Three students were cold but in good spirits after being rescued from ''pretty nasty'' fog on Mt Cargill last night.
Four female students planned to go for an hour-long run yesterday evening on a walking track and get picked up at the Organ Pipes.
One of the women turned back early and called emergency services at 9pm concerned she had not heard from her friends.
Thirty-two police and volunteers joined the search and rescue effort and found the group at 10.30pm, 200m off the track.
Sergeant Richard Panting said they did almost everything right, including telling people about their plans.
"Conditions were fine when they went out. They got lost because of very heavy fog."
Visibility was at 10m, he said. ''It was pretty nasty up there.''
They aided rescue efforts by staying put, which made it easier for the search parties to reach them, he said.
"I think once they got back they were in incredibly good spirits. They were very cold though and borrowed clothing from some of our volunteers."
He recommended anyone running or walking in forested areas carry charged cell phones with them.
"They had cell phones, but unfortunately two of them were flat."
Rescues in that area were uncommon, he said.
