I did that drive this summer.... and I suspect James Kim may have taken that route due to a gps suggesting it... I did it knowing full well what it was going to be like very shortly into it.... but being summer, what the heck. I suspect that Mr. Kim was not aware of the hazzards of the weather that he was getting into..... and although he was likely a very bright fellow, that tragedy is a reminder that the outdoors are unforgiving. Surviving an unexpected outdoors mishapd is not so much based on intelligence, as on a wealth of experience... yours and that of others you can learn from. It was a very sad story indeed.... and I did think of them this summer as I did that drive. Mike Orchard > From: "Bradford R. Crain" <crainb_at_pdx.edu> > I still anguish over the fate of James Kim, who attempted to drive with > his family > from I-5 to the southern Oregon coast in the middle of winter over a > seldom used > and substandard Bear Camp road through the mountains. Had they taken a > more > traveled route, and had they carried sufficient supplies with them, > James Kim > would not have paid the ultimate price. I carry a down sleeping bag and > snow > shovel in my vehicle the year round, even on kayak trips. Even that may > not > guarantee survival. > > Brad *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 9:01 PM, Michael Orchard <mspadorchard_at_comcast.net>wrote: > > I suspect that Mr. Kim was not aware of the hazzards of the weather that he > was getting into..... and although he was likely a very bright fellow, that > tragedy is a reminder that the outdoors are unforgiving. Surviving an > unexpected outdoors mishapd is not so much based on intelligence, as on a > wealth of experience... yours and that of others you can learn from. > > An important insight, I think. Intelligence and knowledge are two entirely different things. I am reminded (for no good reason) of when my job required me to learn languages. It turned out that I had a knack for languages and could mimic accents pretty well. But I also discovered that being fluent in a language was no guarantee that I would understand everything. Every culture has a vocabulary and if you don't know the words in that vocabulary (is that redundant?) you can be technically fluent but still have no clue. So the medical culture has a vocabulary, the welding culture has a vocabulary, and the outdoor culture has a vocabulary. It's hard enough to make sense of those in one's native language. Maybe the signs on that road were in the wrong vocabulary. "A possibility exists that hypothermia may set in should perambulation continue along this route!" might not convey the right sort of urgency to someone from another country. Sometimes I think signs should be simpler and more direct: "YOU ARE GOING TO FREEZE YOUR ASS OFF IF YOU KEEP GOING!", "STARVATION AND DEATH AHEAD", "NO ONE IS GOING TO COME LOOKING FOR YOU", etc. Then again, maybe I just need another cup of coffee. Temp outside was 8F when I got up, bright and sunny. It's that damn Canadian air that's doing this to us. If we could keep the Canadian air up north where it belongs the temps would be warm and comfy. Maybe we could build a fence...... Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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