 Deaf woman falls 600 feet down a mountain, then suddenly realizes she's not alone. Amelia Milling knew that hiking through snow alone was risky business especially for someone with a disability. Even though there's nothing quite as peaceful as exploring the snow-covered wilderness, an accident can bring it all crumbling down. During a solo mountain hike in Alaska, Amelia slipped and took a nasty 600-foot fall. When she realized the state of her injuries, she looked up to find she was not alone. Amelia was a student at Rochester Institute of Technology. Meeting a break from her studies, she decided to take a three-day solo hike in the beautiful Alaskan Mountains. She already knew it wouldn't be an easy feat, especially for a young deaf woman on her own, but she was up for the challenge. The 2018 hike started perfectly. The air was crisp, the sky was blue, and Amelia was full of energy on that Alaskan summer day. Things were so perfect, in fact, that Amelia didn't notice a patch of ice at the trail's end. Losing her balance, she slipped and fell 600 feet down the side of the trail nearly the length of two football fields. Amelia's body was battered and bruised from slamming into rocks and trees on her way down. She had no way of knowing if anyone nearby heard her cries of panic. Likely, she was on her own. Before she could work her way back to civilization, Amelia had to figure out just how bad her situation was. When she tried to stand, her legs shook, making it difficult to stay up. She badly needed help. She grabbed her satellite messenger. Amelia tried and tried to reach someone for assistance, but it appeared her messenger had also been pummeled during the fall. Just as her darkest fears began to creep in, Amelia caught sight of a figure moving through the white snow. It was headed in her direction. Amelia was frozen in fear. After all, these woods were home to all sorts of dangerous creatures out on the hunt. Perhaps this was a wolf who thought she was an injured animal. And Amelia was an injured animal. She braced herself as the creature leapt toward her. As the animal's weight came down on her, Amelia was surprised to feel it accompanied by repeated, rough licking. It was a beautiful white husky. Amelia couldn't believe her eyes. The dog had a collar, meaning it wasn't a stray. The second she read the dog's name, Amelia knew she was her guardian angel. The dog's name was Nanook, which is an Alaskan Inuit name meaning polar bear. Nanook barked when she heard her name, rekindling Amelia's withering hope. Amelia used all her strength to get on her feet and start moving. Nanook ran ahead, turning every few feet. They were in it together now. Unfortunately, Amelia was still struggling to move. But that didn't bother Nanook, who stayed patient as they shuffled through the untouched snow. Amelia prayed that Nanook knew the way, but she had her doubts when they came across a dangerous obstacle. Nanook led them to a frozen lake. Amelia tried to persuade Nanook to go a different direction, but the husky insisted they cut across the frozen tundra. Amelia, noting Nanook's confidence, decided to follow. She moved along, slowly and carefully. After making it a few yards out, Amelia heard a sudden crack. First one crack. Then another. Within moments, the ice below Amelia was crumbling. Just as she went to move, the ice below her gave out, dropping Amelia into the freezing cold water. She screamed out for help, and Nanook came running. With no hesitation, Nanook jumped right in after Amelia. She used her teeth to pull Amelia up above the water, and then doggy paddle to the ice's edge. To survive without freezing, Amelia would have to crawl out fast. But she could already feel her body going into shock. Nanook pulled herself out of the water and began tugging on Amelia's clothes. With Nanook's help, Amelia swung her leg up and scooted herself on top of the ice. Once again, Nanook had saved her life. But now her body temperature was dangerously low, and walking seemed impossible. So she could warm back up, Amelia hurried into her sleeping bag. To her delight, Nanook crawled right inside with her. The heroic husky licked and licked Amelia's face, unaware that her body's warmth was saving Amelia from freezing to death. After some time, Amelia decided to try the satellite messenger once more. The messenger still wasn't working, so Amelia hit the side of it again and again. Finally, the screen flickered on. Amelia quickly entered the SOS signal and sent it out. Then, it was a waiting game. Thankfully, she had Nanook to keep her company. But how long would they have to stay put? Hours passed, and the colors of the sky changed above them. Amelia was beginning to worry that her signal had failed. Should she and Nanook start moving again? As fearful thoughts filled her mind, Amelia began to drift asleep. Suddenly, the ground's vibrations shook her awake. Nanook felt it too. As a deaf woman, Amelia immediately recognized the significance of the ground's vibrations. Nanook began to bark as they grew more intense. Soon, dirt was rising into the air. While shielding her eyes, Amelia tried to make out the source of the vibrations. High above Amelia and Nanook was a rescue helicopter. Her SOS signal had been received after all. Amelia waved her arms desperately, hoping the pilots wouldn't miss her. This could be her last chance. Amelia nearly burst into tears as the helicopter descended. They finally were saved. The rescue team took them into the sky and Amelia was rushed to the hospital. It didn't take long to see that her wounds would heal fine. Now, Amelia needed to know, where did Nanook come from? State troopers contacted the number on Nanook's collar. Within an hour, her owner, Scott Swift, arrived at the hospital. He'd been worrying about Nanook's whereabouts, but wasn't surprised when he heard what she'd been up to. Apparently, this wasn't her first time saving Hiker's lives. Nanook had previously saved three other Hikers who'd lost their way on the icy trail. It was astounding. Scott was beginning to see a pattern, so he decided to start a Facebook page to see if anyone else had been aided by the heroic Husky. He was shocked by the response. Many people responded to share their stories of meeting Nanook on the trail. They were overjoyed to give thanks to the incredible pup, but none more than Amelia. Of course, she hadn't yet heard of the Orylus of family whose four-year-old son nearly lost his life at the mercy of a far less friendly canine. Although the Orylus called New Hampshire their home, they spent far more time outside the house. Ian and Allison passed on their passion for the great outdoors to their kids before they could even walk, but the parents never expected to place their children in danger.