Maybe it was too late. Fine motor skills are the first thing to go with hypothermia, and the shivering can be so bad, there’s nothing you can do. f you don’t have things ready to go, you’re in big trouble Also, panic can set in. I know the guy that cut the trail of that SF tech dude that got lost in Oregon, years ago. He found tracks across the road, then a shoe, and an article of clothing. Weather was moving in, so they called him off, knowing he was probably close, but dead. Shedding clothing is one of the last things a hypothermia victim might do. They feel like they’re burning up.
I got hypothermia once when skiing in Utah. I was in jeans and they got sopping wet. As soon as I ended my runs, I started shivering absolutely uncontrollably. There was no way to stop that involuntary violent shivering.
Fortunately, my car was only a quarter mile away (but I wasn’t even sure I could make it that far).
While obviously not life-threatening in the parking lot, it gave me a super appreciation for hypothermia in the wilds. It took a long soak in a hot tub to get over that.