Granted this is a list about paddle sports, but I just can't get my mind off James Kim and his family. They are from San Francisco and had gone to Seattle for Thanksgiving. They had reservations at Tu Tu Tun Lodge in Gold Beach on the southern Oregon coast on the way home to SF. For whatever reason, James decided to leave I-5 at Grants Pass and drive over the coastal mountains in winter-like conditions. I'm sure many of us have found ourselves lost and/or stuck in the snow. The family car was located by helicopter, stuck on a remote logging road about halfway between Grants Pass and Gold Beach. His wife and two daughters were in relatively good shape, but unfortunately, James set out on foot last Saturday to find help. The family had been stranded for about nine days already. James apparently walked about two miles along a road and then dropped down into a rugged drainage that eventually connects with the Rogue River. The general location is called something like Bear Camp Road. The route they were taking is closed in winter but also difficult to traverse in summer. It was the most direct, in terms of miles, way of getting from Grants Pass to Gold Beach. James Kim is a very intelligent person, 35 years old, very successful and enterprising in San Francisco. He works in high tech, is an editor of a tech journal, and owns two boutiques. In fact, he is rather remarkable. And yet, something went terribly wrong on their return trip from Seattle to San Francisco. This kind of tragedy seems to occur almost every year in the Pacific Northwest. Skiers get lost, campers and hunters and hikers get lost, woodcutters and mushroom pickers get lost, tourists get lost. If it can happen to James Kim, it can happen to any of us. I don't know if James Kim will be found alive, but my heart goes out to him and his family and large circle of friends. Regardless of the final outcome, I believe we all can learn from this tragedy. I believe we must learn from this incident. It's the least we can do. We can also give support to the dedicated, brave people of SAR. It also seems clear the authorities in Josephine County do not have the full resources that they need in such emergencies. There is no excuse for our emergency services being anything but fully funded. Finally, it may be too late for James Kim, but if anyone has any idea how he can be located in such remote and rugged and cold terrain, I'm sure we would all (including SAR and the Josephine County Sherrif's Office) like to hear it. Bradford R. Crain Department of Mathematics and Statistics Portland State University 724 SW Harrison St. 334 Neuberger Hall Portland, Or. 97201 e-mail: crainb_at_pdx.edu phone: 503-725-3127 fax: 503-725-3661 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Brad: I too have been glued to the story of this family's plight. Everyday I think they have to have found him by now, but nothing. What worries me is that he's gone without food for 11 days now and there's really nothing to him. I believe hypothermia is going to be James Kim's biggest threat. They dropped 18 survival kits into the area this morning, hoping that he'll find one. Melinda *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bradford_Crain wrote: > Granted this is a list about paddle sports, but I just can't get my mind > off James Kim and his family. [snip] > James Kim is a very intelligent person, 35 years old, very successful > and enterprising in San Francisco. He works in high tech, is an editor > of a tech journal, and owns two boutiques. [snip] If it can happen to > James Kim, it can happen to any of us. > Regardless of the final outcome, I believe we all can learn from this > tragedy. [snip] We can also give support to the dedicated, brave people > of SAR. It also seems clear the authorities in Josephine County do not > have the full resources that they need in such emergencies. There is no > excuse for our emergency services being anything but fully funded. Mr. Kim was found dead today, not far from where some of his clothing was discovered a day or two ago. I agree a tragedy occurred, but not perhaps on its timing. The tragedy occurred in the form of at least two major errors in judgment while the Kim family made its way up a sometimes one-lane, partially paved, snowy back road, in an effort to save an hour or two of highway travel time, during inclement weather in higher, mountainous country, far from help, passing signs indicating the road they were traveling was not maintained or plowed for winter use. Did the previous paragraph ring any bells for paddlers? It should. Often, injuries and deaths occur on the water when paddlers ignore or are unaware of indications of dangerous conditions ahead. That's why we read charts; it's why we consult guides and use local knowledge in our forays into the wild. It's why we have backup systems in case our usual means of protecting ourselves fail. It's why we file float plans, to call in help if we do not make a goal or return when we plan to. I transited that same section of I-5, on the same day the Kims did, going the opposite direction. So did thousands of others. It is a sad thing that willful decisions made in a lone vehicle resulted in harrowing circumstances for four people, and the death of one. I am sad that this happened, but we can not save them all, no matter what level of SAR we are willing to fund. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Kruger wrote: > I transited that same section of I-5, on the same day the Kims did, > going the opposite direction. So did thousands of others. It is a > sad thing that willful decisions made in a lone vehicle resulted in > harrowing circumstances for four people, and the death of one. I am > sad that this happened, but we can not save them all, no matter what > level of SAR we are willing to fund. Even sadder when it costs the lives of others who have no control over the decisions made and those who dedicate their lives to saving them. At least that wasn't the case this time. I am very relieved the rest of the family survived. My thoughts are with the Kim family and friends. I wish they could have all made it home. Jackie *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
If I had had my VHF on, I'd have picked up on the SAR > traffic, and could have been of at least some help in searching ... the > county sheriff's boats not being able to explore shallow backwaters. Dave Dave's experience shows that seakayaks can be an advantage in a SAR search. We are able to go where power boats cannot. Also there are obvious applications for kayaks in a swift water rescue. There are specific training courses for swift water rescues some of you may want to check out. One is offered by Rescue 3 International www.rescue3.com stay safe out there Bob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> Y'know, this was the shove I needed to do that. I've paddled most > of the rivers and creeks around here, I've hiked most of the trails > in all seasons and all kinds of weather, I have the gear, and I would > rather not be sitting here watching news updates about someone lost > when I could be out trying to find them. > > I'm gonna find the local folks in the morning. > > ---Rsk Knowledge of the local trails, rivers and creeks is a valuable assest to any SAR unit. GO FOR IT! Bob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:43 PDT