zl27

It's a bitch, huh? But I got one shot of cortisone in my foot and stopped running for a few weeks to give it a rest. I haven't had any pain since.

Yep, missed the sarcasm. I hate when I do that. I need some sleep. I agree completely.

My mom broke her neck in exactly the same type of fall as Christopher Reeve. However, get this, she didn't know it until 20-something years later when she was having neck problems, got an x-ray, and the doctor asked her when she had broken her neck. He asked her if she rode horses and then described the type of fall that would cause such a fracture. Sure enough, we looked at old show videos and there it was. Crazy.

I grew up riding horses. Unfortunately, I don't get to ride nearly as much as I'd like to these days. But I did do El Camino a Santiago de Compostela a few years back. Spectacular.

One of my dream places to visit in Chile is the Atacama Desert. I imagine it would be like hiking on the moon. Btw, if you are considering Torres del Paine, keep in mind that the weather is extremely unpredictable and the ozone is very thin, so you'll need to pack accordingly. If you decide to go, feel free to PM me.

I agree; it took a lot of courage for her to admit that. Plus, she did call her supervisor for guidance. He's the bozo. But, then again, she also took a job she was totally unequipped to handle experience-wise. To paraphrase Rick Rescorla, in an emergency, people revert to their training. As for the gate, I don't know why the loggers don't use a lockbox like realtors. Anyway, I didn't intend to debate the merits of the search for the Kims. Sorry for the hijack.

Torres del Paine is sweet! This photo does not do it justice (damn point-and-shoot camera), but my disappointment in the trip's photos inspired my (very expensive) passion for nature photography.

Hey, I'm all for personal responsibility. I completely agree the Kims put themselves in the situation. But, then again, we all make mistakes. The volunteer SARs folks, a pilot in particular, saved Kati and her daughters...heroes in my book. What I am against is incompetence, laziness, and shirking one's job responsibilities. These aren't SARs folks I'm ticked off at. These are government employees who failed to perform the job they are being paid for. An undersheriff not answering his phone (right after a huge storm) because of a football game???? Unconscionable. Btw, the wireless engineer figured out and reported their proximate location 2 days into the search. A lodge owner in the area also called multiple police agencies to report tire tracks down the road (which he couldn't follow in his snowmobile once he hit bare ground) and urged them to check the logging roads thoroughly based on his countless experiences redirecting lost motorists. That was day one of the search. On the other hand, according to a post here, Wampler instructed pilots to check out a tip from a blogger re: something shiny/yellow (?) sighted on the mountain - just one example of the thoroughness of the Hood SAR response. As I said, it's too bad the Hood SAR team wasn't in charge of the Kim SAR effort.

I'm outraged that a wireless engineer estimated the Kims' location to be within the immediate vicinity of Bear Camp Road, but the rescue coordinator did not order a search with a heat-seeking helicopter for two days, even though the National Guard had one fueled and awaiting orders. Not to mention, she had no prior SAR-related experience prior to being hired. But here's the thing that takes the cake...her direct supervisor said he ignored a late-night call from her about the case because he was watching a football game on TV. Absolutely disgusting. If Wampler and the rest of his team had been in charge, I bet James Kim would be home safe and sound now.

Duh. They left a note that there was no one to buy the pass from when they parked, and they would pay for it when they returned. You really are committed to finding any fault you can with these guys, huh? I'm sorry your parents didn't love you enough, but it's time to Kelly, Brian, and Jerry rest in peace.

I emailed that Nancy Grace (who I am convinced is O'Reilly in drag) but no response.

Let your buddy know he'll need to file a police report to collect from his insurance. It will also help him shut down the sale of his gear faster if someone sees it on ebay or elsewhere. Also, if he's got the serial numbers on the electronics and/or watches and files a report, he will have a better chance of getting them back should they happen to show up at a pawn shop. Btw, somewhat related tip....if you ever fly to go climbing and buy your plane ticket with amex, you automatically have trip insurance that you can collect against if your gear is stolen or lost. But, the limit on electronics is $250. And you have to file a police report.

Guess you haven't been thrown against a fence yet!

Keep in mind that insurance prices have skyrocketed across the board in the last few years due to hurricane losses. The re-insurance firms have to get their profits somewhere.

OMG, I'm laughing so hard there's no noise coming out. Too funny.