A man who survived for 30 days on mushrooms and berries after getting lost in North Cascades National Park has revealed everything he did wrong to get lost in the first place.
On August 30, Robert Schock was found in the Washington park by members of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association in a dire state, unable to move and close to death. The 39-year-old trail runner had been last seen at the end of July, heading into the Hannegan Path Trail accompanied by his dog Freddy and without any overnight gear.
When Freddy was found soon after, some eight miles down the trail, authorities feared the worst. However, Schock miraculously managed to survive for a month without any proper supplies or gear by scavenging berries and mushrooms from the surrounding wilderness.
Still recovering from the ordeal, Schock has revealed some of the mistakes he made to get himself there in the first place, warning others to be prepared for every eventuality.
“I had no shirt. I had a pair of shorts, I had Freddy and a dog pan. These were the only items in my small backpack,” Shock tells People Magazine. “I am a runner, I’m not a hiker. I don’t put on backpacks and go 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.”
Failing to bring additional layers or food meant Shock's pack was lighter for moving fast, but meant he wasn't prepared for spending the night – or longer – in the backcountry. When we spoke to representatives from Colorado Search and Rescue, their backcountry survival tips for trail runners included a long list of essential items missing from Shock's pack including a running jacket, first aid kit and snacks. It's also a good idea to bring a multi-tool, one of the few useful items hiker Lukas McLish says helped him out when he spent 10 days lost in the wild in California earlier this summer.
Without a tracker or SOS device, Shock had no way of calling for help when he realized he was lost. With thick wilderness and often tricky terrain, National Parks in the Pacific Northwest can be dangerous places. Hence, SOS devices like satellite communicators are imperative when hitting the trails.
Communicators like the Garmin InReach Messenger Plus don’t require a phone signal, so you can call for help in remote backcountry locations. These devices can quite literally be life-saving, used to call for help over 10,000 times in the past decade. Just this past September, a Canadian hiker who’d been mauled by a bear was saved after calling for help with his Garmin device.
Upon his arrival at the trailhead, Schock discovered his desired trail was nowhere to be seen. Armed with an old map, he decided to investigate. “I was curious to know what happened,” he continued. “My curiosity kind of kept me going.”
Naturally occurring events are constantly changing the shape of America's backcountry. In Schock’s case, the trail he’d set out to tackle had been wiped out by wildfires in 2021 and 2022. With an out-of-date map, the Washington local was completely unequipped to find his way back to the trailhead.
When using a map to navigate, it’s crucial that you're up to speed on the latest changes in the backcountry and equipped to find your way to safety. Like satellite communicators, many GPS watches don’t require a phone signal to track your movements in the backcountry. Alternatively, handheld GPS devices like Garmin’s Etrex Solar offer reliable GPS navigation with an unlimited battery life when exposed to sunlight.
After spending a month in hospital, Schock is “recovering pretty well”, although unlikely to return to the North Cascades National Park anytime soon, especially without the right gear and supplies.
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