Comments on: Kim Family search moves to Bear Camp Road (aka Merlin Galice Road) area

By: John Gervais

John Gervais — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 06:31:25 +0000

Here is a link to an Oregonian article on all the mistakes that were made. I almost went down until they said Bear Camp was cleared. It really was not cleared and thus the tragic loss.

I am certainly disappointed at the way it was handled, however, we in the media could have been contacted sooner and as the article mentions, there were just so many mis-steps and no unified command.

John Gervais
Gervais, Oregon

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/11663313078330.xml?oregonian?lctop&coll=7

By: Chris Mann » Blog Archive » How Digg, Reddit, and the Blogging community tried to rescue James Kim… but weren’t allowed to.

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:23:38 +0000

[...] I’m glad this area is the new focus for the search because it would seem to be a more likely area than any other route from I-5 to the coast. Family members are heading up from the San Francisco area as well. The logical approach will be to have cars drive each of the many spurs along that route to look for signs of the family car and continue with flights over the area. Some in SF have wondered how you could get “lost” in the modern age but you need to realize this is a huge and remote area. Hundreds of square miles of forest and steep mountains with virtually no traffic and hundreds of miles of logging roads." (Link to Joe’s Blog) [...]

By: Sheri Pool

Sheri Pool — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 20:25:22 +0000

I was very sad to hear that James Kim did not make it out alive. I, as everyone else was hoping for a much different outcome. My family and I have lived in Josephine County for over 30 years and we are furious that there isn’t more done to keep people off Bear Camp Road in the Winter ! Gate it and lock it before another tragedy happens. Us locals know not to go up there in the Winter but there is always going to be someone from out of the area who thinks they can go puttering over it.
Sheri Pool

By: Jerry Eastman

Jerry Eastman — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:07:49 +0000

Thanks to

joeDuck for the help with the search and the excellent coverage of it. I am sad to hear of the bad news of Mr Kim not making it out, yet greatful his wife and two daughters did!
Thanks from Michigan, Jerry Eastman

By: Janie killduff

Janie killduff — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:52:24 +0000

Our prayers are with this family .This father and husband will be found. it will be will be nice if he will be found around before christmas. it will be the best I KNOW THAT JESUS WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERTHING WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE PRAYING FOR HIM ONE TIME I was lost in montana woods.
thanks Lillian killduff

By: Gigi

Gigi — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 17:11:35 +0000

My prayers are with the family. I hope he found safe.

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:54:55 +0000

I’m an avid backroad crawler, having lived in wintery NE Minn. most of my life. There are thous of remote foresty roads there as well. I moved to Coos Bay in 99, and immediately began exploring the backroads from the coast to Eugene, and south to the CA border. Of course, this terrain is very different than MN. I recall exploring a logging road off Bear Camp in very late March one year, alone. The dirt road surface was very smooth, dry, with spotted snow below and above me to each side. I recall rounding a mountain bend, headed away from the sun’s exposure. Suddenly I was in 3-4 foot deep snow that had seen no sun for months. It lifted my 4×4 up and compacted the snow below me. I was literally 10-15 feet from bare dirt, still on the road, hung up on compacted snow. It took 4 hours to dislodge the truck. Was I prepared? I could never be prepared enough. My prayers to the Family.

By: KathyL

KathyL — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:30:05 +0000

You guys seem right now track to begin with. My friends had driven up from CA and at a gas station stop in Merlin, they were advised to not take the route. They traveled on the main highway in search of the Kim family.

By: joeduck

joeduck — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:44:06 +0000

Yes Great news about Kati and kids. Now hoping James will be tracked and found safe.

Ethan – ironically it was “improved” about 12 years ago when they added blacktop to some stretches. Not sure they could keep it clear in winter without huge costs.

IMHO they should mark it on maps as “closed seasonally” but I think it’s a “tough Oregonian” frame of mind that keeps it open yet often unsafe for travel.

By: koko

koko — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:17:13 +0000

Yes – good news. They found the mom and girls alive at 1:30 pm today (Monday). And as we suspected, they were on that dang Bear Camp Road. Let’s pray they find the Dad.