I live in Sierra snow country and spend considerable time in the backcountry. The things that I see over and over:
People driving way too fast on snowy, icy roads. 35 is the speed limit, even on the highways when they are snowy or icy. Yes, that means with 4WD! There are times on these steep and windy Sierra roads that going 15 you still need to back off a bit.
People in street clothes on a Sunday drive on unplowed roads that get stuck and have no snow shovel. Living here, my snow shovel is in my vehicle until the last snow falls on the dogwoods and summer begins.
People assuming their cell phones will work. They did not work where the Kim family was, and they don't work in my literal neck of the woods.
People out on back roads getting lost with no map or topo. I just rescued some hunters a month ago who had travelled 5 or more miles cross country in the dark, because they were lost. They had no maps, compasses, GPS, flashlights. They had walkie talkies, but were out of range of their family and vehicles.
I love technology, but it is not a magic bullet. The only technology that may have helped your dear collegue would be GPS. Maybe if people did some geocaching and learned how to use one, but he still would have needed a topo of the terrain.
I just pray that this horrific incident jars people into awareness, so that more don't suffer and die. Also, I know that rescuers frequently are risking their lives to save people who are taking unnecessary risks in the backcountry, like skiing when the avalanche danger is too great. Bad things can occur out here, even if you are prepared, but I constantly am seeing unnecessary risk here.
Couldn't agree more. We don't need more technology applied to this increasingly prevelent problem. Technology is not going to save you in all cases. Wether the situation is in the Sierras or the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. Any place we see people outside of there normal comfort zone and in a semi-harzardous area; we see people get caught in situation they are simply untrained to adapt.
It doesn't matter if its a dessert; glacier; national forrest or on some unmaintained back road in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Kim failed to take local expert advice trusting his sense of risk and technology far more than his level of his own expertise in a survival situation. Again, many of us who do or have lived in remote regions of the world have seen this story hundreds if not thousands of times before often with the same result. The death or dismemberment of a well meaning but ill prepared motorist/camper/tourist/etc. that found themselves over their ability levels and paid a significant - if not - ultimate price for their own self inflicted folly.
No, technology alone will not "save" you unless you learn the survival basics early on. I suspect by the time he left the vehicle even the best GPS would have been worthless to him as people often disregard if not disbelieve what all those technology goodies tell them on the screens. I have seen people disbelieve a whole set of compasses they they "knew" the real direction of "North" better than the three compasses all pointing in the same direction at the same time. But they "knew" better. Its no different with any other technology but after a point in time they can all become just as "wrong" once the mind decides otherwise.
Had Mr. Kim been just a "Joe Smoe" type and not a editor of a news organization, nobody would have even had noticed. Much less cared for more than a day or so. There are simply too many other stories with much the same plot line all year long. Brutal but true. So, no I certainly don't consider him to be a "hero" by any means. He was just another citified guy who thought he knew more than "Mother Nature" and could beat both the elements and risks that preclude them.
Technology is not the answer. Basic survival training and travel planning seem to be more of the order of the day here.
There are probably a lot of things that we could all look back at and think of that would have helped JAmes and his family. I will try to point out somne of hte basic tips I've picked up over the last 25 + years of backroad travelling with my family, nad hope that maybe something will prevent this from happening again. First and foremost, know where you are going, have a map, and today, you should probably have a small GPS along with you. If you are traveling in inclement weather, or thinking if driving through snow or even heavy rain, you should have the proper warm clothing, rain gear, and blankets wiht you. You should anticipate the worst case scenario that could happen to you or your route and then prepare for it. If you are traveling with small children, you should have enough to keep them well fed and warm and dry for the duration of your trip. I've seen a few psots that give the advice to ALWAYS let someone know where you are going, and that is good advice even if you are driving somewhere and not just going on a backcountry backpacking trip! IF you should get stranded somewhere, somehow, on fooot, in a car, you should always stay at camp, or with the vehicle. Use mirrors, flashlights, smoke, loud whistles, to help serarchers find you. I like to carry a daypack with all the emergency gear I might need if I get stranded, that usually includes a headlight/flashlight, GPS or compass, warm clothes/rain gear, and maps of the area that I'm travelling through. Lastly, taking a last minute, side road during a rain or snow storm that you are unfamiliar with is not a good idea. Bad things can and as we are all painfully aware, do happen. NEVER trust yourself or your family to chance, always take the extra time to remain safe, taking a shortcut is only prudent if you are familiar with it and know where it goes.
If you are passing through any cold areas or it's just plain winter... you should have your winter jackets, and be dressed as if you had to walk. You can skip this is you simply drive in the city for most purposes... but you have no idea when your car will break down... you need appropriate clothing for the weather.
Take a AMERICAN RED CROSS WILDNESS SURVIAL COURSE AND TAKE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES, buy some kind of emergency kit( prefer a Red Cross kit) Take some kind of radios( family radio service, or General Mobile Radio Service, best bet get your Amateur Radio License. or a plain old C.B. radio, and a cell phone,NEVER RELY ON JUST A CELLPHONE EVER!!!!!!!
Take a AMERICAN RED CROSS WILDNESS SURVIAL COURSE AND TAKE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES, buy some kind of emergency kit( prefer a Red Cross kit) Take some kind of radios( family radio service, or General Mobile Radio Service, best bet get your Amateur Radio License. or a plain old C.B. radio, and a cell phone,NEVER RELY ON JUST A CELLPHONE EVER, AND YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TAKE CPR AND FIRST AID CLASS AND KEEP UP TO DATE.
Having completed a survival school in the mid 60's and done numerous wilderness camping trips in northern Minnesota, I'm very familiar with the most basic rules of survival. Number one of them is to remain with your vehicle or transportation. If you don't stay in on place, no one will be able to find you. Keeping yourself prepared, be it travel by road in either winter ofr summer is simple as loading a box with simple supplies. However, with the advance of technology, the simplest devices are real life savers. My most important these days is a $50. handheld GPS device. I like to hike in the woods, and it has made it so simple. I can just turn it on and walk off in any direction I choose. When I get tired or hungry, I can have the device show me which way to go and how far it is to get there, or simply follow my own track back to the campsite. Too easy, but essential equipment for hikers. This summer it has been important for boating in the San Fran Bay Delta which is filled with multiple channels and dead ends, without the device, I'd never have found my way back to the boat launch.
If the Kims had possessed of a hand held GPS system, they could had at least pinpointed their exact location and worked (walked) their ways out, maybe. I would guess as a hi-tech guy that they should have carried a laptop with them all the time. A simple GPS receiver together with electronic maps such as Microsoft Streets and Trips, or Delorme Street Atlas USA, (only about $100) works very well in any laptop. We were able to pinpoint the exact locations, regain our orientations several times in the New Mexico and Nevada deserts during our cross-country driving venture.
After six days in a vehicle your mind tends to start to loose cohesiveness. People tend to disbelieve what advanced technology tells them. Even simple compasses. Hunger and dehydration play funny tricks on the mind not to mention boredom and anxiety. Its easy enough to say: Oh look! The GPS will tell me the waypoints and direction out. Unfortunately, GPS is best combined with a good physical topography map and some map reading skills. Batteries do die and I am usually more accurate with a physical map than the GPS.
