MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Am I the only one who thinks this family is a bunch of morons? Pepole are calling him a hero for trying to save his family. Heros don't drive to see the beach in winter.Heros do not take their family into the snowy wildnerness and leave them to wander off for help.How has then been front page news for over a week?http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/08/missing.f...y.ap/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Am I the only one who thinks this family is a bunch of morons? People are calling him a hero for trying to save his family. hero's don't drive to see the beach in winter.hero's do not take their family into the snowy wilderness and leave them to wander off for help.The beach trip was not anything more than a wilderness weekend.On the way back home, James Kim and the family were running low on gas and took a shortcut that he saw on the map to get home faster.The short cut was treacherous, but he did not know that from the map, and the car get stuck in snow.The weather got worse so they stayed inside the car for almost a full week, together with no luck of anyone finding them.It was a tough decision, but with no more food left, no source of heat, James thought he could reach a nearby town that was 4 miles away, but with the canyon walls, it was actually 15 miles away.He got lost on his journey and hiked a full 10 miles, only to circle back and be within 1 mile of his car.It was later known that a cabin with heat and food was also very close by.It was unfortunate, and I think it was very brave for him to sacrifice his life for his family.No one could ever predict that after 7 days, 2 days later a helicopter would spot them.He was desperate.I disagree with you. :closedeyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 It was unfortunate, and I think it was very brave for him to sacrifice his life for his family.How? It's not like anything he did help save them. It's a sad, story, but I still don't understand all the press. More West Coast wonderment. The beach trip was not anything more than a wilderness weekend.That's a fool's journey when you have a child who is still breat feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 How? It's not like anything he did help save them.He went looking for help, there was nothing else he could do, they already waited 7 whole days. The other choice was to stay in the car and freeze and starve, as they had no more food or no more tires to burn. Obviously, if he was not so tired from really not eating all week, had warmer clothes, and a better idea of where he was, I am sure he would have been able to find help.It's a sad, story, but I still don't understand all the press. More West Coast wonderment. That's a fool's journey when you have a child who is still breast feeding.It was a weekend trip, and actually, this is more clarification, he was traveling from one large city (Portland) to home (San Francisco), likely just making a scenic pit stop on the way. So he was not actually "camping" or anything with an infant baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 He went looking for help, there was nothing else he could do, they already waited 7 whole days. The other choice was to stay in the car and freeze and starve, as they had no more food or no more tires to burn. Obviously, if he was not so tired from really not eating all week, had warmer clothes, and a better idea of where he was, I am sure he would have been able to find help.Oh horse boogers. They were in the middle of the damn woods. They had PLENTY of fuel to burn for warmth...and its not like they had anything better to do than to look for sticks! When you're lost like that, they tell you to STAY PUT. What does he do? He twaddles off into the woods with nary a clue as to where he's going.What I want to know is...what is mister technology doing out in the wilderness without GPS?The only reason this is getting any measurable quantity of publicity is because the guy was quasi famous, and the family has money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webdude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 How? It's not like anything he did help save them. It's a sad, story, but I still don't understand all the press. More West Coast wonderment. That's a fool's journey when you have a child who is still breat feeding.WTH.If he had found help, you would be saying different things. If he had stayed and nobody found them until later, some other idiot would blame him for not looking for help. There is nothing wrong with the coverage. People looking at your post would think more EDIT:wonderment from the south.And to the other post, famous or quasi ppl getting coverage, nothing wrong with that. thats why we have ppl getting oh ah over famous ppl getting married or stuff like they getting pregnant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 If he had found help, you would be saying different things. If he found help this would not be news.I've hiked the wildnerness area in Big Bend. Like jm1fd siad, you stay put when lost. And did y'all read he left trails of his clothing to find his way back?It didn't work for Hansel and Gretel, and it didn't work for this dummy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 And to the other post, famous or quasi ppl getting coverage, nothing wrong with that. thats why we have ppl getting oh ah over famous ppl getting married or stuff like they getting pregnant.They were a touching-real-life story that needed to be heard.This is way better than the Britney "no-panties" photos. Some quasi celebrity news was well needed and deserved.He died and it was for his family, end of story, he is a hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webdude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 If he found help this would not be news.I've hiked the wildnerness area in Big Bend. Like jm1fd siad, you stay put when lost. And did y'all read he left trails of his clothing to find his way back?It didn't work for Hansel and Gretel, and it didn't work for this dummy.He is not you, he is well known for being a techie, not a wilderness dude. He was trying to save his family, and failed. And like I said, if he stayed, some other idiot would have called him a dummy. Cant please all the idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Well