A quick 20-mile run turned into a month-long survival ordeal for 39-year-old Robert Schock, who learned the hard way that even a short trail run might call for a backpack.

Schock and his dog, Freddy, set out one morning for North Cascades National Park in Washington, expecting to be back by day’s end. As an ultra-runner, he didn’t plan for a prolonged stay. “I’m not a hiker. I don’t put on backpacks and go out for multi-day trips,” he said. Wearing only shorts, he carried a small backpack containing a dog bowl and little else.

Robert Schock. Photo courtesy of Schock

I never imagined I’d be trying to survive out there.”

The terrain had changed since Schock’s last visit due to wildfires, and he was surprised to find parts of the park nearly unrecognizable. “When I got out there, the trail was no longer there,” he said. “Curiosity kept me going.” Before long, he realized he was too far off course, and his phone had died by the second day. On day three, Schock, fearing for his life, sent Freddy off alone, hoping the dog could find his way back.

Time passed in a blur, with Schock subsisting on mushrooms and berries. “I ate (the mushroom) all day long,” he recalled. “It just tasted like a normal mushroom you’d have on a pizza.” He used an abandoned bear den for shelter, but as the days went on, he began losing hope. Occasionally, he spotted a helicopter but couldn’t manage to signal it. His mother, Jan Thompson, said she never lost faith, despite learning from a local animal shelter that Freddy had returned without her son. “I knew my son would be found,” she said. “I never felt he had perished in the park despite the odds.”

By day 31, Schock’s will was nearly depleted, he said. Feeling he wouldn’t survive another night, he sat by a river and, with a final burst of energy, shouted “Help!” This time, his panicked cries were heard by a group of hikers from the Pacific Northwest Trail Association on their way back from performing trail maintenance. They followed his cries and found him, weak and severely malnourished.

Freddy. Photo courtesy of Jan Thompson

“One of the guys took his shirt off and gave it to me,” Schock said. “That guy saved my life.” He was airlifted to a hospital, where he spent nearly a month in recovery, having lost 40 pounds. Despite lingering joint pain, he’s grateful to be alive and is gaining his strength back.

Thompson expressed her gratitude for the hikers who found her son and those involved in his rescue and recovery. “From not knowing Rob was even in the park to realizing he had already been in there almost a week before anyone knew he was missing, to his rescue, and his recovery…it hasn’t really sunk in,” she said. “I am beyond amazed and so thankful it had a happy ending.”

Sources: The Guardian | People