The best advice is to really LEARN how to read a map. Learn to identify the terrain around you and learn how to effectively naviagate before putting your life in the hands of a pair or weak or dying Duracells or any other battery manufacturer. Do you really want to risk your life to set of batteries? Its still possible from what I hear to do simple math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication and even (*gasp*) division by hand without a calculator! Think of the possibilities. Math anytime, anywhere without batteries.
You should never allow you or your families survival on a set of lead batteries.
Some of the low tech things work best in survival situations.
Always keep an extra blanket or two in your car. Keep them laid out in your trunk - it'll take up, what? 2 inches MAX of vertical space.
Always travel with water and 'snacks'. I don't care if you're only driving 1 hour or 11. Having some type of candy or food to snack on is beneficial. Water, same thing. Once the bottle is finished, don't toss it at some rest stop. If you're in a crash in a snowy or rainy situation, you can collect snow to melt into water, or drink the rain.
Mirrors. You can break the rear view mirror off your car's windshield, use a companion's make-up mirror, even a shiny object like the inside of a bag of chips to reflect the sunlight back up into the sky. It'll make it easier for planes, satellites, etc. to find you from above.
ALWAYS stay where you are. Build a shelter of some sort, and stay put. Going out alone in cold weather or wooded areas is a big mistake. No matter how desperate things may be, your best chances are to stay put and conserve energy.
High-tech GPS units and cell phones are only an added bonus. It's always the low-tech stuff that'll get you by in dangerous situations.
The simplest solutions have worked for a million years, use them before even considering the solar-powered helicopter drone.
Having said that, anything solar powered might've kept their heater working a little longer (by keeping the car battery topped off or semi-charged). Solar would be the one key piece of my car kit of I did any kind of serious travel outside of NJ (because in NJ, a ten-mile walk in any direction leads me to safety).
Have a map in the car for the route. My Wife will never laugh at my map collection again (modest, four Hammonds of the 200-mile radius of our home) because my ritual of plotting the route on a map has gotten us out of every single wrong turn within minutes of making them.
James Kim didn't have a map, didn't know the route, didn't know the roads. He bravely went for help, but he was ill-prepared for the trip. This is not heroic, it's tragic and sad. I could never hold him up as an example of what to do, but I can understand why he did it.
First, let me express to all my deepest regret that the Kim Family and the CNET family have suffered this loss. I can only say that I "wish" I had known James Kim. As a parent, I know that I would do whatever it takes to keep my children safe.
I live in the Rocky Mountains and while the altitude is much higher here - terrain is quite similar.
The man I date is the Director of Search and Rescue for our county and of course, all information I receive is from experiences with him and from the events our teams participate in here.
1. Keep the basics in the car - extra clothing (especially socks), flashlights/mirror, candles and coffee can to put them in, matches, energy bars/granola bars, whistle, water. (I have my provisions in a rubbermaid container with a lid -in the trunk - I change out the food/water every 6 months and the batteries every year)
2. Stay put; other than short excursions around a corner or to higher ground(hoping for cell service)stay where you are. It's easier to find an object that is standing still.
3. Be certain to relay any change in plans to a family member or a friend before you do it. No matter how minor of a change.
4. Shelter is your number one priority - if you don't have it, make it, before you do anything else.
5. Pay attention to the area you are in. If you do have cell service, try to describe your surroundings to whomever you are talking to, make mental notes about roads, turns, any signs, outcroppings, etc... Most of the volunteers in rescue groups know the areas like the back of their hands and will get a much better idea of where you are.
6. Never let your gas tank get below half - ever.
7. During daylight hours, take the mirror and try to use the sun to reflect to specific areas, while there may not be helicopters out, someone, hiking or hunting may see it and if it continues will more than likely call it in to authorities, (true story).
I hope this helps, I'm sure you've heard it before my post but just in case you didn't, it might save a life.
I have to ask a question that is on the minds of everyone I spoke to about this tragic situation. Why didn't Mr, Kim just back track where he came from on the same road he drove in there on??????
A simple GPS tracking device on his car would have helped and always tell relatives your plans and iterinerary ahead of time before leaving on any road trip and an expected day of arrival so they can alert police if you don't show up.
Please answer the above question. I watch a lot od survival shows on TV and it is possible to eat many plants and ways to obtain water in the wilderness. Always keep extra blankets and an emergency kit in your trunk.
Such a tragic set of unfortunate circumstances and I am deeply saddened for the Kim families loss.
It seems as though James' loss has sparked a national interest in totally avoiding a similar sequence of events or being more prepared if forced into a similar situation.
There have been so many low and high tech tips provided in this discussion thread and I'd like to add the idea of a sat phone survival kit. I personally do not own one, YET, but I've always been intrigued by them with cost of both hardware and service plans being price prohibitive. Not to mention the size but lately hardware prices are coming down and service plans are becoming as affordable as cell plans once were with emergency usage plans being, in my opinion, very affordable.
If placed in the same situation, this is yet another tool to assist along with the layered overlapping low and high tech systems and items that an individual or family could rely on.
One idea that came to mind was for companies/employers to purchase a few "personal locator beacons" to check out to employees. At around $600 they are to costly for most people to purchase alone. But an employer can easily afford a few of these to sign out for employee vacations where it may be needed (winter road trips, backpacking, boating, camping, etc.)
REI Sells this model on their website. ACR Electronics Terrafix 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.rei.com/product/47799529.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.rei.com/product/47799529.htm</a>
And remember, these are to be used in extreme emergencies only. If you press the button just because you're tired from a long hike. You're going to have some ticked off rescue personal along with a nice bill for that airlift & rescue effort.
1) Make sure you have a full tank of gas 2) Stick to the main roads
Apparently they missed their exit off I-5 and decided to take an alternative, less-traveled road. Big mistake - mountain country and back roads are a deadly combination. How heartbreaking - my prayers are with the Kim family during their loss.
I always carry a survival kit in the car. Going back to my flying days in small plane. This was a small backpack containg a .22 survival rifle that beaks down to small sections and store in the stock. (you may omit this if you don't like firearms but comes handy if you want to eat games)
Fishing kit, lines (light and heavy gauge) lots of it (500 ft) Ropes of great lenght able to support your weight. First aid kit. Lots of matches, lighters in waterproof plastic box. Change of clothes and several socks, towel, etc. Hand cranked flash light and small hand held strobe light ($10.00 anywhere) Mirror, and many small items that can be useful. Mylar tarp or sheet for cover, disposable rain gear, plastic bags of all sort, tape. Heavy boots, shoes of all sorts and other items in the trunk. All of these have many uses. IE: bags for your feet, in snow if you wearing sneakers like Kim did. My entire kit fits into a small back pack, including water bottles.
You can think of other things as well to toss in the car... not in the bag! Like six or more road flairs and smoke-genterator (rescue) that is visible for many miles. Also a flair pistol (marine) that can be had for 20 bucks and five flairs that go about 50-75 feet high. And the most important item that gets you rescued within a few hours.... a hand held HAM/Marine radio! There are signals everywhere... even in the most tucked away places like where James Kim was. There is a good chance that the Marine operator or will pick up signal. IE: I tried my small hand held 5W radio in Baja California, about 1000 miles from Santa Barbara California and the Marine operator came on clear as she was sitting next to you. So, don't under estimate the HAM/Marine combo radio no matter how low wattage it is. Also carry a small book of HAM repeaters listing of all the US mountain top antennas/repeaters. Don't worry about being a licensed HAM.... just use it for emergency and all is fine. RFS radios are not very good for anything but to keep in touch with your party. Don't count on that to get help.