I did not know he was famous. But the initial reports I read said he was an outdoor enthuisast.No matter how you slice it, he's not a hero. You must be a wierdo techie, since you seem to getting all emotional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webdude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Well I did not know he was famous. But the initial reports I read said he was an outdoor enthuisast.No matter how you slice it, he's not a hero. You must be a wierdo techie, since you seem to getting all emotional. I name thee WebDud.And no matter how you slice it, he is not a dummy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Sorry to break up the conversation, which has digressed away from James Kim into junior high name calling.I reported the topic. . .sorry guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmainguy Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Sorry to break up the conversation, which has digressed away from James Kim into junior high name calling.I reported the topic. . .sorry guys. Don't be sorry just because the guy who created the topic decided to label the victims "morons." It seems HAIF has turned into just another news service. But do we really need to discuss the Kims here? It's all out there without having to have endless threads with topics that are pasted from yahoo and USA. The occasional is OK but threads like this that are opened only to bash the victims... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 The name-calling has been edited away. Take the flame wars elsewhere please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I’m with you, Coog. I don’t see the guy as a hero at all. The only reason this story should have gotten so much media coverage is for the lessons it taught about survival and preparedness.All because he died for trying, that deserves merit, again, I disagree.The firemen who died trying to save the people from the twin towers did not save everyone, and died themselves, yet, I still think they are hero's and most other will use that term, and even made several movies depicting them.James Kim, on a smaller scale, can be compared similarly.He ventured out on a quest to save people, that of his family.Had it been different, as in say he started his search from San Francisco and drove to the mountains to save his wife and kids from the car, you would not be saying that he was not a hero.Show some respect. :closedeyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Don't insult the 9/11 firefighters by comparing them to this misadventure.CNN had extended coverage of this story last night. After dinnner the family missed their exit off the interstate. Instead of turning around and back-tracking, they decided to continue south and take a short-cut up Bear Branch Road (or something like that).The CNN reports shows the signs: "Warning - Unimproved Roads - Snow Packed Roads in Winter". We've all seen roads like this in the mountains, many of which close down for months at a time.Had it been different, as in say he started his search from San Francisco and drove to the mountains to save his wife and kids from the car, you would not be saying that he was not a hero.Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 The way I see it, he is first, a moron for driving off the beaten path with his family in tow and one being an INFANT. You just don't DO that when it comes to family. If he was by himself, I could see it, we men do very stupid things when we are by ourselves and we think no one is looking. He put them in danger, bottomline. Secondly, OF COURSE HE IS GONNA GO LOOK FOR HELP ! After a few days he finally decides, "Hey my family is gonna die, I better go look for help." Ok genious, you should have done that the first day you got stuck. Techie or no techie, did he even try to get the car unstuck ? If you are low on gas, why would you even attempt to take some road you have never been down before ? Always stay to the main roads when in that type of predicament. I will give him props for trying to find help, but if he had used his "Ultra Techie" brain in the first place, he should have known better. Hero ? ..........not really. He did attempt to do something, so that does count in my book, but it should have never gotten to that point in the first place. He was probably gonna die either way, because his wife was most likely gonna kill him if they made it out of that mess he had gotten them in anyways. A life is wasted to teach the rest of us what NOT to do in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 quite frankly, I'm getting tired of "news stories" being posted on here that have nothing to do with Houston in any way. Now that I said what I wanted to say on THAT matter, this was a trip full of errors he should not have taken.Regardless of the outcome, the situation shouldn't have been presented to begin with. As those that live up north goes, you don't go traveling on a journey like that without quite a few provisions in case an emergency happens. He shouldn't have wandered off the beaten path because of a "short cut".He shouldn't have gone on a journey when his fuel supply was questionable without backup. Like a few gallons in the trunk/roof in containers.He Should have burned everything available in the woods WITH the tires. No matter how wet/green things are, with enough eat, ANYTHING will burn.He shouldn't have left the vehicle, after a few days, he would have realized people were looking for him. He SHOULDN'T have left the road while going back. The roads are searched first. He WAS in a car, y'know. Yes, this is tragic. But he made a series of monumental mistakes that lead up to his own death. Is he a hero?no.Brave? For the journey he undertook? Yes, but there is a fine line between brave and foolish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Perhaps some good will come of the news coverage this tragic incident generated. Maybe now people will take seriously the recommendations of stocking their cars with safety and survival supplies, and of the consequences of taking risks. (You know, like people who run red lights, and brag about it.... ) So far as second-guessing his actions...were you there? No? I didn't think so. Maybe it was his wife who insisted on taking that route. Maybe the sign was obliterated by snow. I seriously doubt that he thought, "Hey! We have a 50-50 chance of surviving this thing. Let's do it!" It doesn't take a psychiatrist to understand why people need to find some reason to blame the victim. It makes us believe that we're still here and alive due to our good sense, so we're protected forever. Such is not the case. We all make mistakes, and some end up being far more dire than we could ever have anticipated. Also, do not forget that Mr. Kim's trek was not in vain. It was due to his discarded clothing that the searchers were able to back-track to his car and rescue his family. If he had notgone in search of help, the same people who ridicule his actions now would have said that he was a wimp for not at least trying. Right? Right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webdude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Everyone is an armchair driver/hiker here, we don't know what exactly the situation was, and second, its easy to say 'I would have done this, I wouldn't have done that', especially after the fact and when it has already happened to someone else.I see all these 'should do this, shouldn't do that', that but no matter how you say it, you are simply comparing your own IMAGINARY actions over his ACTUAL actions. Its easy to speculate about how much better you would have done; kinda of like those spectators at a basketball game. 'That dummy should have made that pass, why didn't he made that pass!', 'I can't believe that moron didn't get that rebound, I could have gotten that easily'. Yeah, right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Then I heard that the path he took wasn't meant to be taken. Vandals broke the gate to the road open, so he must have mistakenly thought that the road was okay to take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 All because he died for trying, that deserves merit, again, I disagree.The firemen who died trying to save the people from the twin towers did not save everyone, and died themselves, yet, I still think they are hero's and most other will use that term, and even made several movies depicting them.James Kim, on a smaller scale, can be compared similarly.He ventured out on a quest to save people, that of his family.Had it been different, as in say he started his search from San Francisco and drove to the mountains to save his wife and kids from the car, you would not be saying that he was not a hero.Show some respect. :closedeyes:The New York Firefighters that died at 9|11 are nothing like Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim made an error in judgement, attempted to overcompensate, and subsequently died for his actions. The FDNY mad no mistakes on 9|11, therefore they had nothing to overcompensate for, which rules out any similarities to their deaths. They did exactly what they were trained to do, which unfortunately can lead to death in their profession.To say they are similiar is no more legitimate than those who claim G.W. Bush is like Hitler.Mr. Kim is not a "hero". However, I don't think he is a "moron" either. Perhaps "victim of poor judgement" would best describe him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 quite frankly, I'm getting tired of "news stories" being posted on here that have nothing to do with Houston in any way.Quite frankly, I'm tired of people complaining about non-Houston related conversations in the OFF TOPIC & WAY OFF TOPIC sub-forums. Remember that when you click View New Posts that you will gain access to the newest threads from ALL sub-forums, including those not relating to Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Then I heard that the path he took wasn't meant to be taken. Vandals broke the gate to the road open, so he must have mistakenly thought that the road was okay to take.Yes, a path off the road that he should have not taken in the first place. Both marked with warning signs. You don't have to be a armchair driver/hiker here to know this. It's common knowledge, and even the Interstate markings serve as reminders. I just got back from the store, and noticed he's even on the cover of this week's "People Magazine".quite frankly, I'm getting tired of "news stories" being posted on here that have nothing to do with Houston in any way.Sorry, Ricco. What are the terms for the "Way Off Topic" sectoin of this board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 It was due to his discarded clothing that the searchers were able to back-track to his car and rescue his family.CNN reported a local business man located them in his helicopter.Here are some reader comments from the SFO paper:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nwzchi...;entry_id=11544 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webdude Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 You don't have to be a to know this. It's common knowledge, and even the Interstate markings serve as reminders.Its easy to assume that he purposedly ignored the signs without knowing the surrounding circumstances (like maybe snow or something else) Were you there in the same situation, was anyone from here there? last time I checked more than a few folks did get lost there. Its not an isolated incident. Everyone wants to say how wrongly he handled the situation and how great they themselves would have handled it, without having been in the same situation. That is armchairing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 (like maybe snow or something else)Its not an isolated incident.Don't do much mountain driving, eh? Signs covered by snow, baby, kid and wife in car. Low on gas and no real supplies?Forget the signs. It's the mountains you have to respect.So he's not a moron. But there is no way he's a hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Kim may turn out to be a hero after all. If the lesson of his ignorance is heeded by others, he may end up saving lives after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 What is wrong with people?The man died. A family is now without their husband/father and all several of you can do is take cheap shots at the man's death.Yes, you are all so much wiser. You are all kings of the F'in Wilderness. You rule.Do you feel better now?This board is becoming harder to read every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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