BarryD

"What the heck were they thinking???"

Good question. It would be interesting to hear from some SAR people, along with mountaineers and mountain rescue team members. I logged onto one mountain climbing site, but the language was a bit too salty even for this old roughneck. I'd like to hear what the people who are called upon to perform these rescues have to say about it all.

Incidentally for resqman...

My wife sez to tell you thanks for NOTHING. She was hoping for something a bit more romantic in her Christmas stocking than the cool PLB I tracked down from your equipped.com link. I blamed it all on you guys.

Anyone know these people? Bet ya do... (takes a few seconds for the video to start. You need your speaker on)

http://jacrex1.multiply.com/video/item/10

"Welcome to the campfire!!! Please feel free to pull up a log, have a seat and a cup of joe."

Thanks. Don't mind if I do.

The troubling aspect of the Kim story is that he probably did everything he knew how to do in order to survive and protect his family, but it wasn't enough to save him. Fortunately his wife and children are alive.

As you point out, there were bad choices made. As a mountaineering friend (and SM)of mine told me when I asked why he had no interest in climbing Everest..."You can do everything exactly right and Everest will still kill you." Not that James Kim did everything right, but it points out that the margin of error is very, very slim in certain circumstances. One has to understand the consequences of their actions and be prepared if those actions lead to an emergency situation, simple as that.

I've been in a couple of situations that could have turned out badly. Getting separated from my buddy while elk hunting, and getting stranded on the Colorado River and having to hike out 10 miles. It really doesn't take much to go from pleasant afternoon in the outdoors to "Uh oh", even for those who are comfortable in the wilderness.

We, as Scouters, need to respectfully utilize events to educate and encourage the public to take action to prevent or minimize the misery of disaster situations. I read about the recent ice storms in the midwest and the resultant power outages that have lasted for days and days and wonder how many were truly prepared. Our Fieldbook, our merit badge pamphlets, and our online resources are about as good as it gets for helping friends and neighbors learn the basics of taking care of themselves. (And to keep them out of our stash of emergency food and libation)

After the tragedy that took the life of Mr. James Kim in Oregon I've been following many of the blogs and articles that have been written offering both criticism of his actions and advice on how to avoid the same fate.

I'd like to encourage Scouters to offer their expertise and training in matters of wilderness survival and emergency preparedness whenever the opportunity arises. The number of ill-informed and newly minted experts in these areas is stunning. Everyone suddenly seems to have acquired years of experience in how to survive such a situation, and are falling all over themselves in trying to produce the definitive guide. I suspect the bulk have never spent a single night of their lives in a tent that was more than 30 feet off of a paved road and within spitting distance of a shower stall, yet they're comfortable telling others how to live through a natural or self-inflicted disaster.

For those who have the time or the inclination, when you spot bogus or incomplete advice in the newspaper or on the 'net, would you take a minute to correct it or clarify it? The last one I replied to was the "Tie plastic garbage bags around your tennis shoes when hiking out in the snow". Duh. My response was to the effect that if you're in an area where there's a possibility that you'll be in the snow on foot, pack a pair of waterproof, insulated boots and leave the plastic bags for the leaves in your backyard.

Anyway, Scouters have the miles under their belts, the nights in tents, the busted knuckles, and the training to actually help straighten some of this out as they encounter it. It may help someone who otherwise may be getting bad advice. Thanks.