Letters to the Editor
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Poor decision making
It's very sad that James Kim died, and his father's efforts are, of course, in part an expression of grief. But the only people to blame for his son's death are, to be brutally honest, James Kim and his wife. They made a series of extremely unwise decisions that got them into a dangerous predicament: turning onto a tertiary road in bad weather, traveling in winter without adequate supplies, failing to turn back when it became clear they were out of their depth, etc.
The world is so connected now that many people feel that as long as they have a cell phone, they cannot get into too much trouble. Ask park rangers at mountainous parks how many tired climbers call them to be rescued from slopes they never should have tackled in the first place. Technology is never a substitute for good sense. In winter driving, you always take supplies, you always travel major arteries where help passes by regularly, and when in doubt, you change your plans, hole up and wait out darkness or bad weather.
I have only condolences for the Kim family, and hope others can learn from their poor decision making.