I was not impressed as well, both with the production and the way Ms. Kim came off.

Still, bottom line IMO is that the Kim's were not stupid or negligent, they were just moonbeam West Coast types who didn't know any better and paid the price for multiple mistakes and misfortunes. IMO they coped as best they knew how. All of us can glean some lessons from their ordeal.

Unfortunately the 20/20 documentary was made for ratings not a survival lesson or the multitude of avoidable errors that got them into the predicament in the first place. My head spins on why they didn’t stop WAY sooner and figure out how to get turned around, even waiting for daylight to turn around if they didn't have high quality flashlights with them to safely evaluate the situation.

Even the drama with the bears illustrates the rating vs. educational value. Maybe some mention of how not to attract bears unless one wanted some bear stew.

I often watched Mr. Kim covering the computer industry on CNET. I recall following the search for his family as it unfolded, ultimately ending in his death.

You might question any number of their decisions including his last one to leave the car in search for help. Ultimately, it may have been foolhardy, but I feel like he was brave in trying to seek rescue for his family in the end.

If nothing else, I became a reader of sites such as ETS, in the wake of this. I prepared emergency kits for myself and for my family members. Like Glock-A-Roo said, if nothing else, we can learn from their experience. Hopefully, that means the lessons of their tragedy may save another life someday.

I respectfully disagree. They made some decisions with a complete absence of common sense.

I've driven a small portion of that road, closer to Merlin, on a sunny August evening. I can't imagine what it would be like in the middle of winter.

Precisely. The value of continued discussion of this tragedy is to avoid recurrences. There was so much media attention paid to the Kim tragedy when it was ongoing, I'll bet it already has saved other lives and will continue to.

I've shared the 20/20 piece on my Facebook page to hopefully generate further discussion among friends and family.

Aside from whatever I think about the Kims' decisions during the debacle, I'm glad that she is speaking publicly about it. It can't be easy.

Powerring - welcome to ETS.

So easy to be a Monday quarterback with something like this. I do appreciate that this forum is a sounding board for people from all walks of life.

I like that the little girl said she would one day like to work in Search and Rescue and that Kati Kim now carries a small survival kit in her car. It may well be better late than never, but I believe her story may help others prepare for the curve balls that life sometimes throws at us and I'm glad she told it.

Mike

I guess some folks just ignore the inner voice asking the question 'what the hell are you getting yourself into', probably because modern technology (GPS may lead some over a cliff without the application of common sense) and motorised transport gives a false sense of security just to push onwards. Navigational ability is not really a female attribute as their brains are wired up differently to males (less spacial awareness but with more communicative skills) and males have now, I'm afraid, are now somewhat repressed/embarrassed to question their own decision making processes for fear of being made to look foolish in front of their partners.

Please check me to see if I am correct, but if I got the show right, they were not following a GPS. Ms Kim said, something like. "I saw this distinct road on the map," and evidently, because it was "distinct," felt it would be suitable to follow. If that indeed was her decision, it wouldn't matter on what medium the "road" was displayed - her decision to follow it was the critical factor.

I won't even comment on your differential wiring comment. I have associated with far too many superb female navigators, both on land and at sea. I have also been around some guys who could not find their way out of a broom closet if they had a GPS and a painted red line, with a million dollars on the other side of the door.

IF THE STORY WAS TOLD CORRECTLY, after they turned around and got back to the intersection, why didn't they backtrack to follow their path back to the interstate?

This simple act would have covered up all of the many critical mistakes that were made.

i watched with my 20 yo daughter. she asked a bunch of questions and had a bunch of light bulbs go off. it got her thinking. for that reason alone, i think it was valuable.

there were too many unanswered questions for my liking, and the Visuals didn't seem to match the story i was expecting to hear it did do a good job of showing the domino effect of bad decisions. the 20/20 commentators made a few enlightening revelations after it was over that, had they been included in the doc, would have made it a stronger educational piece.