One smart way to attract help is construct a makeshift ballon out of light plastic material, disposable raincoat...or other light plastics like grocery bags.. and hang a road flare below to generate hot air. All this are let go on a fishing line on reel. See? there are other uses for fishing line! This will work... try it out.
So, what James Kim did wrong? Maps are a first thing you study. The other things are; don't drive down past gates.... even if it's open. If you don't see traffic... you're in the wrong place. Don't take short cuts and don't worry about your schedules and plans. All these were a big mistake of James Kim by continuing on the trip. Some one said "..he did nothing wrong..." out to read this short paragraph. One of the real big problem is that he set out to drive during the night, over a mountain range in unfamiliar territory. That's plain stupid. I don't even do that in the day time in the winter months. He missed the map reading... shows that the road closed during the winter.... No traffic should be a big clue.
Most of all, don't rely on your cell phone coverage as he did. The HAM/Marine radio will get you out faster than anything else alltogether! All this (HAM radio) for under 150 bucks.
I am thinking of putting together various survival gear that will save your butt... no matter where you are! :) If there are any interest, please let me know; tjr@myway.com
Excellent. I have been following this tragedy for a week, and this post is the best I have seen on summarizing survival preparation. Knowledge is the greatest prep- shelter, warmth, water and signal. I carry a sleeping bag and a large candle in addition to what mydilbert says. Most outdoorsman know not to leave a road if you are trying a walk out, when all hope of rescue seems lost. I can only assume that sleep deprivation, stress, perhaps hallucinations contributed to his walking down the drainage ravine. Bless you James for your courage during those final hours.
I'm a ham radio operator, so hopefully I have some knowledge in that field. A ham radio is only as good as its battery. Even when fully charged if just stowed for emergency in a vehicle, chances are that the battery will be dead when the emergency need is there... A 12 volt adapter might save the day, but how many non-hams would think of it? The rubber ducky antenna that comes with most hand-held ham radios is in general, not very good. Many hams replace them with better working antennas. Again a point that will be missed by the non-ham user. Transmitting inside the vehicle is also not the best way to be heard, as the car's metal is shielding the transmission.
Even if you have a repeater book, most of these repeaters are NOT on mountain tops, as they need power to work. They are on relatively high places, but certainly not in the wilderness!
And finally, even if you have the radio manual, programming the radio to access a repeater is not trivial.
If you really want to use ham equipment for emergencies, become a ham. The tests are offered quite often, they are easy to study for and pass, you can practice for free on the web and you do NOT need to know Morse code! Equipped with that knowledge and a hand-held radio, you will be much better prepared for emergencies!
I am very sorry for the Kim family and the whole story was so saddening. It has prompted me to make a big emergency kit for the car and think about our safety/survival more. I plan on getting a survival book as well. I hope the Kim family is doing okay after this ordeal.
I have a 5 month old son, and I'd never go on any trip right now, especially in the wilderness. It's too bad; he was a nice man. I was wondering though for non-breastfeeding mothers - How do you feed your child if you're stranded and run out of formula? That was VERY lucky that she breastfed. I'd hate to think of what would have happened if she didn't!
But I have a question -
I live near Chicago IL. I rarely am a block from some sort of Walgreens/Target/ or major store, and I rarely travel long distances. What kind of emergency kit should I have in my car (given I live in civilization?)
I lived in northern Canada for many years and I have done many winter and alpine expeditions, so I have a certain perspective on winter survival. Here are some of the things that I believe should always be carried for winter travel:
- Sleeping bags. You can survive extreme cold temperatures (-40 or more) if you have them. - Proper clothing and foot wear. - Water containers and purification tablets. - Food. Freeze-dried meals, MRE's etc. are compact and last well. - Matches, compass, flashlight, candles. - Hunting knife. - Toilet paper.
Learn to light a fire. If you know how, it is possible to light a fire with wet wood in the cold or pouring rain, especially if you have candles. First, cut some paper-thin wood shavings with a knife. Light a short piece of candle and keep it sheltered. Stack the wood shavings around and over the candle. As they dry in the heat of the candle, they will ignite. Gradually add larger pieces. Once it's burning, stack wood around and over the fire. This will keep it from going out if it's raining, and will ensure that you have a supply of dry wood to add to the fire later.
Hunting and fishing gear can be useful if you happen to be somewhere where game is available. For back road travel in the winter time, that's not always the case.
Be smart. TEACH KIDS. It's nature. Don't be high tech.
Hmm, dont forget a few things about last case: - there was nothing very dangerous. Weather was moderate - little freezing, nothing more. There was a plenty of wood around for the fire. There was a lot of water from the snow. people wS in 15 miles away (only). - And of course, IT IS WINTER. Even if it don't look like a winter here in Californoa - it is WINTER. Road can became a snow-covered and inpassable. Night temperature can be freezing. Storm can cover a skies for a few days. Fog can prevent you from seen anything (esp in the mountains). Dont forget when trevelling with the family.
Many kids in Russia lost in the forest each year. Many (I know 3 this year) survive 2 -0 4 days without big problems, and comes back hungry but alive. THis particular case should end in 2 - 3 days, if people to be ready to the forest.
First, Non technical issues. An idea of _be in the car_ is not smart. Yes, _be in the car while storm is strong OR for 1 - 2 days_. In most cases, when you are on the road, someone will go by and you are saved.
But, if you are in the wilderness and no one is coming and you are already staying for 1 - 2 nights, dont be passive. First, look around, Check all roads - may be, this road go to the loidge, and this road go to the village (1 - 2 hors walk in one direction shows it).
If it dont help - make next step. Walk to the help UNTIL you are exhausted (on the 2-d day for example). Be sure that you can return (and be ready to return, don't be afraid to turn around), at least on the first attempt. Never take a busgh or creek until you can see a road. Try to make (at least a promitive) orientation - you can see a sun, sun is on the S at 1pm, and apprxo on the east at 10 am and W at 7 pm. Take a matches with you and make a fire for the night - it's ALWAYS (ALWAYS) possible in the mountain forest (except on the swamps and in rain forests).
- Don't think that others will safe you. Be active and safe yourself. Fire is your friend, roads are your friend, sun is your friend.
- Other idea - always make fire from the woods. Even if you can't find dry wood just around your car, walk 10 minutes into the creek, low place, and so on, and you wil find a lot of dry fur, pine, and other _easy to burn_ woods. IT is forest, you can always make a fire in the forest, all you need is 3 - 4 matches (car cigarett lighter can be used in emergency too). I can understand if people in Sibiria (-40 degrees of Celsius) burn disel fuel and tires on the forestless road in a strong snowstorm - but why to do it in a quiet forest in 1 KM altitude?!
There are many stories about people stranded in Sierra and in Nevada (much colder and dangerous vs Trinity forest). Those who stay in the care more than 2 days often died. Most who waited for 1 - 2 days and then walked - walked 10 , 20, sometimes 40 miles but comes to the people.
