Linda,
If he's burrowed into the mulch, and the mulch is moist, you don't need to investigate further. If you still want to, it shouldn't bother the little guy as long as you don't warm him up. Use cold water to soak him in. If he is not dehydrated he probably won't drink. Honestly, even if he is dehydrated, he might not drink. But if he seemed visibly healthy when you put him in hibernation, I think he'll be fine.
You might look for a digital kitchen scale that measures in grams. I find this the most useful tool I have for my box turtles and tortoises. Keep track of his weight, so you'll know if he's growing or not, and most importantly, its the best way to measure dehydration. Of course, this won't be very helpful until he weighs 20 grams or so.
The reason most sources are saying to soak during hibernation is because many keepers are not following all the recommendations and this helps those turtles that are being hibernated in too dry an environment.

Hope he does well!

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