Hiker Found 'Alive, But Not Well' After Month-Long Disappearance: 'May Have Only Had Another Day Left,' Police Say
Robert Schock had last seen in Washington's North Cascades National Park on July 31
Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty
North Cascades National Park in Washington stateA hiker who was last seen on July 31 in Washington state’s North Cascades National Park was found alive one month later, according to authorities.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that deputies were notified by park staff on Aug. 3 about an “abandoned vehicle at the Hannegan Pass trailhead and a dog found eight miles in on the trail near the Chilliwack River.”
The dog belonged to Robert Schock, who was last seen on July 31 in the area by hikers. According to police, the hikers said that Schock didn’t have overnight supplies on him.
Related: Body of 23-Year-Old Missing Hiker Found on Mills Glacier, Colo., 4 Days After Going Missing
When deputies arrived to inspect the vehicle, they found the windows rolled down and Schock's wallet on the dashboard.
In the following days, authorities searched the area by helicopter, but it yielded no clues. Additional ground and air searches continued but came up with no new leads.
Then on Aug. 30, National Parks Service rangers alerted WCSO deputies that Schock had been found alive in the Chilliwack Basin.
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In an interview with Cascadia Daily News published on Sept. 1, Schock’s mother, Jan Thompson, said her son, 39, was recovering at a hospital.
“He’s in a lot of pain and he isn’t speaking very well, but he’s coherent and seemed in pretty high spirits,” Thompson told the outlet. “I didn’t push him too much.”
Thompson said that the Whatcom County Humane Society contacted her on Aug. 4 because a forest ranger found Schock’s dog, Freddy, in the trail. She reported Schock missing to authorities the following day.
On Aug. 30, after authorities had conducted multiple searches, a Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA) trail crew working in the area heard Schock calling for assistance, Thompson told Cascadia Daily News. The trail crew contacted a helicopter to airlift Schock to a waiting ambulance.
“We’re really in disbelief about this,” said Thompson, who said she was initially expecting the worst when a forest ranger called.
Related: Pair of Hikers Found Alive 2 Days After Going Missing in Yosemite National Park
In a Sept. 5 Facebook post, Jeff Kish, the executive director of PNTA, shared details about his team’s discovery of Schock.
“Robert was found alive, but not well,” he wrote. “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."
"His situation was dire. I won’t provide most of the details that I learned about his condition today, because I think the only appropriate person to decide whether those details should be shared publicly is Robert himself," Kish added. “What I will share is that when our crew found Robert, he was able to communicate to them that he had been immobile, stuck in that exact spot for approximately two weeks, and based on the condition that he was found in, there was no reason for the crew to question it."
Thompson, who resides in North Carolina, told Cascadia Daily News that she and her family are giving her son time to recover at the hospital before flying over to see him.
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