Unless the Media Says Something Stupid, This is the Last James Kim Post From AW

Here is an updated reconstruction of the route James Kim took, including more information about hypothermia. And here is the original AW post detailing a few of Kim’s major errors and the irresponsibility of the media for ignoring them in an effort to make this a hero tragedy.

While the topic is very important, the Adventure Watch is primarily interested in critiquing the outdoor/adventure media. The Kim’s tragedy turned almost every news media outlet into a source of commentary on the outdoors, so I felt compelled to cover the subject.

Thanks for all the insightful (and the dumb) comments. So, unless the media starts saying more irresponsible things about the Kim’s, we’ll be turning our attention back toward the dumb things Outside magazine is saying.

Wait for Rescue?

Some say wait, some say go. The fact is, I think it is often unwise to wait for rescue. In the Kim’s case, had the fast-food helicopter pilot not had a “hunch,” they might all still be out there.

However, one thing has been seriously overlooked in the media coverage. That is the Kim’s lack of food. The importance of high-calorie food to staying warm should not be underestimated, this is no time to pull an Atkins. If you’re going to go for help, do so at first light… that is, as soon as you can. If you wait until you are real hungry, you will have a much more difficult time staying warm, no matter how much insulation you have. As the Boys Scouts say:

*EAT A CANDY BAR or other high calorie food (nuts, etc.) before you go to bed: This increases your metabolism (moves your blood faster) and it helps keep you warm. Your stomach is your furnace and will generate heat while you sleep.

So if no one knows where you’re at or how long you’ll be gone, it’s probably best to hike out. Just do it fast and soon, waiting around will only make it worse.

Harsh Yes, but Not Toward James Kim

Many have the opinion that my original post was too harsh toward James Kim. The post is harsh, but its harshness is directed at all the people who refuse to admit that James Kim did many things wrong and it is directed most explicitly toward Greg Hastings, a safety professional, who told a comforting lie on national news when he said that “James Kim did nothing wrong.” Such words may comfort and make everyone feel good, but they give a false sense of safety that prevents the public from learning from Kim’s mistakes.

And finally, I’d like to know since when did admitting or pointing out mistakes become the equivalent of being a bad person or disrespecting a person? There is something very scary about a culture that thinks being critical is the same as putting a person down.

James Kim’s Route

A well-researched outline of James Kim’s route through the woods is here. The author wisely points out a major error I didn’t mention, that it is unwise to leave the roads, though I imagine that may have had to do with hypothermia clouding judgment.

Addendum to the James Kim Post

The last post generated a lot of passionate feedback. Because so many people feel strongly about this tragedy and because many who responded seem to have known James personally (not the audience I expected for this blog,) I think a follow-up is in order.

The intention of the last post was not to cast James Kim as an idiot or a fool. Many commenters pointed out that the mistakes Kim made were the same kinds of mistakes many people would make. I agree. That, to me, is part of the tragedy of this situation; he was not uncommonly unprepared, the situation the Kims found themselves in was not a freak accident. In fact, it happened to another person that month as well.

One commenter said that I painted James as having “bumbled” his way along. That is close to what I meant. The fact is, most tragedies begin with a series of very small (difficult to notice) mistakes that add up to the point where there is very little a person can do to get out of the situation. James Kim was no idiot, but he did fall prey to this kind of cascading tree of errors, which is something even trained rescue professionals and outdoorsmen do from time to time.

The previous post was written primarily as a response to the words of Greg Hastings who was quoted in many news stories saying that, “James Kim did nothing wrong.” Such a claim is untrue and sets a dangerous precedent because it gives ordinary folks the impression that what happened to the Kims was a freak accident, something they couldn’t have avoided. For a safety professional like Hastings to say that is, I believe, quite irresponsible.

The post was NOT intended as some kind of armchair quarterback critique meant to show how enlightened and knowledgable I am. It was an attempt to use hindsight to draw lessons from a tragedy, so that future tragedies can be avoided.

I thank all who responded. I understand that this is an emotional issue for many. At the core of all the media drama lies incredible loss for real people and it is with that in mind that I hope tragedies like these can be avoided.

James Kim Did Everything Wrong

Please note: If you are reading this post from an outside link, please also read the addendum to this post as well, Thanks. 

