[PARAGON]

Helping made him hard to find

By Barbara Anderson / The Fresno Bee
12/08/06 04:38:27

Rescuers say James Kim, the San Francisco technology writer who was found Wednesday in a creek bed in a remote part of Oregon, made a superhuman effort to save his stranded family when he left them on a logging road to seek help.
But while he had the best of intentions ? to find help ? the decision ultimately cost him his life.
Kim, 35, was found floating in the middle of Big Windy Creek, 11 days after his family's car became stuck in the snow on a side road and four days after he ventured off to get help. He died of hypothermia and exposure.
His wife and two young daughters were found safe Monday in the car and rescued.
San Joaquin Valley search-and-rescue experts say they don't want to criticize Kim's choice to hike for help, because Kim was trying to save his family.
But they say the worst thing to do is to start walking ? unless you know where you are going.
"If you don't know for sure this is the way to go, just stay put," said Sgt. Alan Knight of the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.
Hiking for help makes it harder for searchers, said Adrienne Freeman, a ranger at Yosemite National Park. Each year, park rangers participate in about 200 searches for missing hikers, she said.
Search teams work very methodically, Freeman said. They define an area and search it and move on to a new area. If a lost person is moving, he may walk into an area that's already been searched and not be found, she said.
And someone hiking through trees is harder to spot from the air than someone standing in a clearing.
Freeman's advice for lost hikers: "Get yourself somewhere visible and don't move."
Each year, people become stranded or lost in the Sierra east of the San Joaquin Valley.
In October 2004, 19 outdoors enthusiasts went missing in a fierce Sierra snowstorm. Crews rescued four hikers in Madera County mountains, four in Fresno County east of Courtright Reservoir and nine in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. Two other hikers and their dog were found in the Dinkey Creek area and brought to safety.
Jon Hubble, 16, of Selma, spent two cold nights in the wilderness near Huntington Lake two summers ago. Hubble remained lost while he continued to hike through woods, and was found only after he stopped hiking and set up a camp in a clearing.
Hubble became lost when he got ahead of members of a Boy Scout troop.
"I took off too fast," he said Thursday. "I thought I knew where I was going."
He realized he was lost when he reached a river, but kept hiking. "I probably should have stopped there," he said.
Hubble said he met a couple on a trail who gave him directions that he followed, but ended up deeper in the woods. He decided to stop when he found a clearing on the side of a hill.
Two days later, rescuers found him.
If he'd continued to hike, Hubble said, "I probably would have just got more lost, gone deeper into the woods. I probably would not have found a clearing as good as that one."
Oregon rescuers say Kim died after picking his way nearly to the end of the steep, 5-mile canyon in the Siskiyou National Forest west of Grants Pass.
Kim walked more than 10 miles over rugged terrain looking for help. But he had walked nearly in a loop. His body was found only about a mile from the family car.
Wearing tennis shoes, a jacket and sweater, he had left his family on Saturday, following a logging road back the way the family had come, winding around a ridge, first south, then west.
After walking three to five miles along the road, he turned east into a ravine, apparently to follow the creek in the hope that it would lead down to homes.
That used to be a recommended survival tactic, but it has fallen out of favor because people who try it usually become more susceptible to hypothermia.
Trackers followed Kim's footprints through dense forest and over slippery boulders from one side of the creek to the other.
"I can only describe him as an extremely motivated individual," said Joe Hyatt of the local Swift Water Rescue Team, which tracked him along the creek bed. "There were areas where the only option for us to pass through was to enter the water and physically swim."
Kim was almost certainly dripping wet. It's not known whether he realized he was approaching the Rogue River, but authorities said he wouldn't have found civilization even had he made it to where the creek empties out.
Had Kim known to continue down the logging road from where the car stopped, he soon would have come to a fishing and rafting resort known as Black Bar Lodge. It was vacant for the winter, but rescuers checked it several times, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said.
The Kims left San Francisco on Nov.18 for a combined vacation and work trip for James Kim. They spent Thanksgiving in Seattle with family, then went to Portland, Ore., where they had brunch with a friend Nov. 25.
The family then left on their way to a stopover in Gold Beach. At 8:30 that night, they ate dinner in the central Oregon town of Roseburg, where authorities say they intended to take state Highway 42 over to the coast.
But they missed the turnoff, consulted a map, and decided to drive the 55 miles down Interstate 5 to Grants Pass. There they turned onto Bear Camp Road, which is lightly traveled even in the summer and often is closed in the winter.
It was stormy, and around the 2,300-foot elevation, about 50 miles from their intended destination, James Kim turned off onto the logging road, apparently by mistake. They were soon winding up the mountains, hopelessly lost, authorities said, and finally became stranded in snow.
People who frequently drive in the Sierra say they carry provisions with them, should they become stuck and stranded.
Walt Taguchi of Fresno leads cross-country ski trips for the Sierra Club and teaches lessons to beginners. He carries five to six extra blankets in his car. They double as seat covers for his 1996 Subaru Outback. And he takes extra food and water. He also carries two sets of tire chains ? even though he owns an all-wheel vehicle. "Just in case one breaks, I can put the other one on."
Lt. Joseph Blohm of the Fresno County Sheriff's Department said winter travelers should let others know where they are going in the mountains and when they expect to return. And they should be prepared to spend the night in the mountains, if need be.
No one expects to be stranded in a snowstorm, he said. But every year people find themselves in harrowing situations in the mountains ringing the San Joaquin Valley. "If anyone knew they were going to get stuck, they'd take a whole lot more care," he said. "But I know people who drive up to the snow and don't take a coat because they don't expect to get out of the car."
More information
Be prepared


Tips to prevent becoming stranded or lost, and what to do if you get lost:

Preparation: Have the correct gear for the weather and terrain conditions you will be in.

Let someone know what your plans are -- where you are going,when you expect to return, the type of vehicle you are driving, the type of gear you have with you.

Make sure you have a current map of the area, a Global Positioning System device and and a compass. If you are hiking, topographical maps are the best choice, but have a map with you. Know how to read the map, and use a GPS/compass. Don't rely on your cell phone, because some areas don't have cell coverage.

If traveling by car, carry emergency supplies in your vehicle that include blankets, a flashlight, flares, some food, water and a first-aid kit.

If you become stranded or lost, STAY PUT. Stay warm. And if possible, get out into the open so you can be seen from the air.

Don't panic.

If you need to report someone who is overdue, time is important. Notify the local law enforcement agency as soon as possible, have recent photos, trip itinerary, and type of gear your party has with them as well as personal identifying information and medical concerns.
Sources: Tulare County Sheriff's Department, Fresno County Sheriff's Department, Yosemite National Park rangers.