Sad Ending

[SB 405]

I was really hoping they would find him alive....

MERLIN, Oregon (CNN) -- The body of a San Francisco man who had walked into the Oregon wilderness to summon help for his stranded family was found Wednesday in a steep ravine where he had left clues for searchers.

Officials confirmed that James Kim, 35, an editor at the Web site CNET, had been found dead.

Brian Anderson, Undersheriff of Josephine County, broke down and could not finish speaking as he announced that Kim's body was found at 3:03 p.m. ET.

Searchers were attempting to remove Kim's body, and his family members have requested that their privacy be respected, officials said.

Kim walked into the snowy Oregon mountains Saturday to find help for his wife and two young daughters. They were rescued by searchers on Monday.

Clothing and bits of an Oregon map turned up Tuesday in a steep canyon that drains into the Rogue River. Searchers said they believed he was marking his trail for them.

The clothing, which was wet, included two gray sweat shirts, a red T-shirt, a sock and a blue girl's skirt, said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Patrol. Family members said Kim carried the items when he left.

"They were laid out in a well defined area, in a pattern," Hastings said. The pattern led officers to believe that "little signs are being left by James."

[Chippysgt]

From what I heard on the news, he died a hero. The terrain was more than rugged. He kept his family alive for a week. It was his foot prints in the snow that lead the rescue helo to his family.

He did well..............may he rest in peace.

[SB 405]

Absolutely he was a hero. As it turned out staying with his family in the car would have saved him but who am I to second guess this man for trying to save his family and doing what he thought best.

[SB 405]

And today I read this which has me thinking if the vandal could be held liable if caught?

James Kim and his family were able to drive down a remote logging road because a vandal had cut open a locked metal gate, authorities say. The family got stranded on the normally closed road, and Kim died of exposure after setting out on foot to find help.

[CHPwannaBE]

This is truly a sad story. But I would like to add that we humans underestimate how far we can walk and what we can overcome in situations such as this. Not that any of us here would be able to remember but there was a time when we didn't have cars. The average person walks 3mph which isn't fast. Walking that for ten hours would be walking 30 miles which would be very possible. I saw the special about this guy on CNN and they said he ended up walking sixteen miles and was found less than a mile from his vehicle. He walked in a circle. Our sense of direction in the wilderness is very minimal. If he would have stayed on the road I am positive he would be alive today. Of course it is easier to say now that this has unfolded but I wish he would have used more common sense and stayed on the road.