Janice R. Andrews
One month after he went missing in Washington’s North Cascades National Park, a man who was last seen there on July 31 has been found living. The 39-year-old walker, Robert Schock, was found on August 30 by a trail crew, but his state was said to be very bad.
Schock was last seen near the Chilliwack River area, days before he was reported missing. He did not have enough food or water for the night. People saw him in the park’s remote area, which made them worry about his safety. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office says that the search got tougher after his car and dog were found eight miles from the road on August 3. The windows of the car were down, and Schock’s wallet was lying on the dashboard.
Even though there were thorough land and air searches that went on until the middle of August, no leads were found until Schock was found. There was work going on in the Chilliwack Basin of the park when someone from the Pacific Northwest Trail Association heard Schock screaming for help. Jan Thompson, Schock’s mother, told the Cascadia Daily News that her son was hungry, weak, and in pain, but he could still think clearly.
Thompson told the news source, “He’s in a lot of pain and isn’t speaking very well, but he’s clear and seemed to be in pretty good spirits.” She told him she was glad her son was still alive and that she didn’t ask him too many questions about what he had been through during their talk.
The executive head of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, Jeff Kish, posted information on Facebook that showed how seriously sick Schock was. Kish said Schock hadn’t been able to move in about two weeks and that the rescue came just in time. “Those who came to help think that Robert might only have had one more day left before things went much worse,” Kish wrote.
Schock was found living, but what he went through was terrible. Kish said that Schock’s health was bad and that his situation in his last days was very bad. He didn’t give any more information, though, because he respected Schock’s right to decide if those facts should be made public or not.
The National Park Service hasn’t said anything else about Schock’s rescue or healing process yet. Even so, Schock’s safe return after a month in the desert is being praised as an amazing tale of survival.
