A 39-year-old hiker who went missing in Washington’s Northern Cascades National Park for about a month has revealed how he and his dog were kept alive.
Robert Schock decided to take his dog Freddy on an overnight bareboat trip on July 31st.
But the nature lover was soon reported missing and a frantic search began for two weeks, before authorities called it off.
But on August 30, Pacific Northwest Trail Association crew members finally found Schock after he spent an entire month with no food, no phone service, and barely any clothing in an emaciated, terrible state.
‘I’m an ultra runner. I’m not a hiker. I don’t put on backpacks and go on multi-day trips. I don’t know how to fish. I want to finish a course as quickly as I can and return home. So he didn’t have a shirt. I had a pair of shorts, I had Freddy and a dog tray. These were the only items in my small backpack.
‘I would never have dreamed that was the experience I was aiming for when I went running. “I never dreamed this kind of survival could be possible,” he said. PEOPLE.
Robert Schock, 39, who went missing in Washington’s Northern Cascades National Park for about a month, has revealed how he and his dog Freddy were kept alive.
Schock, who had hiked the trail several times, began his journey early in the morning with an old map in hand.
He headed to the Chilliwack River Trail by climbing near the Copper Ridge Trail and then used a cable car to cross the river, but did not realize that the eastern portion of the trail had been closed after wildfires in 2021 and 2022.
‘When I got there, the trail was no longer there. I was curious to know what happened to this trail and my curiosity kept me going,” Schock recalls.
The next day, his phone died and a day later he realized the seriousness of the situation.
On the third day, he told Freddy to find his way home because he realized “it wasn’t right.” As the days passed, he began to lose track of time and wished for it to “be over.”
In the end, he managed to find some old nests created and then abandoned by the bears and saw a large mushroom that became one of their few food sources.
The day he was rescued, Schock recalled losing control of his bowels and feeling “close to death” as he lay on the banks of the Chilliwack River.
‘When I got there, the trail was no longer there. “I was curious to know what happened to this trail and my curiosity kept me going,” Schock recalled.
‘I ate that all day and it tasted like normal mushrooms you’d eat on a pizza or something.
“It was the only thing I had to eat all the time other than the berries, they were pretty disgusting,” he recalled.
At one point, Schock even saw a helicopter and “waved” to try to get the pilot’s attention, but to no avail.
As attempts to get help failed, he began to lose strength and “was no longer shouting much for help.” I only did it once in a while… I wasn’t doing it very well.’
The day he was rescued, Schock recalled losing control of his bowels and feeling “close to death” as he lay on the banks of the Chilliwack River.
As he poured water into his mouth during the sunset, he decided to ask for help once again.
“I was sitting there naked and I knew I wasn’t going to make it through the night. Then I thought, ‘I’m going to scream for the last time.’ I said, ‘Help!’
It was at this time that some returning PNTA crew members To his camp in the countryside and across the Chilliwack River, after a grueling 10-hour shift, he heard her scream.
At one point, Schock even saw a helicopter and “waved” to try to get the pilot’s attention, but to no avail.
The Chilliwack River Trail is known as a tough five-mile hike that can tax even the most experienced visitors.
In the end, he managed to find some old nests created and then abandoned by the bears and saw a large mushroom that became one of their few food sources.
“One of the guys took off his shirt and gave it to me. That guy who came and dressed me and very well saved my life. It’s an understatement to say how truly grateful I am for those people to be there that day because it was so close.” of the goal,” he recalled with gratitude.
‘Robert was found alive, but not well. “Those involved in the rescue believe Robert may have only had one more day left before the outcome of his discovery would have been much more tragic,” Jeff Kish, executive director of the PNTA, said in a statement. Facebook Post .
His mother, Jan Thompson, who lives in North Carolina, said CDN that she has spoken to him since he was found, and although he was weak from malnutrition, she said he was not injured.
Thompson said: “He’s in a lot of pain and doesn’t speak very well, but he’s coherent and seems in very good spirits.”
His mother, Jan Thompson, who lives in North Carolina, told CDN that she has spoken to him since he was found and, although he was weak from malnutrition, she said he was not injured.
Days after Schock was reported missing, his vehicle was found abandoned near the Hannegan Pass trailhead with the windows down and his wallet on the dashboard, raising concerns and prompting search efforts for the missing hiker.
Days after Schock was reported missing, his vehicle was found abandoned near the Hannegan Pass trailhead with the windows down and his wallet on the dashboard, raising concerns and prompting search efforts for the missing hiker.
Their dog, Freddy, was also found, alone, on August 4 eight miles off the remote trail.
Air and ground teams searched the rugged terrain for two weeks, but no sign of Schock turned up. The US Border Patrol conducted an aerial search on August 16 and a ground search near where Freddy was found, but the efforts were unsuccessful and were called off.
Jeff Kish continued, “When our team found Robert, he was able to tell them that he had been motionless, trapped in that exact location for approximately two weeks, and based on the conditions they found him in, there was no reason for the crew to question it.
Schock was taken to United General Hospital in Sedro-Wooley for treatment.
The Chilliwack River Trail is known as a tough five-mile hike that can tax even the most experienced visitors.