The Gripping Saga of the Search for a Missing Family One wrong turn down an abandoned, snow-covered roadway leads to a Vanished massive search operation Six years ago the story of a family that vanished during a blizzard made national news and captured the hearts of everyday Americans. A father, mother and their two young children had disappeared without a trace. Millions held their In The breath while hundreds of rescue workers combed the snow- covered mountains of southwest Oregon, an area notorious for black bears. Time and brutal winter weather were playing Mountains against them. Would they find the missing family in time? Aryeh Cohen 30 | ZMAN • January 2013 ZMAN • Teves 5773 | 31 - However, they drove past the exit and failed warning that the route is dangerous in the nalist for a leading technology news to discover the error until about half an hour winter is easy to miss. Jshow.ames Kim,His wife 35, was a managersuccessful at jour two later. Apparently, James Kim missed it. businesses in San Francisco. The happy The simplest thing to do now was make As he turned down Bear Camp Road, couple had two young girls, aged four a U-turn and drive back to the missed exit. Mrs. Kim decided to close her eyes. She years and seven months, and was living However, since it was already getting late, thought that by the time she opened them the American dream—until the events the Kims looked for a faster solution. They they would be at or near their destination, Oregon’s scenic Klamath Mountains. of our story. did not have a GPS, so they took out a map the lodge. Meanwhile, James continued down It all began on November 17, 2006, and studied it. Mrs. Kim was delighted to the lonely, dark and increasingly treacher- when the Kim family (James, Kati, and discover a shortcut. They would continue ous road. their two daughters, Penelope and until Exit 61 at Merlin. There they could Bear Camp Road reaches 4,500 feet above Sabine) embarked on a well-deserved connect to Bear Camp Road, which cut sea level, and as James drove on, the road not Thanksgiving Day vacation that would through a vast forest and led directly to Gold only meandered but inclined. Then a heavy take them crisscrossing the American Beach. snow began to fall. It became increasingly Northwest. First they drove north to Seattle, Washington, where they spent Road to Nowhere in the road—and decided to veer right. In a few days with family. From there they fact,difficult he had for justhim turned to see. off He Bear reached Camp aRoad, fork headed south to Portland, Oregon, to Unbeknown to the Kims, Bear Camp Road missing the small sign pointing ahead to visit relatives. They enjoyed a few days was little more than a deserted side road. continue to Gold Beach. in each city before setting out to the Tu Meandering 70 miles over the peaks and Now, the Kims were on an even more Tu Tun Lodge, a resort located outside valleys of the Klamath Mountains, covered remote path – Logger’s Road. As the name the city of Gold Beach, Oregon. Here they by a thick canopy of trees, it is full of sudden implies, it was used mainly by logging would spend the last days of their vaca- twists and surprise turns. Used primarily companies – and only during the summer. Bear Camp Road with its one lane and sudden, sharp turns. tion before returning home. by hunters or campers looking to enjoy an During the winter the road is gated shut. The trip from Portland to Gold Beach outing on one of the many mountain lakes, Or was supposed to be gated shut. experienced locals know to avoid it during Sadly, on this night, the gate was open. the winter months when it easily becomes Later, media outlets would report that startcovers out almost early, 300 but miles,got off an a lateestimated start. blocked with snowdrifts. The road is simply vandals had cut a lock on the gate, but a Iffive everything hour dive. went The asKims scheduled intended they to too remote to even be plowed. subsequent investigation suggested that would reach the Tu Tu Tun Lodge by However, to out-of-town motorists like it had intentionally been left open to avoid midnight. the Kims, Bear Camp Road appears on the trapping local hunters and others who might On their way, Mrs. Kim called the map as a regular route, and even a shortcut have ventured past it. lodge to Oregon’s coastline. The beginning of the Either way, The Kim family was now on a The receptionist said there was but road looks more or less like any other road remote side path of an untraveled road that urged toMrs. find Kim out ifto there rethink was hera vacancy. plans. in the mountains. And, in the darkness, the led literally to… nowhere. Given the late hour and the weather sign at the entrance of Bear Camp Road forecast, it would be far more advisable Lost in the Forest Kim failed to notice the warning the night, she told her. Then they would James Kim continued driving while his signs at the entrance to the road. beto findable toa hotelcontinue along their the trip way and to arrivespend wife and children slept. As far as he knew, refreshed the following morning. they were getting closer and closer to Gold The situation was getting a little strange The Kims, however, decided to Beach. and scary. In the deepening darkness, it was continue as planned. After about an hour, Mrs. Kim awoke to slowly dawning on the Kims how serious They stopped in a restaurant along their situation had become. Mrs. Kim real- the highway for a family meal. Then they rough mountain road in the midst of a storm ized that now was an appropriate time to returned to the car and headed down withfind herselfthe car not creeping at their slowly destination along. but on a call 911. Hopefully, a dispatcher would help highway I-5. Not long after leaving Port- “This doesn’t look right,” she told her husband. “This can’t be the road on the map. looked at her cell phone, there was no signal. of fateful mistakes. To reach Gold Beach Did we miss a turn?” Inthem the find dense their forest, way they out. wereHowever, out of when range she of theyland, neededthe Kims to madeleave thethe firstI-5 at in Exit a series 119. James Kim, a successful technology journalist. “Don’t think so,” James answered her. a cell tower. 32 | ZMAN • January 2013 ZMAN • Teves 5773 | 33.