full text and video at link

A steady stream of visitors flow through Yong Chun Kim's Tacoma home. They come to make sure he's okay, after an ordeal that has them shaken - but not him.
"I wasn't scared," he said in broken English. "No. It's okay."
On Saturday, Mr. Kim led a group of friends on a snowshoeing trek on Mount Rainier when he fell 150 yards down a steep slope in whiteout conditions. As he tried to rejoin the group, he fell again, this time getting buried over his head in snow.
"I thought, I no want to die. But I know I will be okay," he said.
Kim, 66, is an experienced outdoorsman, but he only had the bare essentials with him on the day hike. Among them, a lighter that he used to burn his socks and scarf, along with some tree branches for warmth. By Sunday, with no sign of help on the way, he burned the only thing he could spare -- his money. It was only $6, a five and a one.

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Its-still-better-than-golf-Mt-Rainier-survivor-describes-harrowing-ordeal--137530378.html

Eric, I think what you need is a blog or some sort of news reader website where you can collect all your articles instead of posting them here as though they were forum posts.

I love it: he burned 6 dollars in fuel. Actually 6 dollars.

Cool link, Eric.

It doesn't seem like burning two bills would create any significant heat : )

Should be in the on the web forum

I wonder why he burned his socks and scarf. You would figure the warmth generated by wearing them would out weigh the short term heat gain from a fire

An aside why would this go in chaff when it is a thread on backpacking. It is not like popular threadsvare being pushed of the first page as a result of these posts. Beyond that i have never understood the forum police mentality that wants to police where and what people post.

Thank you for that story, Eric.

Greg, next time please post your reply in the "polite reply section" of our forums.

I learn volumes from reading accounts of hikers who got in trouble. I would MUCH rather learn by their mistakes than my own.

Seems that a whistle would have been good for this situation. Maybe a really bright flashlight. Definitely some tinder and a blowtorch fire starter, like a road flare. And Swiss Army knife with saw, or perhaps snow shoeing is the place for my 3.5oz Gerber saw.

No way I would burn my socks. Cash, heck yeah! I always have some TP (sorry Mike).

I would assume he burned the socks, scarf, and money as tinder to get a wood fire going. He was in snow after all, and without proper tinder or knowledge of how to acquire some, the items he burned probably did well to get a larger fire going to not only heat his toes, but his whole body.
If that is the case, I would easily sacrifice my socks to keep my whole body warm...

"Beyond that I have never understood the forum police mentality that wants to police where and what people post."

A place for everything, and everything in it's place. Hard enough to search for things here. We can at least put things where they belong.

That is why we have categories. Or would you like everything all lumped together?

Makes you want to not carry big bills, although if I have a big bunch of ones, my wife always thinkis I'm going to a strip club.

Tell her youre playing liar's poker.

I enjoy reading these stories. Sometimes I learn something from them.

That said, perhaps there should be a survivor stories subforum?