Fumbles, missteps hindered search. On a hunch, local pilot found mother, kids alive.

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/10/2006 | Jaxon Van Derbeken, Peter Fimrite

[surfer]

For four days, as the snowbound Kim family's food supplies dwindled and they used up their gas running their stranded car's heater, no one even knew they were missing.

It was two more days before rescuers narrowed the search to roads leading across thousands of square miles of western Oregon, and another day before cell phone transmissions helped to pinpoint the search area.

While the speed of the investigation in some ways was remarkable -- given what little authorities started out with -- it was dogged by early missteps and obstacles that handicapped investigators.

A Portland hotel where the family had stayed refused to provide credit card records that might have indicated which way the Kims had gone. An early search by air and land of the treacherous mountain route that James and Kati Kim drove out of Grants Pass yielded nothing.

The owner of a lodge on the road where the Kims' car was stuck had told authorities three days before Kati Kim and her daughters were found that he had seen tire tracks in the snow, but he hadn't been able to follow them in his snowmobile once he hit bare ground. No one followed up.

...

[snarks_when_bored]

You have a point about the gate, but I stand by the letter of my post. Having almost come to grief in similar circumstances, I would urge people facing such circumstances to evaluate the risks with the utmost seriousness. Even just delaying the trip through the mountains until the daylight hours probably would have saved James' life.

[tubebender]

With the advent of the cordless Sawzall you are going to see more of this vandalism. If this spur led to the Rogue River it could have been fishermen looking for Steelhead or Salmon...

[surfer]

The owner of the lodge never said he cleared the road. In fact he was the one that was upset because they didn't clear the road effectively.

Also from what I understand they used to have signs directing people to the lodge but vandals did a lot of damage over the winters where they finally had to remove to the signs.

In addition the Kim's car was not 1 mile from the Bear Lake Lodge - LE incorrectly reported the position. They were close or over 7 miles away from the lodge.

Bottom line is the locals all knew this area was a problem and people have been lost in this same exact area. The shame here is no one is learning from past mistakes - they keep making them.

Also LE nor SAR didn't find any of the Kim's...the Kim's - all of them were found by private citizens. How is that possible?

[snarks_when_bored]

It's easy to lay blame and pass judgement.

Not at all what I was doing. See my post #41. It's important to be clear about what the Kims could have done that might have saved James' life. Perhaps someone else might re-think their intention to do something similar, especially with two youngsters and a wife in the vehicle. This doesn't detract from his heroic effort to save his family.

[nyconse]

True, however this guy should have inspected his property more carefully. He knew a family was missing. Also, he told authorities he had 'cleared the road'. He had not. Perhaps, this family would have been saved had the owner not made that false claim. What do you think.

[snarks_when_bored]

That family should be very proud of their husband/ son, who made a superhuman effort to get help. My heart goes out to them.

I feel the same way.

[nyconse]

When I lived out in Illinois. It was very very cold. We carried survival gear in the winter at all times and especially if we were travelling any distance. We had food, bottled water, blankets, flairs and extra clothes. Also, we had a first aid kit and some other stuff which I have forgotten. I know we had shovels (to keep the snow off the car).

[paulat]

True, however this guy should have inspected his property more carefully. He knew a family was missing. Also, he told authorities he had 'cleared the road'. He had not. Perhaps, this family would have been saved had the owner not made that false claim. What do you think.

Very good point. I don't think people who own property can be 100% vigilant...but you are right, when alerted, they should check it out.

[tubebender]

I doubt if there is any private roads in that area. Those lodges could be on Forest Service land with a lease but even if they sit on deeded land the roads are Forest Service and BLM.

[TruthWillWin]

Could be but a real popular area for fishermen (Rainy Falls) is just up the river from there and is just a short hike from the Merlin-Galice Rd. I've taken that hike more than a few times to watch the salmon jump up the falls. A few miles down from Rainy falls is the lodge that is off Bear Creek.

[woodbutcher]

Also LE nor SAR didn't find any of the Kim's...the Kim's - all of them were found by private citizens. How is that possible?

---

I would not put much significance in that.

Someone has to be first. When 100 people (for example) are looking for something, no matter which person you are, you have 1 in 100 of being the first to make the find unless there is some clear evidence trail you can read that no one else can read.

The only person I believe to have had that evidence was the guy that followed tire tracks on his snowmobile and then turned around.

He had the evidence, but lacked whatever to pursue it.

[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.

[snarks_when_bored]

We carried survival gear in the winter at all times and especially if we were travelling any distance. We had food, bottled water, blankets, flairs and extra clothes. Also, we had a first aid kit and some other stuff which I have forgotten. I know we had shovels (to keep the snow off the car).

