Amelia Milling, a deaf lady from Tennessee, isn’t scared to face new challenges. While most people her age choose to sit at home and play with their iPhones, she prefers to go on adventures. So she decided to embark on a three-day walk in Alaska, one of the most difficult terrains in North America.
She fell down the side of a snowy mountain in Alaska when she lost her balance and slipped. She dropped almost 300 feet before collapsing onto a rock and sliding another 300 feet. Fortunately, she did not break any bones and was still able to walk. Amelia even encountered a “guardian angel” in the form of Nanook, a white Alaskan husky puppy.
She first mistook it for a white wolf. Amelia was concerned since wolves may harm humans. When the white dog got closer, Amelie saw it was wearing a collar. He was a route guide dog that served on the mountain to discover and return missing hikers to the path.
When I first met Nanook, I mistook him for a wolf. Then I noticed the little collar and knew he was there to assist me.
Nanook didn’t go; he assisted Amelia retrace the track and remained with her all night. When she failed to traverse the cold waters of Eagle River Crossing, he even dragged her out by her backpack straps.
“I recognized he was really committed to me when he met me in the morning as I opened my tent,” Amelia said. “He’d been up all night next to me.” He also provided extra assistance.
Amelia had a GPS transmitter that she could use to send a signal if anything went wrong, and she eventually chose to use it for assistance. The signal was picked up by Alaska State Troopers, and a rescue aircraft came to bring her to safety, with Nanook at her side.
Even though the rescuers assisted her in returning home, she believes Nanook is the genuine hero. “The dog, I suppose, is a guardian angel.” I told him several times that I loved him and would never forget him.
Watch this video to learn about Amelia’s experience with Nanook:
