A man who was lost in a national park in Washington state for more than a month and ate mushrooms, berries and water to survive has spoken in an interview about his near-fatal injuries.
In a compelling conversation with people.com published over the weekend, Robert Schock said he felt he was “really…close to death” when he heard his last desperate cries for help. ” and that he had just lost control of his bowels. The attention of someone who ultimately saved his life.
Schock told the media that the ordeal had aged him “several years” and vowed he would never return to North Cascades National Park “any time soon.” Nevertheless, he says he is physically “recovering pretty well” after gaining about 40 pounds back after making a dramatic rescue from an ordeal unlike any other man has experienced. said.
He said the musician from Blaine, Wash., was at the Hannegan Pass trailhead on July 31 with plans to run about 20 miles with his dog, having previously hiked the North Cascades. It is said that he was visiting. But he said he hasn’t been there in a few years, and there were wildfires in 2021 and 2022 that destroyed the trails that were there before.
Shock had a map with him, but it was old and he quickly lost his way. His cell phone broke on the second day at the park. By the third day, he dropped his dog, Freddy, home.
Authorities soon found Schock’s car and found Freddy near the Chilliwack River in the park. However, Schock’s mother, Jean Thompson, told people.com that it was unclear whether Schock had intended to leave the park because he had left his wallet in the car.
Hikers who last saw Shock said he was not wearing any night gear. Thompson said the passenger side window of the car was left partially rolled down and she got the information when she called authorities to report her son missing. To reach him.
Thompson told people.com that even after initial search efforts failed, she never gave up hope that Schock would be found alive. Meanwhile, Schock told the media that they had taken over an abandoned bear nesting site. He reportedly subsisted primarily on berries and once said he survived on a large mushroom that “tasted like something you would put on a pizza or something” and water that flowed into his mouth.
Schock said at one point he saw the helicopter and yelled, “Help!” But he couldn’t get the crew’s attention, so he had to wait, Schock said, according to people.com.
People.com reported that on August 30th, Shock was on the riverbank when his intestines became empty. He said he was That meant doing so to them – and while naked, he thought, “I’m not going to make it through the night.”
Shock said she decided to scream for help one last time. According to the group’s website and people.com, members of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association were returning to camp after trail maintenance when they heard shocked voices and found him, some with shirts on. Some people reportedly offered it.
The Pacific Northwest Trail Association said Schock was found “alive but in poor condition” and had managed to survive “despite unlikely adversity and tremendous emotional distress.”
Shock was taken to the hospital by helicopter. He could only be given intravenous nutrition for a few days. But he eventually talked it out with his mother, felt well enough to be discharged from the hospital, and traveled to Ohio, where he grew up, to continue his recovery.
Although he has some “underlying joint pain,” Schock said he feels better and is optimistic he can get back to “those days” that were taken away from him during his ordeal in the North Cascades.
“That person who came and dressed me… did a great job of saving my life,” Schock told people.com. “I was pretty close to the finish line that day, so it’s safe to say I’m really thankful those guys were there.”
