BS. He did everything he could. For all he knew, the tracks he had seen could've been from the searchers who had allegedly driven that stretch already.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2006/12/10/MNGVOMT3NJ1.DTL&o=0
This article really lays out the some of the details and provides a timeline and map. Gives a good perspective on the situation.
They had all kinds of people out there looking at first. This was just the morning after the story got out the night before. For all anyone knew, the Kims were in Portland or Roseburg.