A work retreat led to a dramatic rescue when a hiker spent a night alone on a Colorado mountain.

Chaffee County search and rescue was alerted around 9:00 p.m. on August 23 that a hiker had not come back from a group climbing Mount Shavano, which rises over 14,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains.

The individual was one of 15 people on a team-building trip who got separated while climbing.

Caught overnight in a storm

After reaching the summit around 11:30 a.m., the hiker got disoriented on the way down as he couldn’t find the trail markers that his group members had already identified. He ended up in a rocky area on the northeast slope and used his phone to send his location to coworkers, who informed him he was lost.

The hiker attempted to get back to the top, but was overtaken by a storm at around 4:00 p.m., as reported by search and rescue officials.

He faced freezing rain and strong winds, which cut off his phone signal, leaving him trapped on the mountainside.

Braving the harsh weather, search and rescue teams, with the support of a helicopter and a drone, searched for him throughout the night but were unable to find any signs of him.

By Saturday morning, the search efforts expanded with additional regional teams, and the hiker regained phone reception long enough to call 911.

He shared that he had fallen at least 20 times while trying to get down and was no longer able to move.

“This hiker was incredibly fortunate to regain cell service when he did, allowing him the presence of mind to call for help,” Chaffee County Search and Rescue stated. “Though he was found outside of the main search area, it would have taken longer for teams to reach that location on foot.”

Once he was located, the man was treated and taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.