Few technical lessons: - first of all, I wonder why cell phones never can't work as a walkie-talkies. Having a simple _beakon_ mode (phone emits a short pulse each minute, counted so that the batter can stay for a long) could help to find this people. Even simple frequencey scanner, workingt on the helicopter (and sensitive to their cell phones) could help. if you want a serious proposal, propose a BEAKON MODE on the cell phones, it really can save a lot of lives.
- Second. Have a GPS. Even the simplerts one (and even car one) shows you a distance to the nearest village, and shows you a raw position. Having a simple CAR GPS could help don't miss a road (one of the most dangerous thing which can happen - and which happen with Kim's family). Even if missing the road, you stil know where you are. And even if GPS broke, you still know where you was when it worked last time.
I read a lot of ideas, mainly about _how to protect a weak people from the nature_. But you cannot and should not protect everything, it's just impossible. You should instead teach people. Tech how to make a fire in the wood. Teach don't go to the bush when you are in the road (even if you believe that it cut of the way). Teach don't drive in the snow road up the pas if you are not 100% sure that road is not abandoned and if you have not experience in this situation and THIS place. Teach people don't trust to everything - even if road 23 is on the map, map clearly state _IT IS FOREST LOAD 23_, and you should not be a Einstein to understand that it can mean _small windy 1 line road without big traffic_.
We discussed this event iwith many people from Russia (including many from Siberia). Most have the same reaction - 'I'd wait 1 day and then GO FOR THE HELP' . Most! No one was ready to sit down and wait. But - most learned how to make a fire in the forest, most had an oportunity to take 2 - 3 days wilderness trips when they was in school, most can read a map and can turn around if they see their initial decision shows to be wrong.
In Kim's case, there was a chain of terrible mistakes: - decision to select a road 23 was a mistake. But it was a minor one. - decision to continue when they drived into the snow, while driving up (before a pass) was a second mistake. Still not a fatal one. - When they missed a road and got into the logging one, they made a third mistake - did not realized that they missed a road. But it was not fatal, still. - Staing in the car for 5 days without looking around was one more mistake. They had a lodgen in 2 miles downhill from their car (Bears bar Lodge, as I know - you can find a photo on the Internet). In other direction, it was about 10 or 15 miles to the road, more difficulty but still passable. - And the final mistake. No one knows why it happen. It was a decision to turn from the road to the creek, and (more important - anyone can make a mistake) not turning back after first 1/4 - 1/2 miles thru the bush.
Please check with any athletic stores to update this advice. When exercising in the winter, you should have on a wicking base layer, such as Doufold, Patagonia Capilene or Helly-Hansen Lifa. This will pull the perspiration away from your body. Your second layer can be a warmth layer like wool or fleece. If it is windy, raining or snowing then a waterproof layer like Gore-tex would help. The wicking layer could include sock liners, longjohns, briefs or running shorts, long sleeve zippered turtleneck and glove liners. The warmth layer could include wool socks, wool pants, wool shirt or sweater and wool hat. This layer could also have a fleece neck gaiter and fleece or wool mittens or gloves. Mittens hold heat between your fingers. I find wool keeps me warmer then fleece, but like mittens vs. gloves, it is up to the user. The water / windproof layer could include gaiters worn between your ankles and knees to keep the snow out of your boots, a Gore-tex jacket, gore-tex gloves or mittens and a gore-tex hat. Boots should be larger than dress shoes or tennis shoes since the wool socks will be larger than cotton socks. This advice is from a guy, so ladies, please consult an outdoor or athletic store for further advice. A person like Mr. James Kim would only need one outfit, since packing stuff for a 7 month old and four year old would probably not leave much room for more than one set of emergency clothes. One thing that hasn't been mentioned about hypothermia is that it makes you confused and stupid. When I first got cross country skies, and before I learned how to dress correctly, I went skiing while wearing all cotton. I started out fast, but noticed as I sweated I became colder. So I tried to pick up the pace. Well there is only so much I could do until the cold caught up to me. I had to decide to scrap the plans I made and head back to the lodge. I was lucky there was only one trail I had been on. I turned around but noticed as I headed back I started falling more and more. My coordination was failing. I hadn't fallen at all on the way out. I got back to within sight of the back of the lodge. I could go around it to my right or left. And I just stood there. I didn't know what to do. I was dumbfounded. I may have stood there for a few minutes. I finally choose to go to my left, because that is the way I skiied down. This occurred to me after only a few hours exercising outside in cotton clothes. I have run a marathon in under 4:20:00, so what Mr. Kim did once he left the car is still amazing to me.
It's not so obvious, but I agree - - if you know where to go (you are sticked on highway 4 on the last day of fall for example), then go one way. - if you have nothing to eat drink etc in yoru car and have not family behindm go one way
- if you can wait and have not sickness etc, then may be make round trips on the first day, and then make one way but be smart.
Man with the matches can hike 40 - 80 miles on the foirest road in 2 days. Night is not a problem if you have a matches and can make a fire (why everyone forget that _it is forest, there are always a lot of dry wood even in the rain, you can always make a fire and find a dry spot there. It is not a desert!). And 80 miles allows you to go anywhere you need.
But I fully agree with the previous post - never leave a road, EXCEPT if you are 100, not, 200% sure what are you doing.
I gues only, why they burn tires instead of keeping big firewood fire and making a lot of smoke out of it?
It was a forest with a lot of pines around, as we could see on the pictures, and if you put enough dry woods, find a dry trunks, and make a big enough stock of dry wood on the road, you can keep it burning all the time without big efforts.
Yes, it is ALWAYS possible to make a fire in the pine forest even in the snow storm: - you have a dry spots under a big pines, even in the rain; - you can find dry trunks, brunches, small dry woods. - then you are making dry spot on the ground (under the tree in the snow) and make a small fire - then you can bring bigger trunks, esp. if they are pine ones, and keep fire running as long as you add a wood every few hours. - even if it died, it will keep a place to make a new fire easy, and keep a warm ground where it was.
It dont work in wet rain forest or in the sparce forest on the swamp, but it works pretty well in mountains on 1 - 2 Km of altitude.
What is better for the fire: - pine (dead one of course). Lower branches are often dry and dead, and easy to crack out; - fir-tree. Worst but still very good. - The bark of the birch (but not the birch tree itself) - Use the tar from the trees.
Then, try to make a perfect pile. Like this ones: (sorry for the text in russian - just scroll it to the pictures in the end):
I recommend having big knife or small axe in the car. It can help in many cases. Simplerst one - you are driving on back road and see a failen tree on the way. Having (even small) axe or a big knife, you have a chance to cut it (even if it takes a few hours) and make way.
(additional use - if you need to break a glass or free someone from the overturned car.)
Thats exactly what I would have done. James Kim did not die of thirst or hunger. He died of hypothermia. A fire in that kind of cold weather poses little threat of a forest fire, attracts attention, and probably would have saved him. He had a lighter with him.
"In a winter storm, wilderness is 15 feet away from the door of your car." (Papa Bear Witmore at a winter survival workshop in Wisconsin is my main source for surviving a winter storm in a car.) People have lost their car getting out in a storm to clear their exhaust pipe from the snow. A 20 foot long piece of cord tied to the stearing wheel and your wrist can keep you from loosing your way in a white-out.
