By Isabella Ross, ABC
Missing NSW hiker Hadi Nazari. Photo: Supplied / NSW Police Force
Joshua Dart will always remember the moment he and his hiking group found missing bushwalker Hadi Nazari alive in Kosciuszko National Park.
He and his group of friends were on day one of their hike and admiring the views when they heard someone calling for assistance.
"My mate James looked down towards the shouting and we shouted back. We heard him [Nazari] saying, 'I need help'," he said.
"When we realised it was him, I couldn't believe it. We were just emotional, we were crying and he was in tears."
Nazari was found on Wednesday afternoon after being missing in the NSW Snowy Mountains since Boxing Day.
Search efforts to find the 23-year-old man from Melbourne had been extensive over the past two weeks.
'He'd lost track of time'
One of the members of Dart's hiking group had seen the missing person alert and picture of Nazari circulating online that morning.
"It was fresh in our head," said Dart, though he said his group weren't actively searching for the missing bushwalker but rather stumbled upon him.
Nazari was found at 3:15pm off the circuit walk near Blue Lake.
He managed to survive off foraged berries, creek water and two muesli bars he found in a hut.
"We offered him water and a little bit of food. He called his family on another phone, and I called triple-0," said Dart, a 30-year-old from NSW's Central Coast.
"He was in such good spirits and was just saying, 'praise God'. He was scratched up, he was sunburnt - but he was good."
Nazari told the group he had accidentally become lost and separated from his friends on Boxing Day.
He initially wasn't aware of just how long he had been missing for.
"He was saying seven days. He'd lost track of time," Dart said.
"He really had good survival instincts."
Nazari called his mum immediately
Maisum Jafari, a friend of Nazari's, said all of his loved ones were "very happy" and had held onto "high hopes".
"We are ecstatic, over the moon … I was getting worried that he wasn't where the cops thought he would be, around the water," he told ABC Radio Sydney.
Jafari said that upon his friend making contact with the group of hikers, Nazari was able to borrow a phone and call his mother.
"From our understanding, Hadi called his mum and was on the phone… at that point NSW Police were not actually aware.
"So then my sister actually called the commander and then they sent the helicopter there to winch him up."
He was winched to the search command post approximately 30 minutes after being found by the group of hikers, and then was reunited with his family and assessed by paramedics.
ABC reporters at the scene said cheers could be heard across the campground as news of his survival spread.
Nazari remains at Cooma Hospital, with officials saying he is in good health.
Once he feels ready, police said they hope to speak with Nazari to "debrief on his experience".
"We were finding bits and pieces as we went along," NSW Police superintendent Andrew Spliet told ABC Radio Sydney.
"He also saw helicopters above him at times but was unable to get their attention.
"When you're out there searching for someone whose life may well be at risk, its very very important that you keep going, stay positive, and stay hopeful," Superintendent Spliet said.
"The family can rest easy."
'It's just a miracle'
For the group of hikers, they are thankful to have contributed to Nazari's reunion with his loved ones.
"I was up all night thinking about it, I didn't get any sleep. It's just a miracle and I'm so grateful for the family and for him to get out," Dart said.
"He really kind of rescued himself, we just happened to be there at the right place."
- This story was first published by ABC News