Mom didn't lose hope after son went missing for a month in national park - then, a miracle happened

Many people enjoy hiking or jogging in the woods but without proper precautions, there are chances they might lose their way in the wilderness. This is exactly what happened to 39-year-old Robert Schock recently. Schock, a musician by profession, was on a 20-mile run through the North Cascades National Park in Washington. According to PEOPLE, he had planned out his day well and parked his vehicle at Hannegan Pass Trailhead in the area. Schock had his loyal pooch Freedy to give him company and he was supposed to return home by the end of the day.

Following a twist of misfortune, Schock lost his way into the national park and he was left with no food, phone service or barely any clothes. He only had his backpack and minimal supplies but that wasn't going to be any helpful. He set out on his run on July 31, 2024, following an old map for the Chilliwack River Trail that was going up near the Cooper Ridge Trail, per Cascadia Daily News. However, Schock, who had been to the national park multiple times in the past, had no idea that the trail's eastern portion was closed off and the terrain was altered after a wildfire in North Cascades back in 2021 and 2022.

"When I got out there, the trail was no longer there," Schock told PEOPLE, a few months after his rescue on August 30. "I was curious to know what happened to this trail and my curiosity kind of kept me going.” The second day, his phone died and after a few days, he realized he was losing track of time. Since he wasn't a hiker, he was not used to fishing or preparing for multiple-day trips. The only items in his backpack were a pair of shirts and a pan for his dog. Schock didn't imagine that survival would be possible for him but he somehow made things work. He found old nesting grounds made and abandoned by bears where he sheltered himself. He ate mushrooms and berries and also spotted a helicopter at one point.

Schock's cries for help went unheard for days. By August 4, Jan Thompson, Schock's mother, received a phone call that informed her about his pet Freddy who was found the previous day near the Chilliwack River. Thompson told PEOPLE that she had no idea about Schock's plan to run in the North Cascade and she had previously tried calling him. She reported him missing on August 5 and soon received a call from a deputy at the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office who had located Schock's car near the trailhead where he originally parked it. Despite the odds and the authorities believing that Schock left without the intention of coming back, Thompson refused to accept this theory.

"Honestly, I never felt he had perished in the park despite the odds," she told the outlet. By August 30, Schock was starving and near death when he tried one last time to scream for help. Thankfully, members of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, who were returning to their camp after performing maintenance work on a trail, heard Schock and discovered him. “One of the guys took his shirt off and gave it to me,” Schock recalled. “It is an understatement to say how truly thankful I am for those people to be there that day because it came pretty close to the finish line.” He was airlifted to a hospital where he could sleep peacefully for months and later made contact with his mother.

“His voice was very faint and I knew he was so weak and tired so I kept our conversation brief,” Thompson said about their initial phone conversation. “I’ve learned details of his story in bits and pieces, mostly through phone calls. Part of me doesn’t want to know because I can’t bear to think of how he suffered." After a month at the hospital, his mom and his stepfather visited him. They helped him travel to Ohio where he grew up. Schock revealed that he still had some underlying joint pain but he was recovering well and even gained 40 lbs. Thompson expressed her gratitude to all the people who searched and took care of her son and rescued him.

“From not knowing Rob was even in the park, to finding out he was, to realizing he had already been in there almost a week with no provisions before anyone knew he was missing, to his rescue, and his recovery, it hasn’t really sunk in,” she says. “I am beyond amazed and so thankful it had a happy ending.” Schock on the other hand looks forward to returning to his regular life and playing music but admits that the experience in the wild has taken its toll on him. He feels that he has aged several years. “I don't want to go to that particular region for quite some time until I forget about it," Schock confirmed.