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I can imagine why the hiker wouldn't answer, perhaps to save battery.

The headline makes it sound like the hiker was expecting rescuers to be out searching, but in this case it sounds like that wasn't so.

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That's what jumped out at me -- if the hiker was seeking help, they would have made a phone call and presumably answered calls as well. It sounds like a 3rd party got concerned because the hiker was overdue and started the search process. It is still however weird that even knowing they were overdue, they didn't think anyone would take action. I thought it was standard procedure when hiking more difficult trails to tell others where you're going and when you expect to come back.

When I go hiking or backpacking, I turn my phone completely off so that I have battery in case I need it. My phone would be dead in under 2 days if it was constantly trying to get a cell signal.

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