Whatever is left of a tank of gas can be rationed by rewarming the car periodically, and restarting the car and letting it run to warm up is only one means to do that. You have to keep the exhaust clear to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. All of the recommendations for water, food and extra clothing are important. Water freezes in plastic jugs pretty quickly, and can't be rewarmed easilly. When traveling in remote areas, because an extended storm can continue to suck the heat from the car quickly, you will need water, food, and a heat source. The car is your shelter. One suggestion is to carry a set of large non-perfumed candles, some mylar blankets, and a bunch of safety pins and electrical tape. Fashion and suspend a "tent" within the vehicle from the mylar blankets, and light the candle(s) from time to time to create a source of heat and light. Keep a window cracked for ventilation on the lee side of the car, and you have a double walled shelter that allows minimal condensation to form on the inside of the vehicle. The reflective blankets reduce radiant heat loss and help retain the heat from your bodies and the candles.
A container for melting snow can be important since you can go through water quickly, and staying hydrated helps prevent hypothermia and frostbite. A pair of Number 10 cans work fine for holding your kit and may serve as a snowmelt device. With a pliers, you can fashion a candle stove (create ventillation for the flame within the sides of one can) and use the other as the pot for melting the snow.
We store our sleeping bags in the cars during the winter since they aren't being used for camping trips, as well as our pack boots, spare winter coats, and the spare mittens and hats nobody seems to want to wear. A deck of cards takes up hardly any space, but helps time pass. A stash of nuts, some chocolate, dried jerky, and canned foods help keep waiting time reasonable.
My heart sank when I learned James had left the car and not returned before nightfall. It is such a shame that at the time search efforts were being mobilized, the situation became intollerable to him. Hypothermia is such a sneaky culprit. The last person to see it coming is the person who is suffering from it. Last night I heard from a Korean War veteran that he and one of his platoon mates kept each other awake while on one another's night watch between retreats from the Chinese army by holding one another's feet in their arm pits. Neither one developed frost bite in spite of their exposure in a Fox Hole during those cold winter nights that reportedly were sometimes in the 30 degree below zero range. Staying together can be vital.
I fully empathize with James in that situation although I've never faced anything like it. When it comes to winter storms, I avoid the risks as much as possible. Taking kids out for a short winter outing could easilly become a survival situation, so I always bug them to have their boots, mittens, hats, and jackets with them in the car in winter no matter how short the trip. But the items I've mentioned could make the difference if it suddenly becomes an extended wait for help. And waiting for help was number one on the list of Papa Bear's recommendations.
It does not matter how skilled someone is with wilderness travels, something can happen to the best of us. Folks get lost in the wilderness every year which can be easily solved with a satellite GPS system. The problem is what happens if you get hurt and cannot walk out of the wilderness? Your GPS tells you where you are only. Why not have it also send a signal back so others could log on and track you on a website? This technology exists to send a signal to satellites for places where cell technology does not work. It is used by biologists to track animals in the wilderness. Before setting out a person could give a friend or relative their access code to log in and track them on the internet and it would be password protected so not just anyone could track you. There are stories of folks who know their exact location in a remote wilderness area but due to an injury cannot get out and cell phones do not work. If someone would invent a handheld GPS with 2 way communication to the satellite and an affordable subscription fee to the web service for tracking, I'll be first in line to buy it.
Almost your exact description is available. It is a Personal Locator Beacon with GPS. It's only for emergency use, but then there is zero subscription fee.
Manage updates with the Download App
People driving way too fast on snowy, icy roads. 35 is the speed limit, even on the highways when they are snowy or icy. Yes, that means with 4WD! There are times on these steep and windy Sierra roads that going 15 you still need to back off a bit.
People in street clothes on a Sunday drive on unplowed roads that get stuck and have no snow shovel. Living here, my snow shovel is in my vehicle until the last snow falls on the dogwoods and summer begins.
People assuming their cell phones will work. They did not work where the Kim family was, and they don't work in my literal neck of the woods.
People out on back roads getting lost with no map or topo. I just rescued some hunters a month ago who had travelled 5 or more miles cross country in the dark, because they were lost. They had no maps, compasses, GPS, flashlights. They had walkie talkies, but were out of range of their family and vehicles.
I love technology, but it is not a magic bullet. The only technology that may have helped your dear collegue would be GPS. Maybe if people did some geocaching and learned how to use one, but he still would have needed a topo of the terrain.
I just pray that this horrific incident jars people into awareness, so that more don't suffer and die. Also, I know that rescuers frequently are risking their lives to save people who are taking unnecessary risks in the backcountry, like skiing when the avalanche danger is too great. Bad things can occur out here, even if you are prepared, but I constantly am seeing unnecessary risk here.
It doesn't matter if its a dessert; glacier; national forrest or on some unmaintained back road in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Kim failed to take local expert advice trusting his sense of risk and technology far more than his level of his own expertise in a survival situation. Again, many of us who do or have lived in remote regions of the world have seen this story hundreds if not thousands of times before often with the same result. The death or dismemberment of a well meaning but ill prepared motorist/camper/tourist/etc. that found themselves over their ability levels and paid a significant - if not - ultimate price for their own self inflicted folly.
No, technology alone will not "save" you unless you learn the survival basics early on. I suspect by the time he left the vehicle even the best GPS would have been worthless to him as people often disregard if not disbelieve what all those technology goodies tell them on the screens. I have seen people disbelieve a whole set of compasses they they "knew" the real direction of "North" better than the three compasses all pointing in the same direction at the same time. But they "knew" better. Its no different with any other technology but after a point in time they can all become just as "wrong" once the mind decides otherwise.
Had Mr. Kim been just a "Joe Smoe" type and not a editor of a news organization, nobody would have even had noticed. Much less cared for more than a day or so. There are simply too many other stories with much the same plot line all year long. Brutal but true. So, no I certainly don't consider him to be a "hero" by any means. He was just another citified guy who thought he knew more than "Mother Nature" and could beat both the elements and risks that preclude them.
Technology is not the answer. Basic survival training and travel planning seem to be more of the order of the day here.
First and foremost, know where you are going, have a map, and today, you should probably have a small GPS along with you. If you are traveling in inclement weather, or thinking if driving through snow or even heavy rain, you should have the proper warm clothing, rain gear, and blankets wiht you. You should anticipate the worst case scenario that could happen to you or your route and then prepare for it.
If you are traveling with small children, you should have enough to keep them well fed and warm and dry for the duration of your trip. I've seen a few psots that give the advice to ALWAYS let someone know where you are going, and that is good advice even if you are driving somewhere and not just going on a backcountry backpacking trip!
IF you should get stranded somewhere, somehow, on fooot, in a car, you should always stay at camp, or with the vehicle. Use mirrors, flashlights, smoke, loud whistles, to help serarchers find you. I like to carry a daypack with all the emergency gear I might need if I get stranded, that usually includes a headlight/flashlight, GPS or compass, warm clothes/rain gear, and maps of the area that I'm travelling through.
