# Once Again... Sad News Out Of The Oregon Backwoods.



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Some of you may have been following this on the National news...

A family on vacation from the San Francisco Bay area had been lost in S.W. Oregon since about Thanksgiving. A couple of days ago the Wife/Mother and two small children were found alive and in good shape with their vehicle that had become stuck in the snow on a summer use only forest service road. The Husband/Father, James Kim, had left the family to try to find help. Oregon State police, have just announced that his body had been found and is being recovered.

A very sad story, made even more so by the fact that this family appears to have done everything right. They stayed with their vehicle as long as possible, and when the gas ran out, started burning tires to keep warm. The mother had breast fed both children (about 6 months and 4 years, I believe) in order to keep them nourished. Mr Kim, it is reported, took a number of items with him, including extra clothing to use as 'bread crumbs' to mark his trail. And yet, in spite of all of that, the ending is heartbreaking.

An interesting side bar to the story, is that the family apparently got their travel directions off of one of the on-line mapping services (I'm not going to name any names here), and it directed them onto this road. When local reporters tried to recreate this, they found that every service they tried, would have directed the family to use a major - year round - highway as the route. Except for the one they did use.

To the Kim family, our hearts go out to you.

Doug


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

Sad news indeed.









I was not aware of the possibility that mapping site use sidebar........... I learned not to rely solely on those after a doozy of a trip through the mountains of Western NC.


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## outbackinMT (Oct 7, 2006)

This is such a sad story--it breaks my heart that those little girls lost their daddy and the mom lost her husband. I saw the story this afternoon when I opened up my internet and instantly got the chills.







They were so optimistic that the dad was alive.

That's interesting to know that they used an internet mapping service. I think I'll stick to my road atlas.

Brenda


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

That is so sad!! I was hoping he would be found alive!! 
I learned, back during the summer, not to rely on one of the most popular mapping programs on the internet. I was going to Atlanta, and needed to find a Walmart Optical Dept., as Jimmy was in Atlanta, to get his glasses repaired (thank you for their WARRANTIES!). 
I looked up the Walmart stores in the area, on AT&T directory assistance online, and called them to assure that it had the correct vision center (there are two different companies that occupy Walmart, I've come to find out).
So, when I had done that, I used the mapping program to get directions from where Jimmy was to where the Walmart was. Let me tell you, boys and girls, there IS NOT a Super Walmart in DOWNTOWN historic, gang-ridden, 5-6 story high block building, one-way streets everywhere, ATLANTA!! My oldest, was like "mom, get us the *&(# out of here, Jimmy was ballistic and I'm making sure the doors are locked. People were milling all out in front of us, street vendors selling what were probably "hot" goods!! YIKES!!!















This program had always been dependable, before, but I've found a couple more mistakes, since. I've started comparing two of the most popular now, to double-check that they match, and usually choose the "fastest" route rather than the "shortest", as they will keep you off side-roads.
Didn't mean to get so lengthy, but THIS could have been a horror story, as well, as I had to turn up one-way alleys and stuff that were full of people to find my way back out of there!
Darlene


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## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

I have been following the story on MSNBC, absolutely heartbreaking!!









Tami


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## z-family (Oct 2, 2004)




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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

Very heartbreaking story.

ABC news tonight reported that the wife and children were found by a searchcraft that followed the trail in the snow that James Kim had left. I guess both his foot prints and "bread crumbs". This trail led them to the car and his family.

Those kids will grow up knowing that their daddy gave his life in order to save theirs.

What a fitting epitaph for a loving father.

Well done James Kim.

Dan


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

3LEES said:


> Those kids will grow up knowing that their daddy gave his life in order to save theirs.


Very true, Dan. I like to think that any of us Outbackers would do the same, and pray that none of us will ever have to find out!

Doug


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Truely sad to hear of the tragic ending
Happy the mother and kids are OK

I heard of a lot of people going by those online mapping running into trouble
Around here there is a low bridge that trucks are always getting stuck under
And from what I was told the online mapping told them to take that route









Don


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Just seen that on the news...... Very sad...


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

For the last ten years before retirement, I made my living making maps. From childhood, maps have fascinated me. As a kid, what I had under the covers with a flashlight wasn't Playboy - it was a map...

If it's of an area with which I am familiar, I can find errors in any map or mapping service. As has been mentioned, compare at least two if you're going into a situation like the Kims did.

It's a tragic story, but also leaves the wife and kids with a hero of a husband and father. God bless them all.

Sluggo


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

A sad day indeed. Normally when people get lost for this amount of time I get a feeling things aren't going to work out. But for this one, I really thought he was going to make it.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Truly a great Dad and Husband...making the ultimate sacrifice for his family.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

So sorry to hear that he didn't make it. Life, nor the holidays will ever be the same for his family...Very sad news indeed...


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## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

I had been following this story for a few days. My thoughts go out to the Kim family. Mr. Kim truely did what any husband/dad would do.....

Gary


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

3LEES said:


> Very heartbreaking story.
> 
> ABC news tonight reported that the wife and children were found by a searchcraft that followed the trail in the snow that James Kim had left. I guess both his foot prints and "bread crumbs". This trail led them to the car and his family.
> 
> ...


Better said than the words I was looking for.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

campmg said:


> Very heartbreaking story.
> 
> ABC news tonight reported that the wife and children were found by a searchcraft that followed the trail in the snow that James Kim had left. I guess both his foot prints and "bread crumbs". This trail led them to the car and his family.
> 
> ...


Better said than the words I was looking for.
[/quote]

Same here. Ditto! If ever there was a reason to risk your life, risking it all to save the lives of your family is the stuff that legends and heros are made of. My sympathies to the Kim family and my hat on my heart for the sacrifice James made for his family.


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## willie226 (Apr 4, 2006)

Very heartbreaking story indeed








My heart goes out to the family especially at this time of year. The Family will be in my prayers
for the up coming weeks.
May God bless the family!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Willie


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I saw nothing in the news about a mapping program.

The interview after they found the mother and kids, the mom said they missed the turn they wanted to take and looked at the map and thought this road would be better then back tracking to the route they had intended to take.


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> I saw nothing in the news about a mapping program.
> 
> The interview after they found the mother and kids, the mom said they missed the turn they wanted to take and looked at the map and thought this road would be better then back tracking to the route they had intended to take.


There had been a lot of speculation on the part of the local news here (Portland) to blame online mapping software; these reports went national. However this evening these same news outlets were reporting that in the woman's statement to police she indicated that they used a paper map as Andy notes.

Ed


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Just goes to show how easily misinformation spreads in this world of 24/7 news gathering!
I apologize to the forum for being a part of that.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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