Cougar Mountain runner sends letter, $1,000 check to search team

Michael Schreck, the 47-year-old Issaquah man who was missing for more than three days after going running on Cougar Mountain, said he was in a "state of amnesia" and "extremely dehydrated" during his disappearance, in a letter addressed to the King County search and rescue team that looked for him.

He sent a $1,000 check along with the letter.

"This is not the least bit uncommon," said King County Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart, who said the check was a "thank-you" to searchers.

Schreck also said he did not disappear on purpose and was "not trying not to be found." He said he went running to relieve work-related stress and had been extremely sleep-deprived for "two or three weeks" prior to the run.

Schreck returned home on his own and uninjured late Monday, May 21, with a tale of survival that surprised many, including some who looked for him. The letter to searchers restates Schreck's initial explanation — that after running to Squak Mountain he lost consciousness, and after coming to he rolled under a log and pulled leaves over himself. He finally made his way out to Highway 900 but was unable to hitch a ride, so he went back through the trails and out onto the roads home.