Hiker Found 'Alive, but Not Well' After Month-Long Disappearance: 'May Have Only Had Another Day Left'

Mar. 15, 2025

North Cascades National Park in Washington state.Photo:Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty

Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty

A 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.

When deputies arrived to inspect the vehicle, they found the windows rolled down and Schock’s wallet on the dashboard.

Then on Aug. 30, National Park Service rangers alerted WCSO deputies that Schock had been found alive in the Chilliwack Basin.

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In an interview withCascadia Daily Newspublished 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 toldCascadia 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.

In a Sept. 5Facebook 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, toldCascadia Daily Newsthat she and her family are giving her son time to recover at the hospital before flying over to see him.

source: people.com