from Galice.
Yes, you're right. As I said, God's grace can make up for all of our shortcomings. =]
I think by Saturday the daytimes were upper 40s or low 50s. Let's wait and see what they estimate for the DofD or TofD.
This is from my summary of the news conference:
"They had studied an Oregon map, thought the town of Gelice (?) was 4 miles away, but it was really probably 15 miles away. James thought he could reach the town in a couple hours. He also wanted to try to flag down help on the road. They saw a river on their map, and they thought that would lead to the town. (That explains why he went down to the creek.)"
He said they were in heavy snow and the road drops in such a manner that with heavy snow they couldn't get back up the road.
He said Sunday he was out there and saw tire tracks going one direction, then lost the tracks and was getting low on fuel and had to return and went back there on Monday hovered above the road, found the human tracks and then called search and rescue to go there.
It gave me some insight into what I experience when I ski.
Clothing is critical in that regard. Clothing should be layered and allow perspiration to "wick" away. One must be very carefull not to not allow heat to be lost when they're "working". The bodies machinery when its putting out will keep one warm, but as soon as it goes to idle, onset of hypothermia can occur within minutes. People don't strip because of hypothermia, they strip because of hyperthermia.
James had one shot at this, well, maybe two. But one was all but utterly obscured to him (going the radio facility and lighting a fire, making a cell call) by 1800 yds of thick forest up a 704yd incline. The best chance he had was to walk 20 dome odd miles back to town. The ONLY way he could survive doing that was if he marathonned it, i.e., at MOST a 5 minute rest every hour. That is entirely doable. The exertion would've keep him warm, and his un-covered stovepipe of a head would've regulated his temps. However, onset of uncontrollable shivering would've begun within 5 minutes, along with delusions, irrational thoughts, behavior, etc. And coming out of the hypothermia hole is rought; it really takes some willpower to initiate the exertion that actually is what saves one in those circumstances. One of the large side effects of hypothermia is tiredness, er, more like extreme fatigue, shivering to death is quite apropo term: the body is wasting energy by shivering (rather than productive use of energy through action).
Temper that with a 9 day fast, and the possibility of hypoglycemia (a lot of people are and don't know it unless they've had a glucose tolerance test done), its a tall order indeed. Anybody that either has experienced hypoglycemia, or or knows somebody who's been in the throes of it, knows full well what these people are like. However, given the fact that he got to where he was found from where he left the loggin road, I think he had it in him to walk back to town Saturday. He just could NOT stop is all I'm saying. Once he set out he was comitted.
I'm so depressed now, knowing what he did at the Creek, and not nowing why, and understanding he sealed his fate there; albeit his initial trek to the Creek may in and of itsself have been useful for the discovery of his family.
ROFL!
I take that one to be a sympathetic "bless your heart" LOL
Bless your heart is used many ways. It's a tough phrase to use on forums because we can't hear the tone. I'd think many sympathetic or endearing "Bless your hearts" get slammed by others thinking the poster was being condescending or downright mean.
Thank you for the correction about hypo vs hyper thermia.
This post is for 4-7...
…San Jose Mercury News reported [Kim] may have been dead only hours, and no more than one day, by the time his body was discovered, according to deputy Grant Forman, who was a member of the Jackson County’s SWAT team who rappelled from a helicopter to recover the body.
Forman told the newspaper that it appeared that [Kim] slipped and fell on the slippery, mossy creek rocks.
I know where that is. Jet boat trips leave from there and go up the Rogue River to the Paradise Lodge for lunch or dinner then return.
You will see if on Google. Do a search for Galice and you will see the BLM road just south of The Galice Resort on Merlin-Galice Rd. Bear Camp Rd is about 10 miles up that road.
I pointed out previously that taking the Big Windy to the Rogue, and then following the Rogue is about 10 miles. The total walk back on the road would've been more'n twice that (not to mention elevation changes). Even so there's a net decent along the road, he'd still have to deal with those interminable climbs on occassion. And hiking a decent is just as much a workout as hiking a climb. The steeper the decent, the more strenuous the workout: one is exerting effort in the braking.
There are specific guidelines with respect to hiking progress based on grade. I know what those mountain streams are like, the terrain in them, and I'd be deathly afraid of getting wet. Ever read To Build a Fire by Jack London? I almost puked the first time I read that story. I have a similar nauseous feeling in my gut right now.
Given what he did down the ravine, I'm convinced he had it in him to walk back NF-23 all the way (even if it took 25 miles), but it had to have been better going than what he went through.
I hope that in his 35 short years on this planet, that he found the time to realize his need for, come to know, and accept Christ as his personal saviour. Because if so then he's presently in a much better place than any of us can even dream of.
My Aunt used to own the Galice resort. It's very beautiful there. Prayers for the Kim family.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16187541.htm
that is the link to the newstory...
How long ago. Is her name Mary-Lou?
I believe that they jeered left and should have gone right ... exactly the opposite.
they spotted a sign to the left that warned them of snow drifts ahead and that road would be block. If you find the home video of someone driving the road you will see that there.
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