Deaf Hiker Plunges 700 Feet Down A Cliff – An Unexpected Animal Sprints To Her Aid

Amelia Milling might be deaf but she’s still an adventurer.

The Tennessee native loves to get outside and push herself to the extreme, and that includes hiking in dangerous territory.

But she never expected to be in a position where she’d be saved … and not by a human!

Amelia decided to go hiking in Chugach State Park, which is a huge rocky mountain expanse situated about 30 miles east of Anchorage, Alaska.

It’s a cold, forbidding environment but Amelia felt up to the challenge.

She struck out alone (brave girl!) and on the second day of her trip, she started to descend into Eagle River Valley.

But as she was going down, the unthinkable happened:

Her walking sticks snapped and she slid 300 feet, smashed off a boulder, then fell another 400 feet down a snowy hill!

The 21-year-old survived the tumble but she was in bad shape; she was bleeding and broken, and there was no way she’d be able to get back to civilization alone.

Then suddenly, she saw something terrifying … and she thought her situation had just gotten worse!

A white furry streak came out of nowhere and headed straight for her!

Her first instinct was that it was a big hungry wolf, and it had spotted injured prey … and he was going to finish her off.

Amelia trembled as the big animal came close, then she realized…

It wasn’t a wolf; it was just a huge Husky that looked a lot like a wolf! And on his tag was a welcoming announcement:

This Husky was named Nanook and he was a Crow Pass Guide!

Amelia couldn’t believe it. The dog, which she had thought was a wild beast, was there to support her. And it gave her strength.

She managed to get up and pitch a tent and though Nanook wouldn’t enter the tent, he didn’t budge all night. Said Amelia:

“I realized he really was sticking with me when he greeted me in the morning when I unzipped my tent.

He had stayed the entire night next to me.”

The next day, an injured Amelia set out for home with Nanook at her side. But Nanook wasn’t done saving her life.

When Amelia tried to cross the deep Eagle River, she slipped and the water pulled her under … she was drowning!

But there was Nanook, pulling her back to shore after grabbing her backpack!

Finally, later that day, Amelia remembered that she had an emergency tracker; her mother had forced her to take it with her.

She quickly activated it and several hours later, rescue workers honed in on her location.

When they found her, the rescuer workers and troopers were slack-jawed:

“Nookie was nothing short of a modern-day Lassie hero,” one rescuer, Alaska State Trooper Lt. Eric Olsen, said.

And for his heroics, this amazing dog was made an honorary Alaska State Trooper!

Of course, Amelia will always remember Nanook for what he did for her … he basically saved her life twice! Incredible! 😀

The loyalty and determination of our canine friends never ceases to amaze us.

Source: Honest to Paws