Lastly, taking a last minute, side road during a rain or snow storm that you are unfamiliar with is not a good idea. Bad things can and as we are all painfully aware, do happen. NEVER trust yourself or your family to chance, always take the extra time to remain safe, taking a shortcut is only prudent if you are familiar with it and know where it goes.
Don't be unwilling to stop and turn around when lost, get back to a known location before going on again.
If anyone asks why, just say "Remember James Kim!"
The best advice is to really LEARN how to read a map. Learn to identify the terrain around you and learn how to effectively naviagate before putting your life in the hands of a pair or weak or dying Duracells or any other battery manufacturer. Do you really want to risk your life to set of batteries? Its still possible from what I hear to do simple math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication and even (*gasp*) division by hand without a calculator! Think of the possibilities. Math anytime, anywhere without batteries.
You should never allow you or your families survival on a set of lead batteries.
Always keep an extra blanket or two in your car. Keep them laid out in your trunk - it'll take up, what? 2 inches MAX of vertical space.
Always travel with water and 'snacks'. I don't care if you're only driving 1 hour or 11. Having some type of candy or food to snack on is beneficial. Water, same thing. Once the bottle is finished, don't toss it at some rest stop. If you're in a crash in a snowy or rainy situation, you can collect snow to melt into water, or drink the rain.
Mirrors. You can break the rear view mirror off your car's windshield, use a companion's make-up mirror, even a shiny object like the inside of a bag of chips to reflect the sunlight back up into the sky. It'll make it easier for planes, satellites, etc. to find you from above.
ALWAYS stay where you are. Build a shelter of some sort, and stay put. Going out alone in cold weather or wooded areas is a big mistake. No matter how desperate things may be, your best chances are to stay put and conserve energy.
High-tech GPS units and cell phones are only an added bonus. It's always the low-tech stuff that'll get you by in dangerous situations.
Having said that, anything solar powered might've kept their heater working a little longer (by keeping the car battery topped off or semi-charged). Solar would be the one key piece of my car kit of I did any kind of serious travel outside of NJ (because in NJ, a ten-mile walk in any direction leads me to safety).
Have a map in the car for the route. My Wife will never laugh at my map collection again (modest, four Hammonds of the 200-mile radius of our home) because my ritual of plotting the route on a map has gotten us out of every single wrong turn within minutes of making them.
James Kim didn't have a map, didn't know the route, didn't know the roads. He bravely went for help, but he was ill-prepared for the trip. This is not heroic, it's tragic and sad. I could never hold him up as an example of what to do, but I can understand why he did it.
-R
I live in the Rocky Mountains and while the altitude is much higher here - terrain is quite similar.
The man I date is the Director of Search and Rescue for our county and of course, all information I receive is from experiences with him and from the events our teams participate in here.
1. Keep the basics in the car - extra clothing (especially socks), flashlights/mirror, candles and coffee can to put them in, matches, energy bars/granola bars, whistle, water. (I have my provisions in a rubbermaid container with a lid -in the trunk - I change out the food/water every 6 months and the batteries every year)
2. Stay put; other than short excursions around a corner or to higher ground(hoping for cell service)stay where you are. It's easier to find an object that is standing still.
3. Be certain to relay any change in plans to a family member or a friend before you do it. No matter how minor of a change.
4. Shelter is your number one priority - if you don't have it, make it, before you do anything else.
5. Pay attention to the area you are in. If you do have cell service, try to describe your surroundings to whomever you are talking to, make mental notes about roads, turns, any signs, outcroppings, etc... Most of the volunteers in rescue groups know the areas like the back of their hands and will get a much better idea of where you are.
6. Never let your gas tank get below half - ever.
7. During daylight hours, take the mirror and try to use the sun to reflect to specific areas, while there may not be helicopters out, someone, hiking or hunting may see it and if it continues will more than likely call it in to authorities, (true story).
I hope this helps, I'm sure you've heard it before my post but just in case you didn't, it might save a life.
D
A simple GPS tracking device on his car would have helped and always tell relatives your plans and iterinerary ahead of time before leaving on any road trip and an expected day of arrival so they can alert police if you don't show up.
Please answer the above question. I watch a lot od survival shows on TV and it is possible to eat many plants and ways to obtain water in the wilderness. Always keep extra blankets and an emergency kit in your trunk.
My heart goes out to the Kim family.
Truly,
Shoejunkie
It seems as though James' loss has sparked a national interest in totally avoiding a similar sequence of events or being more prepared if forced into a similar situation.
There have been so many low and high tech tips provided in this discussion thread and I'd like to add the idea of a sat phone survival kit. I personally do not own one, YET, but I've always been intrigued by them with cost of both hardware and service plans being price prohibitive. Not to mention the size but lately hardware prices are coming down and service plans are becoming as affordable as cell plans once were with emergency usage plans being, in my opinion, very affordable.
If placed in the same situation, this is yet another tool to assist along with the layered overlapping low and high tech systems and items that an individual or family could rely on.
REI Sells this model on their website.
ACR Electronics Terrafix 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.rei.com/product/47799529.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.rei.com/product/47799529.htm</a>
And remember, these are to be used in extreme emergencies only. If you press the button just because you're tired from a long hike. You're going to have some ticked off rescue personal along with a nice bill for that airlift & rescue effort.
2) Stick to the main roads
Apparently they missed their exit off I-5 and decided to take an alternative, less-traveled road. Big mistake - mountain country and back roads are a deadly combination. How heartbreaking - my prayers are with the Kim family during their loss.
Fishing kit, lines (light and heavy gauge) lots of it (500 ft)
Ropes of great lenght able to support your weight.
First aid kit. Lots of matches, lighters in waterproof plastic box. Change of clothes and several socks, towel, etc. Hand cranked flash light and small hand held strobe light ($10.00 anywhere) Mirror, and many small items that can be useful. Mylar tarp or sheet for cover, disposable rain gear, plastic bags of all sort, tape. Heavy boots, shoes of all sorts and other items in the trunk.
All of these have many uses. IE: bags for your feet, in snow if you wearing sneakers like Kim did.
My entire kit fits into a small back pack, including water bottles.
You can think of other things as well to toss in the car... not in the bag! Like six or more road flairs and smoke-genterator (rescue) that is visible for many miles. Also a flair pistol (marine) that can be had for 20 bucks and five flairs that go about 50-75 feet high. And the most important item that gets you rescued within a few hours.... a hand held HAM/Marine radio!
There are signals everywhere... even in the most tucked away places like where James Kim was. There is a good chance that the Marine operator or will pick up signal. IE: I tried my small hand held 5W radio in Baja California, about 1000 miles from Santa Barbara California and the Marine operator came on clear as she was sitting next to you. So, don't under estimate the HAM/Marine combo radio no matter how low wattage it is. Also carry a small book of HAM repeaters listing of all the US mountain top antennas/repeaters. Don't worry about being a licensed HAM.... just use it for emergency and all is fine. RFS radios are not very good for anything but to keep in touch with your party. Don't count on that to get help.
One smart way to attract help is construct a makeshift ballon out of light plastic material, disposable raincoat...or other light plastics like grocery bags.. and hang a road flare below to generate hot air. All this are let go on a fishing line on reel.
See? there are other uses for fishing line!
This will work... try it out.
So, what James Kim did wrong?
