Reading what he said, gives me the creeps. It sounds like he was calling for help, and maybe to say goodbye? Why wouldn't he call 911? The statement about his friends wasn't the only untruth was it? He said he wasn't injured, only exhausted.
"He said he wasn't injured, only exhausted."
Yes, when it came to their personal conditions or whereabouts he was confusing whereas the other statements made sense.
If he understood anything at all, he understood that calling 911 was useless as no emergency help could get to him. It was not useless to him to reach out to his family, however.
I think he was so numbed by the cold and shock he perhaps was not cognizant of his injury. At least not by the time he made the call.