As a hiker and someone who is aware of the difficulty and frustration in mountain rescue teams being called out on avoidable rescues, I don't think there is eno

As a hiker and someone who is aware of the difficulty and frustration in mountain rescue teams being called out on avoidable rescues, I don't think there is enough detail here to immediately point blame at the hiker. It mentions that the hiker didn't return "according to their itinerary". There's a big difference between telling your spouse or close friend "if you don't hear from me by 7pm call mountain rescue" and a receptionist from a lodge noticing you didn't return that evening and assuming you're missing. It says the hiker didn't realise anyone was looking for them and "bounced around from trail to trail" finding their way back to their car eventually the next morning. They could have easily called mountain rescue if they felt they were hopelessly lost. Instead, it sounds like this was an experienced lone hiker who was comfortable becoming benighted on a mountain and able to look after themselves and find their way back safely. This person could have had their phone in their backpack and might have also received 10s of other calls or texts alongside. While briefly checking their phone they missed the significance of the ones they didn't recognise. Remember that most people are out there to get away from it all - looking at your phone is usually the last thing you want to do.