Real shame.
He had the full kit. Back at his truck. This is a reminder that your "kit" in your truck also needs to include a large backpack so you can haul the whole thing with you if need be. Some times the truck is a brick and it's better to abandon it.
My educated guess here is that he got stuck and decided since it was likely still light out to try to hike a bit to see if he could get some cell coverage. And had a problem with the cold/altitude/physical condition/etc. He also could have walked 5 or 6 miles and started walking back when he realized it was getting dark and it just got too cold once the sun went down. 2-3 miles doesn't seem that far, but when the temps are dropping fast, it's a real problem.
It's terribly easy as well if you are hiking downhill to go several miles without much effort but then get punked on the return which takes 2 times longer and 2 times the effort. 1 hour down can turn into 4 hours back in a worse case scenario.
