39 year old Robert Schock was hiking with his dog by the Chilliwack River in North Cascades National Park, Washington when something went terribly wrong. What was a nice day for hiking suddenly turned disastrous, and in Robert's case, almost deadly.

Robert Schock Is Found Alive But Not Well One Month After Going Missing

North Cascades National Park is just a few hours from Seattle, and about an hour and a half East of Bellingham Washington. The park is characterized by jagged peaks, gorgeous forests, and more than 300 glaciers. Numerous lakes, waterfalls, rivers, and hiking trails make it an ideal place to spend a summer day hiking, or to spend the entire summer backpacking. Around 30,000 people visit the park each year, so it wasn't unusual for deputies to find a car parked at Hannegan Pass Trailhead on August 3rd, 2024.

Deputies found the car with the windows rolled down and a wallet left on top of the dashboard. They searched the wallet and found that the car belonged to Robert Schock. The car seemed to be abandoned, and the deputies became worried that there may be a missing hiker. Schock's dog was also found eight miles up the trail all alone. It became clear that something was seriously wrong, and that there was a hiker missing and potentially in trouble.

A search and rescue mission began to find Robert. Air and ground crews searched the rugged terrain for two weeks until August 16th, but no sign of him was found. The last reported sighting of Robert alive was on July 31st when people saw him down by the Chilliwack River. When he was last spotted, he didn't appear to have any kind of gear with him for an overnight stay. Around two weeks ago, author of the popular Missing 411 book series, David Paulides, covered the mysterious disappearance in detail - as shown in the following Youtube video.

Fast forward to the end of the month on August 30th, a full month after Robert had last been spotted alive. A Pacific Northwest Trail Association crew was returning from a long day of work hauling heavy rocks to fill holes in a trail when they heard something out of place down by the river. They decided to investigate, and found Robert Schock on the banks of the river calling for help.

Then Robert was found he was half a mile from the trail at the river's edge and exposed to the elements. The trail crew found him in bad shape, and believed he was on death's door, contrary to the many reports that he was found 'alive and well'. The members of the trail crew thought that he might not have had another day left if he hadn't been found that day.

While it isn't clear what happened to Robert to strand him in the wilderness yet, as details are sparse, he reported that he'd been stuck in that exact spot for two weeks, immobile.

Jeff Kish, the Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Trails Association wasn't there the day Robert was found, but he debriefed with the members of the team that saved Robert's life. "His situation was dire," Kish said. You can read the full Facebook post that Jeff Kish wrote with the details of the rescue below:

Hikers go missing every year, and some are never found. The fact that Robert was found alive and rescued after thirty days in the wilderness is a remarkable outcome, one that brings immense relief and gratitude.

Timeline Of Events In Robert Schock's Disappearance And Rescue

• July 31st, 2024 - Robert Schock is last spotted along the banks of the Chilliwack River without any kind of supplies for an overnight stay in the wilderness.
• August 3rd, 2024 - Deputies become aware that there may be a missing hiker when they find Schock's truck, and his dog eight miles up the trail. A search and rescue mission begins. Air and foot searches begin of the area.
• August 16th, 2024 - With no sign of Schock, air and foot searches are called off.
• August 30th, 2024 - A trail crew hears Schock calling for help on the banks of the Chilliwack River and find him alive, and in dire need of help.