A hiker was rescued from a mountain in Colorado, US, after he was apparently left behind by colleagues during an office retreat the day before.
Chaffee County Search and Rescue said the unnamed man became lost and discovered he had no cell phone coverage after his co-workers left.
He endured stormy weather and multiple falls before being discovered the next morning during an “extensive search effort.” He is in stable condition and taken to hospital, but there are no further updates on his condition at this time.
Officials said the incident “could lead to some awkward encounters in the office in the coming days and weeks.”
The drama unfolded on Friday when a 15-person team from the company, also unnamed, ventured along a trail up 14,000ft (4,300m) Mount Shavano.
The hiker reached the summit on his own at around 11:30 local time (17:30 GMT) but “lost his bearings” while descending, officials said in a statement.
His colleagues are said to have told him he had taken the wrong route and advised him to retrace his steps.
But his teammates were even more lost after a severe storm passed, bringing “high winds and freezing rain” and no cell phone signal.
The Chaffee County Search and Rescue Team received the alert at 21:00 that night and dispatched two teams and a drone pilot, but were hampered by bad weather.
Rescuers also sent a helicopter, but despite tracking the man’s last known movements, he could not be found. He was wearing dark clothes.
Multiple agencies from neighboring areas called in additional help Saturday morning in what officials described as a “massive search effort.”
Eventually, the missing man regained enough cell phone signal to make an emergency call, and he was found in a ravine.
He reported that he fell at least 20 times and was unable to stand up.
His rescue ultimately involved technical rappelling and “extraordinary cooperation and teamwork,” officials added.
The man’s health condition remains unknown after he was taken to the hospital for treatment. The BBC has contacted Chaffee County Search and Rescue for further comment.
In their statement, they warned people not to hike alone and to bring bright clothing and essentials.
“This hiker was extremely lucky that when his cell phone service was restored, he still had enough consciousness and the wherewithal to call 911,” they said.
