A Nanaimo man spent a night on Mount Benson, cold and alone, after he became separated from his hiking group on Friday night.

The 23-year-old man was lost for about eight hours, dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt with no water or emergency supplies.

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The man and some friends set off from Witchcraft Lake on Friday afternoon. When he did not return to the parking lot with the group by 10:30 p.m., his friends called police, said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien.

Nanaimo Search and Rescue volunteers were notified and searched from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday morning. A civilian search dog was also on hand to help with the search.

At 6:30 a.m., the hiker made his way back to the parking lot, uninjured and in good spirits. He later told police that when he realized he was lost and would not be able to make it out safely, he sat next to a tree and waited for daylight, O’Brien said.

“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,” O’Brien said, noting the warm weather over the weekend. “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.”