Maps are a first thing you study. The other things are; don't drive down past gates.... even if it's open. If you don't see traffic... you're in the wrong place. Don't take short cuts and don't worry about your schedules and plans. All these were a big mistake of James Kim by continuing on the trip. Some one said "..he did nothing wrong..." out to read this short paragraph. One of the real big problem is that he set out to drive during the night, over a mountain range in unfamiliar territory. That's plain stupid. I don't even do that in the day time in the winter months.
He missed the map reading... shows that the road closed during the winter.... No traffic should be a big clue.
Most of all, don't rely on your cell phone coverage as he did.
The HAM/Marine radio will get you out faster than anything else alltogether!
All this (HAM radio) for under 150 bucks.
I am thinking of putting together various survival gear that will save your butt... no matter where you are! :)
If there are any interest, please let me know;
tjr@myway.com
cheers
A 12 volt adapter might save the day, but how many non-hams would think of it?
The rubber ducky antenna that comes with most hand-held ham radios is in general, not very good. Many hams replace them with better working antennas. Again a point that will be missed by the non-ham user. Transmitting inside the vehicle is also not the best way to be heard, as the car's metal is shielding the transmission.
Even if you have a repeater book, most of these repeaters are NOT on mountain tops, as they need power to work. They are on relatively high places, but certainly not in the wilderness!
And finally, even if you have the radio manual, programming the radio to access a repeater is not trivial.
If you really want to use ham equipment for emergencies, become a ham. The tests are offered quite often, they are easy to study for and pass, you can practice for free on the web and you do NOT need to know Morse code! Equipped with that knowledge and a hand-held radio, you will be much better prepared for emergencies!
73' de Amir K9CHP
I have a 5 month old son, and I'd never go on any trip right now, especially in the wilderness. It's too bad; he was a nice man. I was wondering though for non-breastfeeding mothers - How do you feed your child if you're stranded and run out of formula? That was VERY lucky that she breastfed. I'd hate to think of what would have happened if she didn't!
But I have a question -
I live near Chicago IL. I rarely am a block from some sort of Walgreens/Target/ or major store, and I rarely travel long distances. What kind of emergency kit should I have in my car (given I live in civilization?)
Thanks a lot...
- Sleeping bags. You can survive extreme cold temperatures (-40 or more) if you have them.
- Proper clothing and foot wear.
- Water containers and purification tablets.
- Food. Freeze-dried meals, MRE's etc. are compact and last well.
- Matches, compass, flashlight, candles.
- Hunting knife.
- Toilet paper.
Learn to light a fire. If you know how, it is possible to light a fire with wet wood in the cold or pouring rain, especially if you have candles. First, cut some paper-thin wood shavings with a knife. Light a short piece of candle and keep it sheltered. Stack the wood shavings around and over the candle. As they dry in the heat of the candle, they will ignite. Gradually add larger pieces. Once it's burning, stack wood around and over the fire. This will keep it from going out if it's raining, and will ensure that you have a supply of dry wood to add to the fire later.
Hunting and fishing gear can be useful if you happen to be somewhere where game is available. For back road travel in the winter time, that's not always the case.
- there was nothing very dangerous. Weather was moderate - little freezing, nothing more. There was a plenty of wood around for the fire. There was a lot of water from the snow. people wS in 15 miles away (only).
- And of course, IT IS WINTER. Even if it don't look like a winter here in Californoa - it is WINTER. Road can became a snow-covered and inpassable. Night temperature can be freezing. Storm can cover a skies for a few days. Fog can prevent you from seen anything (esp in the mountains). Dont forget when trevelling with the family.
Many kids in Russia lost in the forest each year. Many (I know 3 this year) survive 2 -0 4 days without big problems, and comes back hungry but alive. THis particular case should end in 2 - 3 days, if people to be ready to the forest.
First, Non technical issues. An idea of _be in the car_ is not smart. Yes, _be in the car while storm is strong OR for 1 - 2 days_. In most cases, when you are on the road, someone will go by and you are saved.
But, if you are in the wilderness and no one is coming and you are already staying for 1 - 2 nights, dont be passive. First, look around, Check all roads - may be, this road go to the loidge, and this road go to the village (1 - 2 hors walk in one direction shows it).
If it dont help - make next step. Walk to the help UNTIL you are exhausted (on the 2-d day for example). Be sure that you can return (and be ready to return, don't be afraid to turn around), at least on the first attempt. Never take a busgh or creek until you can see a road. Try to make (at least a promitive) orientation - you can see a sun, sun is on the S at 1pm, and apprxo on the east at 10 am and W at 7 pm. Take a matches with you and make a fire for the night - it's ALWAYS (ALWAYS) possible in the mountain forest (except on the swamps and in rain forests).
- Don't think that others will safe you. Be active and safe yourself. Fire is your friend, roads are your friend, sun is your friend.
- Other idea - always make fire from the woods. Even if you can't find dry wood just around your car, walk 10 minutes into the creek, low place, and so on, and you wil find a lot of dry fur, pine, and other _easy to burn_ woods. IT is forest, you can always make a fire in the forest, all you need is 3 - 4 matches (car cigarett lighter can be used in emergency too). I can understand if people in Sibiria (-40 degrees of Celsius) burn disel fuel and tires on the forestless road in a strong snowstorm - but why to do it in a quiet forest in 1 KM altitude?!
There are many stories about people stranded in Sierra and in Nevada (much colder and dangerous vs Trinity forest). Those who stay in the care more than 2 days often died. Most who waited for 1 - 2 days and then walked - walked 10 , 20, sometimes 40 miles but comes to the people.
Few technical lessons:
- first of all, I wonder why cell phones never can't work as a walkie-talkies. Having a simple _beakon_ mode (phone emits a short pulse each minute, counted so that the batter can stay for a long) could help to find this people. Even simple frequencey scanner, workingt on the helicopter (and sensitive to their cell phones) could help.
if you want a serious proposal, propose a BEAKON MODE on the cell phones, it really can save a lot of lives.
- Second. Have a GPS. Even the simplerts one (and even car one) shows you a distance to the nearest village, and shows you a raw position. Having a simple CAR GPS could help don't miss a road (one of the most dangerous thing which can happen - and which happen with Kim's family). Even if missing the road, you stil know where you are. And even if GPS broke, you still know where you was when it worked last time.
I read a lot of ideas, mainly about _how to protect a weak people from the nature_. But you cannot and should not protect everything, it's just impossible. You should instead teach people. Tech how to make a fire in the wood. Teach don't go to the bush when you are in the road (even if you believe that it cut of the way). Teach don't drive in the snow road up the pas if you are not 100% sure that road is not abandoned and if you have not experience in this situation and THIS place. Teach people don't trust to everything - even if road 23 is on the map, map clearly state _IT IS FOREST LOAD 23_, and you should not be a Einstein to understand that it can mean _small windy 1 line road without big traffic_.
We discussed this event iwith many people from Russia (including many from Siberia). Most have the same reaction - 'I'd wait 1 day and then GO FOR THE HELP' . Most! No one was ready to sit down and wait. But - most learned how to make a fire in the forest, most had an oportunity to take 2 - 3 days wilderness trips when they was in school, most can read a map and can turn around if they see their initial decision shows to be wrong.
