keep in mind, he, like most of us, was just a middle class guy who had
essentially no experience in rugged, snowy terrain. He lived in SF, in the
city. His family was going up to visit relatives. How often do normal
middle class folks carry a big-ass survival kit that would help them survive
for weeks in the snowy wilderness, even when they're driving through the
snowy wilderness between two major metropolitan areas?

It just lets us know what everybody who lives in Alaska, or North Dakota, or
Montana, already knows -- far away is closer than you think.