An injured Colorado man survived a storm and a night alone on a mountain after his coworkers abandoned him during an office retreat, rescuers said Sunday.

The man was part of a group of 15 colleagues who set out Friday to climb Mount Shavano, Chaffee County Search and Rescue South reported.

“In what could lead to awkward office encounters in the days and weeks ahead, one member of their group was left to complete his final efforts for the summit alone,” the agency said.

The male hiker, dressed all in black, reached the summit at 11:30 a.m. and became disoriented as he began his descent. He discovered that items left in the boulder field to mark the path for the descent had been picked up by the previous group as they descended.

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Rescue workers found the missing hiker after he regained cell phone reception and called for help. (Chaffee County Search and Rescue South)

When the hiker attempted to descend on his own, he encountered a steep field of boulders and scree on the northeast slope toward Shavano Lake.

“Concerned for himself, he sent a pin (a specific location marker on a map) to colleagues who were already descending,” Chaffee County SAR South said. “These colleagues told him his route was wrong and that he would have to climb back up the slope to find the trail.”

The man had to climb the mountain alone, while the rest of his colleagues went down. (Chaffee County Search and Rescue South)

As the man approached the trail around 3:50 p.m., he sent another pin and a text message to his group. But shortly after sending the message, a severe storm with freezing rain and high winds hit the area, officials said.

The storm further upset the man and he lost his cell phone connection.

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Rescuers were alerted to the late hiker at 9 p.m. and responded with two emergency teams and a drone pilot. The teams worked through the night, but high winds and freezing rain prevented them from reaching the summit.

The man, who was dressed all in black, became disoriented during the descent and was caught in a heavy storm. (Chaffee County Search and Rescue South)

The next morning, the man had enough signal to call 911 for help. He was found above the North Fork Drain in a gully below Esprit Point.

The man told rescuers he became disoriented and fell at least 20 times while trying to descend alone. He said he was unable to get up after his last fall.

“This hiker was extremely fortunate that he had cell service when he did, and that he still had the awareness and resources to call 911,” rescuers said. “Although he was in a tertiary search area, it would be some time before crews could reach that location on their own.”

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Search and rescue workers urged hikers to stay with a partner and carry light clothing and other supplies when venturing into the wilderness.