Man Survives 2 Days In Freezing Mountains, Just Wanted A Cheeseburger

A search for a missing man came to an unexpected end in the cold California mountains. It wasn’t the fact that the rescue squad stumbled upon the man walking across a bridge alive after 2 days in the colds. It wasn’t the impressive story of how he managed to survive on basic instinct in the unforgiving mountainous region of West California. The most unexpected tale of the journey, perhaps, when it was all said and done was the man just wanted an In-n-Out burger.

Robert Root, a man called “Bob” by some and a man above men by others, was on a jog with the ShadowChase Runners Club when the ordeal first began. The Seattle Times reports Root, who had been with the slower runners in the group, ran ahead to catch some of the faster runners. Somewhere along the path, Root took a wrong turn and found himself stranded in the Sierra mountains and realized he was no longer following the group. Lost in a mountain that at night averages in the low teens temperature wise, Root was wearing running shorts, shoes, and a light jacket to protect him from the elements.

To survive, Root huddled in bushes for warmth and contracted his muscles repeatedly for warmth as he slept briefly on his first night of being stranded. His Monday morning was met with fresh snow on the ground and another cold day. Root traveled throughout the day with only a couple energy supplements and a bit of water he had from his run. At days end Root found himself after a long hike exactly where he started the day and called it quits for the evening.

Simultaneous to Root's impressive story of survival a team of 60 experts, two dogs, and five helicopters had been searching since the Sunday he went missing. On Tuesday, Root crossed paths with rescuers when he saw them as he was crossing the El Dorado bridge. After confirming his identity, Root was taken down the mountain in an all terrain vehicle and sent to a hospital. Surprisingly, Root was released from the hospital later that evening and was quoted as saying he just wanted an In-N-Out burger. After all he’s been through, he’s earned at least a couple on the house!