In Kim's case, there was a chain of terrible mistakes:
- decision to select a road 23 was a mistake. But it was a minor one.
- decision to continue when they drived into the snow, while driving up (before a pass) was a second mistake. Still not a fatal one.
- When they missed a road and got into the logging one, they made a third mistake - did not realized that they missed a road. But it was not fatal, still.
- Staing in the car for 5 days without looking around was one more mistake. They had a lodgen in 2 miles downhill from their car (Bears bar Lodge, as I know - you can find a photo on the Internet).
In other direction, it was about 10 or 15 miles to the road, more difficulty but still passable.
- And the final mistake. No one knows why it happen. It was a decision to turn from the road to the creek, and (more important - anyone can make a mistake) not turning back after first 1/4 - 1/2 miles thru the bush.
The wicking layer could include sock liners, longjohns, briefs or running shorts, long sleeve zippered turtleneck and glove liners.
The warmth layer could include wool socks, wool pants, wool shirt or sweater and wool hat. This layer could also have a fleece neck gaiter and fleece or wool mittens or gloves. Mittens hold heat between your fingers. I find wool keeps me warmer then fleece, but like mittens vs. gloves, it is up to the user.
The water / windproof layer could include gaiters worn between your ankles and knees to keep the snow out of your boots, a Gore-tex jacket, gore-tex gloves or mittens and a gore-tex hat.
Boots should be larger than dress shoes or tennis shoes since the wool socks will be larger than cotton socks.
This advice is from a guy, so ladies, please consult an outdoor or athletic store for further advice.
A person like Mr. James Kim would only need one outfit, since packing stuff for a 7 month old and four year old would probably not leave much room for more than one set of emergency clothes.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned about hypothermia is that it makes you confused and stupid. When I first got cross country skies, and before I learned how to dress correctly, I went skiing while wearing all cotton. I started out fast, but noticed as I sweated I became colder. So I tried to pick up the pace. Well there is only so much I could do until the cold caught up to me. I had to decide to scrap the plans I made and head back to the lodge. I was lucky there was only one trail I had been on. I turned around but noticed as I headed back I started falling more and more. My coordination was failing. I hadn't fallen at all on the way out. I got back to within sight of the back of the lodge. I could go around it to my right or left. And I just stood there. I didn't know what to do. I was dumbfounded. I may have stood there for a few minutes. I finally choose to go to my left, because that is the way I skiied down. This occurred to me after only a few hours exercising outside in cotton clothes. I have run a marathon in under 4:20:00, so what Mr. Kim did once he left the car is still amazing to me.
- if you know where to go (you are sticked on highway 4 on the last day of fall for example), then go one way.
- if you have nothing to eat drink etc in yoru car and have not family behindm go one way
- if you can wait and have not sickness etc, then may be make round trips on the first day, and then make one way but be smart.
Man with the matches can hike 40 - 80 miles on the foirest road in 2 days. Night is not a problem if you have a matches and can make a fire (why everyone forget that _it is forest, there are always a lot of dry wood even in the rain, you can always make a fire and find a dry spot there. It is not a desert!). And 80 miles allows you to go anywhere you need.
But I fully agree with the previous post - never leave a road, EXCEPT if you are 100, not, 200% sure what are you doing.
It was a forest with a lot of pines around, as we could see on the pictures, and if you put enough dry woods, find a dry trunks, and make a big enough stock of dry wood on the road, you can keep it burning all the time without big efforts.
- you have a dry spots under a big pines, even in the rain;
- you can find dry trunks, brunches, small dry woods.
- then you are making dry spot on the ground (under the tree in the snow) and make a small fire
- then you can bring bigger trunks, esp. if they are pine ones, and keep fire running as long as you add a wood every few hours.
- even if it died, it will keep a place to make a new fire easy, and keep a warm ground where it was.
It dont work in wet rain forest or in the sparce forest on the swamp, but it works pretty well in mountains on 1 - 2 Km of altitude.
What is better for the fire:
- pine (dead one of course). Lower branches are often dry and dead, and easy to crack out;
- fir-tree. Worst but still very good.
- The bark of the birch (but not the birch tree itself)
- Use the tar from the trees.
Then, try to make a perfect pile. Like this ones:
(sorry for the text in russian - just scroll it to the pictures in the end):
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://tourism.isnet.ru/book/iljin/encik8.htm" target="_newWindow">http://tourism.isnet.ru/book/iljin/encik8.htm</a>
I recommend having big knife or small axe in the car. It can help in many cases. Simplerst one - you are driving on back road and see a failen tree on the way. Having (even small) axe or a big knife, you have a chance to cut it (even if it takes a few hours) and make way.
(additional use - if you need to break a glass or free someone from the overturned car.)
Whatever is left of a tank of gas can be rationed by rewarming the car periodically, and restarting the car and letting it run to warm up is only one means to do that. You have to keep the exhaust clear to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. All of the recommendations for water, food and extra clothing are important. Water freezes in plastic jugs pretty quickly, and can't be rewarmed easilly. When traveling in remote areas, because an extended storm can continue to suck the heat from the car quickly, you will need water, food, and a heat source. The car is your shelter. One suggestion is to carry a set of large non-perfumed candles, some mylar blankets, and a bunch of safety pins and electrical tape. Fashion and suspend a "tent" within the vehicle from the mylar blankets, and light the candle(s) from time to time to create a source of heat and light. Keep a window cracked for ventilation on the lee side of the car, and you have a double walled shelter that allows minimal condensation to form on the inside of the vehicle. The reflective blankets reduce radiant heat loss and help retain the heat from your bodies and the candles.
A container for melting snow can be important since you can go through water quickly, and staying hydrated helps prevent hypothermia and frostbite. A pair of Number 10 cans work fine for holding your kit and may serve as a snowmelt device. With a pliers, you can fashion a candle stove (create ventillation for the flame within the sides of one can) and use the other as the pot for melting the snow.
We store our sleeping bags in the cars during the winter since they aren't being used for camping trips, as well as our pack boots, spare winter coats, and the spare mittens and hats nobody seems to want to wear. A deck of cards takes up hardly any space, but helps time pass. A stash of nuts, some chocolate, dried jerky, and canned foods help keep waiting time reasonable.
My heart sank when I learned James had left the car and not returned before nightfall. It is such a shame that at the time search efforts were being mobilized, the situation became intollerable to him. Hypothermia is such a sneaky culprit. The last person to see it coming is the person who is suffering from it. Last night I heard from a Korean War veteran that he and one of his platoon mates kept each other awake while on one another's night watch between retreats from the Chinese army by holding one another's feet in their arm pits. Neither one developed frost bite in spite of their exposure in a Fox Hole during those cold winter nights that reportedly were sometimes in the 30 degree below zero range. Staying together can be vital.
I fully empathize with James in that situation although I've never faced anything like it. When it comes to winter storms, I avoid the risks as much as possible. Taking kids out for a short winter outing could easilly become a survival situation, so I always bug them to have their boots, mittens, hats, and jackets with them in the car in winter no matter how short the trip. But the items I've mentioned could make the difference if it suddenly becomes an extended wait for help. And waiting for help was number one on the list of Papa Bear's recommendations.
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