Missing Runner Found Alive After Surviving A Month In The Wilderness Without Supplies

October 28, 2024

Today's good news story comes from North Cascades, Washington.

Against all odds, Robert Schock, 39, was rescued after surviving a month alone in Washington’s North Cascades National Park.

Credit: pnt.org / Jan Thompson

Schock went missing on July 31 after setting out on a 20-mile run with his dog, Freddy, with plans to return home that day. Packing minimally for a swift run, he carried only a small backpack, a dog pan, and Freddy by his side—never expecting a prolonged wilderness ordeal.

Schock, an experienced ultra-runner, found himself disoriented without cell service on the second day. When his phone died, he realized the situation was becoming dire and, hoping Freddy might lead authorities to him, sent his dog off to find help.

Four days after Schock vanished, his mother, Jan Thompson, received a call from the Whatcom Humane Society with astonishing news: Freddy had been found, sparking a series of intensive searches in the days and weeks that followed.

Despite extensive efforts on both land and by air, rescuers were unable to locate Schock. With minimal resources, Schock survived by foraging on berries and a large mushroom he found.

His discovery finally came a month later, on August 30, when a crew from the Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA), worn from hours of backbreaking trail repair, heard faint cries while crossing the Chilliwack River.

"I was sitting there naked and knew I wasn't going to make it through the night," Schock told PEOPLE. "So I was like, 'I'm going to scream one last time.' I said, 'Help!'"

Jeff Kish, PNTA’s Executive Director, described the rescue as narrowly averted tragedy.

"They were returning to their backcountry camp, exhausted, when they crossed the Chilliwack River and heard something barely discernible above the sound of the river, but out of place for their surroundings. It was not readily apparent that they had heard a person, but their intuition was to take the time to investigate, just in case," Kish said.

A half a mile off trail, along the bank of the Chilliwack River, laid out and exposed to the elements, they found him.

"It is the belief of those who came to be involved in the rescue that Robert may have only had another day left in him before the outcome of his discovery would have been much more tragic," Kish said.

Schock was airlifted to a hospital, where he spent a month recovering. Though significantly thinner, he was otherwise in remarkable condition after his month-long ordeal.