The story of James Kim’s efforts to rescue his family from Oregon’s snowy wilderness contains grim lessons that we all should heed when traveling in unknown territory.
Kim and his family were on their way home to San Francisco after spending Thanksgiving in Seattle when they took a wrong turn on a snowy mountain pass. The family was stranded for seven days, with little food and their car immobile, before Kim set out on foot to try to find help.
His wife and two children were rescued, but Kim died of hypothermia after trekking 10 miles in tennis shoes.
The Colorado Search and Rescue Board recommends that travelers follow a safety plan. A full gas tank is critical. If you get stuck in a snowstorm, stay in the vehicle and run the engine periodically while you await help. Howard Paul, president of CSRB, said while a car is not the best shelter, it’s better than anything that can be fabricated in the woods.
A car is also a bigger object for searchers to locate.
Be prepared for the weather you’re going to travel through en route to your destination. “Have the mindset and physical preparations to survive on your own,” said Paul.
Pack prescription medicine, even if you’re just doing a day trip to, say, Vail. Interstate 70 has been known to close down for hours at a time.
Obvious essentials should be kept in the car: food, water, a flashlight, candles, a shovel, blankets.
Don’t depend on technology like cellphones, especially when traveling to the backcountry, because coverage can be intermittent or nonexistent and batteries can die. The Kim family had three mobile phones, which were left on and helped searchers narrow the location of the family car. But they weren’t able to contact anyone.
They also had two laptops, which were of no help. They did not have a Global Positioning System, which might or might not have helped.
Finally, if planning to travel off the beaten path, always tell other people your route and estimated time of arrival at your destination, “so if you don’t show up, searchers can immediately narrow the area,” said Paul.
