North Cascades National Park, Washington - Having gone missing on July 31, Robert Schock was thought by many to be dead. Yet, after 30 days of surviving the wilderness on not much more than a few berries, he made it out.

After parking his car at a trailhead in Washington state's North Cascades National Park, Robert Shock took off with his dog Freddy for a 20-mile run he had done many times before.

Because he had expected to only be out for a few hours before he returned home, Schock didn't bring a big hiking backpack with all the essentials.

As a result, when he got lost, he found himself in a true pickle.

Environment and Climate Plastic pollution alliance exposed for producing more waste than they remove

"I don't know how to fish. I want to finish a course as fast as I can and come back home," Robert Shock told People magazine.

"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 became seriously lost when he came across terrain that had been seriously altered during wildfires in 2021 and 2022. As a result, he became stranded in the wilderness for 30 days.

"When I got out there, the trail was no longer there," Schock said. "I was curious to know what happened to this trail and my curiosity kind of kept me going."

He was stranded without any mobile phone reception or a supply of proper clothes, food, or anything to keep warm.

The situation became desperate as the days progressed, and he thought that he was going to die.

On the third day, losing hope, Schock let his dog Freddy go off on his own, hoping that he would find his own way back home. The dog was found a few days later.

Over the course of the next month, Schock survived on very little, just a few berries and mushrooms that he found close to abandoned bear nesting grounds he was using as shelter.

"I ate that thing all day long, and it just tasted like a normal mushroom you would have on a pizza or something... It was the only thing I had to eat the entire time other than berries, they were pretty nasty," he said.

According to People magazine, Schock's mother Jan Thompson had no idea that he had taken a run in the North Cascades National Park.

She realized that something was up, however, when she was contacted after Freddy was found.

Local law enforcement thought that Schock had gone into the wilderness "with no intention of coming out," but Thompson refused to believe it.

On August 30, a month after becoming stranded, Schock thought that he wouldn't survive another night due to starvation and exposure to the elements.

In a last-ditch effort, he started screaming for help.

Luckily, members of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association heard him and managed to rescue him, likely saving his life.

"One of the guys took his shirt off and gave it to me," Schock said. "That guy who came and clothed me and very well saved my life."

"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 added.