Posted on 12/06/2006 12:25:00 PM PST by Cagey
Just heard on CNN Headline News he was found. Rescue personal saw flashing object and found him. No word of his condition.
You assume that I don't feel sorry for the family, that I don't pray for this man's soul, and that I don't understand his motivations. You'd be wrong on all counts.
The fact remains, however, that the hero died because he made a series of errors that he needn't have made -- not least of which was driving where he did in the first place. There's a lesson there, and maybe it will stick a little better if the lesson is pointed out while the emotions are still raw.
Kim's death is accurate. He gave his life searching for help for his family. A brave and loving man. I am sure he is smiling from heaven on his family here below. Such heroics from real people are hard to find.
These people werent "young"
By kgw.com and AP Staff
MEDFORD, Ore. -- The snow-covered back-country road that trapped the Kim family of San Francisco was meant for tourists, but not at this time of year.
Oregon 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.
Curiously, despite its impassable snowdrifts and single-lane, Bear Camp Road is offered as the preferred route on some Web sites and on-board-directions software available on some new cars, most of which have no business in those mountains in the winter.
Yahoo and MapQuest offer Highways 199 and 101 as the preferred route. A Google map search, however, suggests the Bear Camp route, a series of federal forest roads used mostly in summer.
Though paved, the single-lane road with turnouts, blind curves and steep embankments can be treacherous regardless of the season.
"That's not good," said Chris Dent, who manages the river section for the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. "It's not a safe route, particularly at this time of year."
Oregon Department of Transportation maps offer the more common directions, de-emphasizing Bear Camp Road.
"Our state highway maps show that route as not passable in wintertime, and we try to make sure people know that," said ODOT District Manager John Vial in Medford. Vial said he does not know where online mapping sites receive their information.
"The public needs to know that's not a safe route in the wintertime," Vial said.
Yeah, we know. It's too bad it is still listed as a "scenic route" on some maps and not designated as unsafe in winter.
Mistakes were made ... but have a heart.
I could be wrong, but that would make the most sense. Unfortunately they may have not been aware of how close the car was to the river, and he probably would have made it if he had backtracked down the road to the car, warmed up, and then headed down the closest swale. But that is why a maze is so difficult.
From what they are reporting it sounds like he almost made it to the Black Bar Lodge. Zane Gray's old cabin and grass landing strip is just a little further down river.
You are correct - you made the same distinctions in your previous posts. And, I did not intend to make assumptions of your emotions here.
Bunny, I do have a heart. That is why I am so upset about the errors in judgement this family made. Mrs. Kim is going to suffer the rest of her life, thinking about the "if-onlies".
At first, I desperately hoped they knew what they were doing, but as time went on, I do what I usually do when upset...
Havng a heart does not mean that you excuse bad judgement. Haven't you ever had children, and pointed out to them how they could have avoided some major mistake?
Pointing out errors doesn't mean you don't have a "heart", but the opposite.
If mankind never figured out from errors made in the past, how to avoid such in the future, where would we be?
Yep, he was about a mile short of it.
I am wondering if he record his thoughts on his pink iPod...that will open up some insight to what happened.
The landing strip you are refering to must be the one at Paradise Lodge?
Unless the heat which melted the snow outside would have been lost anyway do to the surrounding ambient temp, in which case it could be considered heat recovery.
You must be a blast at a funeral pointing out the errors of the deceased.
They made a wrong turn and got on a road that was a desolate one.
The road was on the map.
It doesn't take much to make a mistake like that in the Northwest.
Doing it now does nothing but make folks angry.
Honestly,
In a weeks time, I won't be thinking "I am SO glad I know what to do stuck in a snow storm thanks to that thread!!"
What I will remember are those who were kind and compassionate and those who came off as cold.
Now just ain't the time to do it....
That's one thing I don't understand.
A tire fire is very smoky, thick black smoke.
Why didn't rescuers see the smoke? Searching in the wrong place?
Another.
They were on a road. Did he walk the road? It sounds like he didn't. I also heard a few days ago that he had snowshoes.
The roads in that area are like mazes. Logging roads are everywhere which go for awhile and deadend. They look just like the read road. None of the roads are maintained in this weather.
I believe he felt it was better to follow the water to civilization ... not risk the roads again.
And the tires were burned at night to keep the family warm.
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