The San Francisco man who left his stranded family deep in the southwest Oregon woods to seek help died of hypothermia possibly two days before searchers found him, the doctor who conducted the autopsy said Thursday.

Deputy state medical examiner Dr. James Olson thinks 35-year-old James Kim probably died two days after he left his wife and two young daughters Saturday to find help.

"But that's only an educated guess, given the conditions and how much exertion he put on his body to get through treacherous conditions," Olson said. "It's possible that we'll never know exactly when he died."

Olson said Kim's body was "soft and flaccid" when searchers found him face up in 3 feet of water at 12:03 p.m. Wednesday. After the body was brought out of Big Windy Creek, it never went into rigor mortis -- the stiffening that occurs within eight hours of death, Olson said. Rigor mortis dissipates after about 24 hours.

Olson said it's extremely likely that rigor had set in and disappeared already.

Searchers found the fully clothed Kim after an intensive six-day ground and air search that led to the rescue of his wife, Kati, and daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, two days earlier.

Before he died, James Kim, already weak from little food and freezing temperatures, hiked five miles up a snow-covered road, then five miles down a treacherously steep canyon that stymied dozens of searchers for two days. In the end, his body was found about a mile from his station wagon, separated from the vehicle by the steep walls of a canyon.

At a news conference Thursday, search leaders released more details of how the Kims got lost in the rugged Coast Range 30 miles west of Grants Pass, how they got stuck and what they did for nine days in their car.

The Bureau of Land Management road where the Kim family was stranded forks to the right from Bear Camp Road. Markings on the pavement would have been covered with snow. (Jamie Francis/The Oregonian)

The Kims were reported missing Nov. 29 after failing to return home from a Thanksgiving vacation to Seattle. Police said the Kims left a Denny's restaurant in Roseburg about 9 p.m. Nov. 25 for the Tu Tu Tun Lodge near Gold Beach. After missing the exit from Interstate 5 onto Oregon 42, they decided about 10:30 p.m. to take what looked like a direct route on Bear Camp Road.

Bear Camp Road starts at about 900 feet elevation and climbs to 4,000 feet over the top of the Coast Range to Gold Beach. A rough road even in the summer, in the winter it is clogged with snow, but used by hunters, snowmobilers and others seeking outdoor recreation.

As their all-wheel-drive 2005 Saab crept along the narrow track, the Kims found the road signs confusing and noticed that some warned of snow and dangerous winter driving conditions. It was snowing, and they stopped several times to move rocks out of the road.

The couple decided to turn back, but were forced to drive in reverse, with James Kim looking out through an open driver's door and revving the engine to move through the snow.

Running low on gas and seeking to get to a lower elevation, the couple left Bear Camp Road, turning down a Bureau of Land Management road that normally is closed by a locked gate. Vandals had cut the lock and opened the gate. The Kims drove 15 miles down the road to where it was only raining. At 2 a.m. they stopped for the night.

The next day, they were confronted by heavy snow and stayed in the car, occasionally running their engine to use the heater. They continued to do the same over the next two days as snow fell. James Kim read to his children every night.

On Wednesday, the family was out of gas, and started a fire using magazines and driftwood, but the wood was frozen, heavy and hard to gather. The next day, they turned to a spare tire for a fire in the afternoon.

On Friday, they pried the four tires from their car and, by 11 a.m., had stoked a blaze they hoped would attract attention. They also began stowing wood under their car to try to keep it dry. By afternoon, their fire was out. They heard a helicopter -- area agencies had begun their search for the family.

Father ventures out

Saturday morning, the couple switched gears. In studying a map of Oregon, they estimated the town of Galice was located on a river about four miles east of them. James Kim hoped to get to a road with cars on it or follow a river to the town.

In reality, the Rogue River hamlet was 15 miles away, separated by four other steep creek drainages.

Saturday morning, James Kim built a fire for the family before saying goodbye at 7:45 a.m., with a promise he would return by 1 p.m. if he didn't find help.

About 9:30 a.m. Kati Kim heard and saw more helicopters. At 1 p.m. her husband had not returned.

James Kim backtracked along the BLM road they had traveled a week earlier. After five miles, the road crosses Big Windy Creek. He climbed down into the drainage, dropping a pair of gray pants one-quarter mile from the road, then continued another quarter mile down to the creek.

He followed the creek east, back in the direction of the family's car. Two miles later, he dropped several more pieces of clothing and bits of his map.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said deputies who found the clothes believed James may have spent a night there.

It was 2.5 more miles down the creek before James came to rest in the water, a half-mile short of where the creek tumbles into the Rogue.

He was found with a backpack and wearing a heavy dark jacket, gray sweater, T-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes. He had trekked more than 10 miles on his quest. When he died, he was hardly more than a mile -- in a straight line -- from his family's car.

Searchers also pointed out Thursday that the car was just a mile away -- via another rugged forest road -- from Black Bar Lodge. Although closed for the winter, the lodge was stocked with leftover supplies from the summer, its owner John James, told The Associated Press.

"He has no way to know" about the lodge, said Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson. "It's a tragedy."

Dad "did nothing wrong"

James Kim was a popular senior editor at CNET Networks Inc. in San Francisco, writing reviews about digital music and audio devices for the technology-themed Web site and a CNET blog about electronics. He also appeared on the company's video segments and on television.

During Thursday's news conference, Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings emphasized that the Kims were travelers unfamiliar with the area caught in rapidly changing weather conditions and should not be blamed for that.

"James Kim did nothing wrong," Hastings said. "He was trying to save his family." Still, he urged drivers to check road conditions by calling special state numbers as they travel.

Anderson said while the search's ultimate end was saddening, he was glad it came to a resolution.

"I am happy we found Kati and the kids," Anderson said. "I am happy that we were able to give closure to the family by finding James."