Stacking the odds in your favor. Smart.

[surfer]

I must have missed where he said he had cleared his area?

[Sally'sConcerns]

True, however this guy should have inspected his property more carefully. He knew a family was missing. Also, he told authorities he had 'cleared the road'. He had not. Perhaps, this family would have been saved had the owner not made that false claim.

He didn't tell them he had cleared the road. He even tried to tell Sara Rubrecht, the Josephine County Emergency Services Coordinator about what he and his brother had seen (fresh tire tracks newly snowed over) when he saw her on Bear Creek Road.

From the article:

Later that day, he ran into Rubrecht and a deputy on Bear Camp Road. He says he told her that someone needed to check the logging roads thoroughly, but "to be honest, they weren't in a listening mode.'' Rubrecht did not return calls for comment.

[Sacajaweau]

This is so sad. But no one dreams that they will get lost.

I keep my GPS unit in the car along with the quads. It kept me from getting lost in the Southern Tier of NY (near the NY/Penn border. It's easy to use and economical.Nothing is cheaper and easier than flares and "waterproof matches" are a must. A mirror is an helper. And yes, you can start a fire with it.

I have a buddy who got lost even though he had marked his trail. He said: "Don't tell" but "I got down on my knees and prayed". He now travels with a cell phone and a GPS unit and checks in "someplace" before he travels into the unknown.

My dad always taught me to keep extra blankets, hat & gloves in the car in winter.

[Chuck Dent]

Even just delaying the trip through the mountains until the daylight hours probably would have saved James' life.

Reading through these posts is like trying to understand the logic of a liberal - I just don't get it. Apparently, it's everyone else's fault except Kim's.

First, and foremost, you don't drive at night through the snow - even on an interstate. Hundreds of thousands of people from the Bay Area follow this general rule when going up to Tahoe to go skiing on I-80.

These are people who know the road, have done it before, and aren't traveling with small children. The ones who don't are hardcore teens & 20-somethings, yet, if they continue to pursue the sport as they get older and have families, they adopt the general sane rule.

To travel at night through snow and unknown terrain, even a marked major highway, is the height of irresponsibility. Sorry, someone had to say it.

[surfer]

Yeah Chuck that was a good one.

I am far from being liberal - you should have seen me back in the Lewinsky days on here.

To say people shouldn't drive at night in the snow...are you kidding me?

I suggest you really go back and read the article completely and understand the facts before you take comments out of context.

[mockingbyrd]

I think this is a case where emotions over take judgment. The fact is that there were plenty of poor choices made in this whole tragedy. To focus solely on those made by the rescuers is unfair to all involved.

The Kims made the choice to travel across the mountains without a full tank of gas. In fact they had so little that this is what prevented them from turning around. By the time they decided they needed to, they discovered they didn't have enough gas. According to OSP, Mrs. Kim said they stopped twice to remove rocks in their path, instead of determining that this wasn't the best route. They also drove by at least TWO signs saying that this road was impassable in the winter due to snow. And it was snowing while they were driving.

I don't know why they chose to continue on this obviously dangerous road. But it made sense to them. I assume that the rescuers also made choices that made sense at the time. Now it's pretty clear they weren't the best. There were mistakes made all around in this tragedy.

[BruceysMom]

This is going to be my last post on this subject. After that I will leave and let the ignorance flow. The Kim's passed FOUR LARGE SIGNS on I5 and on Merlin Galice road (which turns into Bear Camp road) that told them that the road was impassible when snow was present. After that really really bad mistake, everyone else did the best they could. If you ignore signs and crash through a "Dead End" warning and sail off a cliff, it's your fault. I'm tired of the blame being laid on "vandals" locks are cut in this area because the government is trying to keep honest citizens from public land. This isn't a highway, in many places it's a gravel track. I've driven on it, have you? To be in the mountains, in the dark, after failing to heed four signs that told you, in essence, if you see ANY snow then turn back, you won't make it, is at best poor judgment, and at worst arrogance. Well to me the blame is clear. Ignore posted warnings at your own peril. This end of Oregon is not rich. The citizens of this county willingly helped in the search and will ultimately pay for it. We will do it gladly, tempered with sadness at the lost of Mr. Kim's life. But it was ultimately this family's bad decisions that caused this tragedy. Many people seem to assume that this area is easily accessible and no one paid attention. Local authorities have theorized that Mr. Kim's body was found in an area that NO OTHER PERSON HAD SET FOOT ON. try to imagine how remote that area must be. If someone is told four times not to go somewhere and they still do, how is the resulting tragedy anyones fault but their own? Flame away now.