Runner Lost for a Month in Park Ate 'Nasty' Berries

A man lost in the wilderness of Washington state for a month was rescued at the end of August clinging to life. Now, Robert Schock is talking about his ordeal, noting to People: "Never did I dream that this kind of survival could ever even be possible."

• Lost: The 39-year-old musician, who describes himself as an ultra runner, says he embarked on a planned 20-mile run on July 31 in North Cascades National Park, parking his car at the Hannegan Pass Trailhead and bringing only a small backpack with a dog pan for his pup Freddy, who accompanied him. Schock didn't even have a shirt on. "I'm not a hiker," he says. "I don't put on backpacks and go out for multiple-day trips. I don't know how to fish. I want to finish a course as fast as I can and come back home."

• Ordeal: Schock got lost, however, "with no food, no phone service, and barely any clothes," and "with his backpack as his only shield from the elements," notes People. On the third day he realized "I wasn't doing well" and instructed Freddy to find his way home (authorities found the dog on Aug. 3). From there, Schock survived on some "pretty nasty" berries and a large mushroom he found—"it just tasted like a normal mushroom you would have on a pizza or something"—but he soon started wasting away.
• The rescue: Schock says he once saw a helicopter but that, despite his screaming and waving, it didn't see him. By Aug. 30, he didn't think he'd make it through the night, and so he decided to let out one final yell for help. Luckily, members of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association who'd been working on trail maintenance in the area heard Schock and found him "alive, but not well," per a release cited by the Guardian. "Robert may have only had another day left in him," the group notes. Schock told them he'd been stuck in the same spot for two weeks, unable to move far, per USA Today.
• His mom: Jan Thompson, who lives in North Carolina, tells People she never gave up hope on her son, whom she reported missing on Aug. 5. "The fact that Rob left his car window halfway down on the passenger side and his wallet in the car led the deputy to believe Rob went into the wilderness with no intention of coming out," she says. "I knew that wasn't the case. Honestly, I never felt he had perished in the park, despite the odds."
• Recovery: Schock tells People he's since gained back 40 pounds and that "other than some underlying joint pain, I'm recovering pretty well." Still, the ordeal "has taken its toll on me, and I've aged several years because of it," he notes, adding he has no intention of returning to the park in the near future.

(More survivor stories.)