British Columbia Woman's Ordeal Similar to Oregon Family's Bittersweet Case

COMMENTARY | When the story broke about Rita Chretien surviving for seven weeks alone in the Nevada wilderness, it became apparent almost immediately that her ordeal had some commonalities with another from 2006. In both situations, a woman beat the odds and survived by staying with the vehicle while her husband faced a less fortunate fate while looking for help.

Albert and Rita Chretien

When the couple departed their home in Penticton, British Columbia, they were going to Las Vegas for a trade convention, and probably some Vegas-style entertainment. In the northern Nevada wilderness, mistakes left them stranded March 19 on a remote dirt road in one of America's truly empty places.

The nearest town to where the van got stuck in the mud, Mountain City, Nev., had a population of 72 as of the 2000 census, but just over 20 people live there year-round.

Rita Chretien reportedly survived on a little trail mix, some fish oil pills, and water from melted snow. She is recovering in her hometown hospital, according to CTV News, and said to be doing well. Albert Chretien, while still technically missing, isn't likely to be found alive. He left the van after three days, hoping to walk to Mountain City for help.

The Kim Family

James Kim, wife Kati, and daughters Sabine and Penelope were trying to cut across the Oregon wilderness to get to the coast when mistakes left them lost on a logging road in the snow for nine days.

Kati survived, and saved both daughters by breastfeeding and keeping them warm. She told her story in an ABC "20/20" special, as she and James struggled with saving their children. The fact that an infant and toddler were involved added an emotional sense of urgency as the largest search in Oregon history was underway.

James also set out to find help, got lost and ended up dying from exposure. As a father, I can't imagine not trying to save my children; James cannot be faulted, even if conventional wisdom says to stay put if lost.

Common factors

While both women showed tremendous courage and will to survive, and both men got into to trouble trying to save loved ones, avoiding some simple mistakes could have prevented the ordeals altogether.

The Kim family left Interstate 5 after missing an exit and attempted to use forest roads to get to the coast. They set out on the road in the dark, and, after making a wrong turn, got stuck in the snow.

Albert and Rita Chretien possibly made a similar error, as they were reportedly trying to cut across the wilderness to get to Jackpot, Nev. Another small town, Jackpot does have a little more than Mountain City; perhaps they wanted a place to eat or sleep for the night.

In both cases, bad navigation, likely from a GPS unit, sealed their fate. A GPS unit is great, but there are limitations. The mapping software isn't going to let you know if the road is too muddy, if the snowstorm is too heavy, or if there is sufficient signage for the novice back country driver to keep on the right road.

The Kim and Chretien families' rescues were also hampered because rescuers didn't know where to look. No one knew the Kims missed their exit, and people searching for the Chretiens concentrated in southeastern Oregon, as their last known location was Baker City, Ore.

Misunderstanding the wilderness

It's easy, in our modern world, to forget it's still quite possible to get truly, completely lost. Once a person gets "off the grid" of civilization in the remote West, it might as well be 1860, except you're not a mountain man with a bear fur coat and an innate understanding of the wilderness.

People will search for you, but there are limitations. If you are lost in the woods, a helicopter or airplane has to be almost directly overhead to see you. The Chretiens' van was out in the open, but, in an area so vast with searchers not knowing where to begin, it's still difficult.

My connection to both cases

I live in Oregon, and have hunted the area where the Kim family became lost. I don't recall the exact spur road, but I'm sure I've been near it. Many people use the area to get out into nature for hunting and even for getting a family Christmas tree.

As for Nevada, I lived in Mountain City years ago. My father and grandfather were doing construction contracting for the federal government on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation just to the north. I went to school in Owyhee on the reservation.

I remember the back country and how slick it became when wet. The high clay content of the soil made it, in my father's words, "slick as owl s---." Photos of the Chretiens' van provided by CTV show it well off the dirt road. Perhaps they were planning on resting then moving on, not realizing the nature of the soil.

A news report in the Bend Bulletin quotes a local man from Mountain City whom I remember from the time I lived there back in the 1970s.

"It's hard to imagine how anyone, let alone outsiders, would attempt the off-road crossing the Chretiens tried," said Mel Basanez, a 74-year-old retired Mountain City resident. "I can't imagine getting off the highway in this country at that time of year, even this time of year."

That's the bottom line: Never drive in unfamiliar wilderness in less than ideal conditions. If it's your first time going back country, do it on a nice summer day and take plenty of supplies. Don't rely on a GPS -- if in doubt, ask a local. Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.