Sustaining an injury while on a hiking trip can be nearly fatal. That was the situation that one hiker found herself in while making her way through Alaska. The young hiker tumbled down and couldn’t get back up. Then one husky showed up on the scene and rescued her in the most amazing way!
20. Hiking Trip
Image: Animal Channel
Amelia Milling is a deaf 21-year-old visual media student at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Recently, she decided to embark on a solo hiking trip through Crow Pass National Historic Trail in Anchorage, Alaska.
19. Crossing
Image: Animal Channel
Although things weren’t going as Amelia had initially planned, she felt that the hike was still coming along well. That was until she attempted to cross Eagle River and something entirely unexpected happened…
18. Bad Fall
Image: The Alaska Life
Amelia was making her way across Eagle River when she suddenly took a rough fall. She fell from a pretty high spot. When she finally landed, she could barely move as she sore from the fall. It seemed as though this could have been the end…
17. Miracle
Image: Animal Channel
From that point on, things could have gone pretty badly for young Amelia. That was until a miracle in the form of a husky dog named Nanook arrived. Nanook seemed to know exactly what to do!
16. Day Before
Image: Animal Channel
Amelia had met Nanook the day before and the husky had decided to accompany her on her hiking trip. As soon as Nanook saw Amelia fall he ran over to her and didn’t hesitate to help. So what did he do?!
15. Helping Out
Image: parispi.net
As soon as Nanook saw that Amelia couldn’t get up he ran over to her and began to help. He grabbed a hold of Amelia by her backpack straps and began to pull her out of the freezing river. He eventually managed to get her onto dry ground and away from the 13-degree water.
14. Saving Her
Image: YouTube
“She slipped and fell, and the dog was able to save her and get her back to shore,” Lt. Eric Olsen of the Alaska State Troopers told ADN. Soon after the rescue, state troopers received a stress signal from an emergency locator beacon when she was displaying signs of hypothermia. Nanook stayed there to keep her company, licking her face and making sure she was awake.
13. Arrival
Image: Animal Channel
State troopers sent help in the form of a helicopter. The lieutenant and pilot Tab Burnett set off to locate Amelia and soon found her and Nanook together. They were sitting peacefully off the riverbank.
12. Airlift
Image: Animal Channel
Amelia and Nanook were then airlifted out of the area and brought back to a safer place. The two state troopers were incredibly impressed by Nanook and his heroic ways! So would Amelia be okay?
11. Injuries
Image: The Sacramento Bee
Luckily, thanks to Nanook’s quick rescue, Amelia didn’t sustain any serious injuries. She was quickly treated for some minor bumps and bruises. Her condition improved quickly. So how did Amelia and Nanook meet?!
10. The Trip
Image: Animal Channel
Amelia originally intended to take on a three-day trip but was surprised by how much snow was on the ground. She had already taken a bit of a fall a day earlier when she was trekking into the Eagle River Valley.
9. Lost Poles
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On her first day, Amelia managed to lose both of her trekking poles. “I’m a Southerner, so I wasn’t thinking about snow,” Amelia mentioned. “I felt like I was flying.” It was during this first fall that she met Nanook.
8. Snowy Landing
Image: The Columbian
When she made her first fall of the trip, she landed about 300 feet down but was all right thanks to the snow on the ground. That’s when Nanook first noticed her and came over to make sure that she was doing okay.
7. First Response
Image: Fox News
“My first response was, where’s the owner?” Amelia recalls. “Then I saw the collar and it said (the dog) was a Crow Pass guide, and I realized that he was there to help me.”
6. Loyal Companion
Image: New York Post
Nanook remained a loyal companion throughout the remainder of the trip. When Amelia headed into her tent for the night, Nanook waited patiently outside until she woke back up. That’s why he was around when she made her bigger fall.
5. Miscalculated
Image: Democrat and Chronicle
As Amelia was crossing the river she miscalculated her steps and took a big tumble down. Nanook, however, didn’t hesitate to jump right into the freezing cold waters to save her! “I was struggling,” she said. “I really wanted to get out of there.”
4. Comforting
Image: Facebook/Nanook “nookie” swift
Once Amelia had been pulled out of the water, she immediately covered herself up in her sleeping bag to keep warm. Nanook still stood by her side as they waited for the troopers to come. He even licked her face in an attempt to keep her warm.
3. Guide Dog
Image: iHeartRadio
When the troopers finally spoke to Amelia they realized that the dog didn’t belong to her but instead to Scott Swift. Swift said that Nanook loves to go out hiking with people and has been accompanying them for years.
2. Rescue Dog
Image: Animal Channel
In fact, this isn’t the first time Nanook has saved someone from danger during a hike. “This is the second time I’ve heard he has saved someone from drowning in that river,” Scott explained.
1. Grateful
Image: Facebook/Nanook “nookie” swift
Amelia is so grateful to Nanook and considers him her guardian angel. “I believe the dog is a guardian angel,” Amelia said. “I told him several times that I love him and I’ll never forget him.”