James Kim made a number of wrong decisions that led to his death. Calling his actions heroic, and failing to point out the very serious mistakes he made, does a disservice to every person who reads about this tragedy. And now that this “accident” is being blamed on an unknown vandal who opened a locked gate, all blame is taken away from the one person it belongs to, James Kim.

What he did wrong

First, NEVER drive in the snow without taking along an adequate supply of food and enough blankets or sleeping bags to survive sub-zero weather. This is not optional. If you drive in the snow, even just on major highways, you MUST have these things. If you don’t have them, you’ve already done something WRONG.

Second, he bypassed signs warning him that the road wasn’t plowed in the winter, something that should have been obvious even without the signs given the condition of the road. Just because a road is on a map, doesn’t mean you can or should drive on it.

Third, there is something known as a point-of-no-return that is used to determine when you should stop. For the Kims, that point would have been the moment they realized their fuel supply was running low. If turning around is impossible because of the road conditions, then back up. Even if you have to drive in reverse for miles, it’s better than running out of fuel in the woods.

Fourth, it’s bad form to enter an environment you are ignorant of. James Kim suffered hypothermia, a condition he would have been able to recognize had he know about the symptoms and the cause. To not have read up about this before travelling to snow country is inexcusable. There was nothing wrong with his decision to seek help. But he went outside with inadequate preparation. He had no warm clothes (the foam from the seat upholstery would have made excellent insulation) and no idea about what the environment was capable of doing to him.

The point is, James Kim certainly did many things wrong. People need to realize that in spite of all the safety nets we spread around in this country, you need to be prepared for the environment. This was not a freak accident. It was avoidable. The situation began, as most accidents do, with a series of small mistakes that accumulate into a disaster. The only way to prevent such accumulation is to recognize where each problem will lead and to make sure that you don’t venture off without adequate preparation. Ask yourself what you would do if your car broke down.

And finally, to say that this was caused by the person who left the road gate open is plain irresponsible. James Kim is responsible for his death because he made the mistakes that led to it. He exceeded the capacity of both his vehicle and his knowledge and he was given ample warning at many point along the way.

God Help Us: MTV is Publishing Travel Books

According to this story on CNN, MTV has partnered with Frommers to publish a series of travel guide books. Yes, you can now get information on things like “most awesome ancient ruins,” etc. Here are a few possible titles:

• Pimp My Backpack:
• Zen Italy–”go ahead greasy man, touch my hair, it’s cool.”
• Blackout: The Ashlee Simpson Guide to pretending you didn’t get raped in Spain
• MTV World Cribs: Your Guide to Finding Child Porn Overseas
• Jackass Abroad: How to Let Em Know You’re an American
• The Ozzy Osbourne Guide to the World’s Aviaries:or how to eat for free
• The Real World Amsterdam: Clap if it hurts to pee

Etc.

Outside Magazine: To Bike or be Led Around Sonoma

Some adventurous readers of Outside Magazine want to know if they should, “rent bikes and follow a map, or pay extra for a tour package?”

Amy Clark takes up the challenge of answering this toughie for Outside and it’s clear that she’s completely behind the magazine’s effort to reach out to those aging boomers who will give (pay) anything to keep being told that, yes, they are still adventurous gosh darn it.

So when Becky K. from Bozeman, MT wants to know if it will be too difficult to follow a map around Sonoma County, Amy Clark eases Miss K’s concerns by assuring her that even if she does decide to go off “blazing [her] own trails,” she’ll be, “accompanied all the way by an intensely beautiful change in seasons.”

Well, that’s reassuring. Much more helpful than say, providing sources for good maps, or tips about how to read maps, or a description of the road conditions a bicycle tourer is likely to face in Sonoma (wide or narrow shoulders, semi-trucks, etc.), or, I don’t know, links to websites like crazyguyonabike.com that are filled with first-hand accounts of people who have ridden similar routes. Because, you know, when I ask for advice about an activity I’m not familiar with, I don’t want things like information that might actually help me to expand my comfort zone in a safe and informed way, I just want to be promised that I won’t have to endure seasons that aren’t intensely beautiful.

http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/adventure-adviser/20061023.html