1 Some people think that there is no place on Earth where it is too dangerous to travel anymore. Those people are wrong. From parts of every major city to areas dominated by weather concerns and isolation, things can kill you. Stop watching those indie films where 20-something-year-old idiots travel the world with a digital videocam and a sack of weed. Be prepared. Study your route and your destination. Assume the worst will happen. Stock up with more than you think you will ever need. If you can travel for hours without seeing another Soul or any sign of civilization, you are in one of those danger zones. Maybe amateur GPS units should indicate those areas as red zones. Pro units too. An occasional skull and crossbones would be a nice touch, as well. Oh. And rent "Wolf Creek" before you go. Watch it.

2 Attila the Hub read Deep Survival a while back, as background for a story he's working on, but he found it tremendously interesting on its own—almost spiritual. If I understand his summary correctly, there are always bad decisions that can be made, but the main determinant in whether people succombed to false reasoning under stress was whether they wanted to survive: whether they had something to live for. I think that's why the Kim story bothers people: he had a family, and he should have pulled it together and done some clear thinking on their behalf, even if he was inclined to be reckless on his own.

3 You can't draw on anything you don't already have. Some people should stay on the tour bus.

4 Although coming across as a cold blooded bastard, the Rivrdog analysis makes sense and excellent points were made. But hey, people can still face harm just by making the wrong turn in many [well mapped] inner-cities.

5 Well, that's why it makes sense to stay aware of your surroundings. A the H and I made a wrong turn in Seattle on our honeymoon almost ten years ago. We were on foot. "Let's not turn around," he muttered. "Let's turn at the next street and backtrack that way." So we managed to get back on track without announcing that we were tourists by turning around right then and there. That increased our odds of surviving.