I'm not sure why you think that? While in 20/20 hindsight there were certainly some things he did wrong, but he did many things right.

"Hein left his backpack on the side of Mount Goddard. He grabbed only a few things from the pack: A poncho, pocket knife, cords, whistle and a bivvy sack -- a small, lightweight shelter. He didn't take more because he miscalculated, believing he was closer to Evolution Valley, where he hoped he'd see hikers."

If you know you are going to crawl out, you obviously need to shed any excess weight. What to take and what to leave would be a tough choice. Having a bivvy sack, and taking it was a good move. Not knowing exactly where you are was a big mistake.

"For four days, he lay near the edge of a small glacier, nursing his injury with ice. Hein stabilized his leg with hiking poles, wrapping them with a belt and some cord, and on Wednesday, headed for Davis Lake -- crawling about a mile and dropping about 1,000 feet. He hoped the new location might increase his chance of being found. On Thursday, he saw helicopters -- but they didn't see him. Two flew over him several times, he said. "It was kind of wrenching." "

Splinting his leg and treating it with ice to keep swelling down was smart. This may have saved his leg. Moving to a different location may not have been a good move. Not having a way to attract the helos was also not good.

Real survival situations are graded pass/fail. He survived, and still has his leg, so he gets a passing grade.