A Nanaimo man, reportedly dressed only in shorts, T-shirt and carrying no water or emergency supplies, spent a cold, sleepless night on Mount Benson after he became separated from his hiking group.
The 23-year-old man set off from Witchcraft Lake after work on Friday with some friends.
Nanaimo RCMP were called when the man hadn’t met with his friends as planned and attempts to call him on his cell phone failed.
Nanaimo Search and Rescue searched from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday.
At 6:30 a.m. the missing hiker’s friends told RCMP their friend had made his way back to the parking lot and was in good spirits. He told police when he realized he was lost and could not safely make his way out he sat down next to a tree and waited for daybreak.
“This young man is very lucky as he was not prepared to spend an extended time outside. Fortunately for him the weather was on his side,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, in a press release. “Too many rules of hiking were not followed – no water, food, extra clothing and becoming separated from his group. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes.”