TACOMA, Washington (AP) -- A snowshoer who was lost in a blizzard for two days on Washington state's Mount Rainier said he stayed alive by digging out a snow tunnel and burning dollar bills for warmth.
In this Monday, Jan. 16 photo provided by Yong Chun Kim, of Tacoma, Wash., Kim flashes a victory sign after he was rescued after being lost for two days in a blizzard in Mount Rainier National Park, Wash. Kim, 66, was rescued Monday after becoming separated from the snowshoe group he was leading on Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News)
Yong Chun Kim, 66, of Tacoma, said he carried a lighter and other emergency supplies and burned personal items: extra socks, Band-Aids, toothbruash, packaging, and lastly $1 and $5 bills from his wallet.
Kim, who served in the South Korean military in the Vietnam War, told KOMO-TV in Seattle that skills he learned as a soldier helped him survive. He said he wasn't scared. He kept waiting for the sounds of the helicopter _ though severe weather conditions prevented park officials from using one to search for Kim.
``I'm a lucky man, a really lucky man,'' he said in an interview Tuesday afternoon from his home.
With temperatures in the teens and winds whipping on the mountain, Kim said he kept walking and moving to stay warm. He took cover in several tree wells _ depressions in snow that forms around a tree _ and slept standing for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
He initially made a shelter near a big rock and tried to stay warm. He tried to keep walking, but at times ``the snow was so deep, I couldn't breathe.''
Kim dreamed of his wife and a nice hot sauna. He talked to himself. He took pictures. He prayed to God. He worried his family and friends would worry about him. He made a fire, drank hot water and ate rice, some Korean food and a chocolate bar.
And even as he burned his personal items to say warm, the last $6 going up in flames Sunday night, he said: ``I worried because it's a national park. You're not supposed to have a fire. ... I'm worried about that but I want to (stay) alive.''
Money made for the best fire, he said, laughing. Nylon socks and packaging, not so great.
``He could have died,'' said Kim's stepson, Malcolm An. ``He was walking around, struggling to find a place, literally not knowing where to go.''
Kim, a U.S. citizen for 30 years, was leading 16 members of a hiking and climbing club from Tacoma on Saturday _ a trip he takes nearly every week _ when he slid down a slope and became separated. He radioed his group twice to tell them he was OK and would meet them farther down the trail, but became disoriented and went the wrong way.
His hiking partners last heard from him on the radio at 2:30 Saturday. When he didn't show up at the parking lot, park officials launched a search. Kim said Tuesday he lost his walkie-talkie as well as his glove and ski pole when he tumbled a second time.
Dozens of park rangers, rescue dogs, volunteers and searchers from several rescue organizations scoured snowy mountain terrain for three days searching for Kim.
``The rangers are nice. The volunteers from all over are nice,'' said Kim, who retired six years ago after running his own telecommunications company. He said he was so thankful for the rangers and volunteers who helped look for him.
``He's so lucky. It's a blessing and a miracle. That team was amazing,'' An said. ``They had a plan, they were ready to go.''
Kim was about a mile from where he was last seen when he was found Monday by a ranger and two Crystal Mount Ski Patrol members.
Kim was in such good shape that when he was found, he did not have to go to a hospital and instead went home with his family.
After rescuers reached Kim it took nine hours to bring him from the rugged terrain covered in deep snow to the Paradise visitors' center, a popular destination at 5,400-feet elevation on the mountain's southwest flank, about a 100-mile (160-kilometer) drive south from Seattle.
``He was determined,'' An said. ``He kept saying, he is not going to die unless God thinks he should. All he did was try to survive.''
Kim said he goes to the mountains for the fresh air and because it's good medicine for recovering from cancer. ``When I get out there, it's a nice view. Everytime, same location, different feeling though.''
His experience won't stop him from heading to Mount Rainier again. ``Oh yeah, of course, every Saturday.'' But he added: ``If it's a bad day, don't hike again.''
<한글기사>
눈덮인 산에서 돈 태우며 이틀 버텨
혼자 이틀 동안 눈보라 속에 갇혔던 한국계 미국인이 눈굴을 뚫고 지폐를 태워 온기를 유지한 끝에 구조되었다.
타코마에서 거주하는 김용춘(66)씨는 지난 14일 미국 북서부 마운틴 레이니에(4392m) 산악 지역에서 고립되었다.
당일 기온은 섭씨 영하 9도도 20㎝의 눈이 쌓여 있었다.
그는 라이터로 처음에는 나뭇잎을 태웠고 나중에는 치약, 양말, 1달러와 5달러 짜리 지폐 등 모든 소지품을 태워야 했다.
김씨는 계속 제자리 뛰기로 몸을 따뜻하게 유지했고 밤에는 아내와 사우나를 생각하며 깨어있으려 애썼다고 말했다.
조난 초기에는 큰 바위 옆에 피난처를 마련했으나 다행히 큰 나무를 발견해 눈을 피할 수 있었다.
등산 클럽 동료 16명과 함께 눈신발을 싣고 하이킹에 나섰다가 레이니에 남서 사면의 파라다이스 지역에서 비탈길에서 굴러 떨어졌다.
수색대원들은 깊게 눈이 쌓인 곳을 가로질러 설상화로 접근할 수 있는 강 계곡을 따라 올라간 뒤 16일 오후 김씨를 발견했다.
구조대의 대변인 리 테일러는 발견될 당시 몸도 정신도 괜찮은 상태였다고 말했다. 그는 구조 직후 가족과 함께 집으로 갔다.
월남전에 참전했던 김씨는 군대에서 배운 것들이 큰 도움이 됐다고 말했다.
