Being young means exploring the world in different ways. Twenty-one-year-old Amelia Milling, who is deaf, chose to challenge herself by climbing a mountain in Alaska alone.

During the hike, Amelia lost her balance and fell more than 600 feet down a snowy slope. Though she wasn’t seriously injured, she was stranded and lost in freezing conditions.

After more than a day, she spotted what looked like a white wolf—but it turned out to be Nanook, a trail guide husky known for helping lost hikers. Nanook led Amelia back to the trail and stayed with her overnight.

The next day, when she fell into an icy river, Nanook jumped in and pulled her out. Amelia then used her GPS transmitter to call for help, and a rescue helicopter soon arrived.

Nanook’s heroism amazed rescuers, who called him “Alaska’s version of Lassie.” It wasn’t his first rescue—he’d saved others before. Amelia later reunited with her furry hero to thank him for saving her life.