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Maine Warden Service via AP
This undated photo released by the Maine Warden Service shows Nicholas Joy, 17, of Medford, Mass.
A teenage skier who went missing two days ago on Maine's Sugarloaf Mountain sheltered himself from the elements by building a snow cave, authorities said. He was found Tuesday morning by a snowmobiling firefighter, cold and wet, but otherwise in good condition.
Nicholas Joy, a 17-year-old from Medford, Mass., was reported missing by his father at about 1 p.m. Sunday after the two became separated while skiing at Sugarloaf ski resort, said John McDonald, a public information officer with the Maine Warden Service.
Temperatures in the area have been in the low- to mid-30s the past two days, with a wind chill in the 20s. At one point during the search for Joy, visibility on the mountain went down to zero, authorities said.
A Massachusetts firefighter who had heard that the teen was missing decided to search for him by snowmobile, NBC affiliate WHDH.com reported. The firefighter, who is familiar with the area, came across Joy on the Caribou Pond Road ski trail, about four miles away from the resort.
In a news conference Tuesday, Lt. Kevin Adam with the Maine Warden Service described how Joy instinctively went into survival mode once he realized he was lost on Sunday, building the snow cave as night fell.
"The next day, which would have been Monday, he did some going away from the snow cave, trying to find his way around," Adam said. Joy heard snowmobiles far off in the distance -- which Adam said were searchers looking for him -- but instead of attempting to venture that far in the cold weather, he retreated to his snow cave for another night.
"Then this morning, [he] was going in the direction of the snowmobile trails when he actually came across the snowshoe trails from the people who were looking for him. He followed those out to the snowmobile trail, started walking down that about a mile and a half before he was picked up by the snowmobiler," Adam said.
Joy kept hydrated over the past two days by drinking water from a nearby stream. Authorities still need to talk to him more to figure out how he got lost in the first place while skiing.
"Obviously, he made some errors getting off the trail, but he used his head and he made some very good decisions in building a snow cave. Even staying with the snow cave was a good decision," Adam said.
The high school senior was reunited with his family in the ambulance, which he hopped into with only a little assistance from emergency personnel as news cameras rolled.
"He's in good condition," McDonald said. "He has been taken to the hospital just to be evaluated for possible hypothermia."
Eating a granola bar and drinking a bottle of water handed to him by one of the members of the rescue team before he got into the ambulance, Joy told WHDH.com, "I'm OK. I got lost."
This story was originally published on Tue Mar 5, 2013 10:24 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
So good!
I have to agree.
I smiled when I seen his goofy smile on his face as if to say, "Yeah, I made it out OK". LOL
So many people think that going on a one day ski trip is not that risky. Bet Nick Joy thinks differently about it now.
I know if this were my son, I'd be freaking out and hope he would know to do the same as in, build an Igloo.
Smart kid...
Exactly. A smart kid. I'm in Maine and from the early reports it sounded like the kid a had a good head on him. So happy but not real surprised they found him alive. Don't Panic and bring your towel!
Very smart kid. I enjoy good news.
Smart Kid! ..... I'm sure there are people that will find something wrong with what he did but he did exactly what he needed to stay alive under the circumstances ...moving story ... The fireman demonstrated the most admirable part of of the American character .... selflessness .. for someone in trouble ... Thanks!
It is not a matter of finding anything wrong, everything he did was wrong. First he got separated from his dad, by skiing off trail. Because he got lost, he cost search and rescue thousands of dollars in trying to find him. Wait till he gets the bill for the search and rescue. Why do you think they are questioning him about being off trail. He did it to himself...
"Macgyver," and Bear Grillis save yet another life. Awesome!
Black,
You show me a 17 yr old kid that never broke any rules on a ski slope, and I'll show you a liar.
As for the bill, I'd rather pay that bill than the funeral bill for my son.
Creek Dog.... 17 means he's old enough that he should know how to not get lost at a ski resort.
BlackKnight2,
You are wrong on several counts. In the first place, you don't know what the visibility was on that trail, and nowhere in the article does it say the errors he made going off trail were purposeful. Even if that were the case, you can't claim that "everything he did was wrong." He was smart enough to remember the first (and most important) rule of survival in the wild ...... don't lose your head.
Not just a savvy kid but smart parents who taught him well. Bravo all round.
Black and Fed, you are a pair of self-righteous, judgmental, mean-spirited pr__ks.
Hey T.FED, BlackKnight -
Other new sources are reporting that they took separate trails, not that he went off trail.
This is a ski resort on a mountain.
As did Sonny Bono.
I've seen that expression before. Come on, give the kid gold!!
Kudos to the kid for having the sense to keep a bad situation from getting a whole lot worse. I feel sorry for anyone who has never ventured away from the sanitized runs at a ski resort, while a lot of fun, you'll never feel as alive as you will when you trek off into the side or back country. While you need to be smart about it, particularly with regard to avalanche danger, the rewards are off the chart exhilaration.
I can personally tell you that the visibility was really bad over by Timberline on Sunday. The snow was superb, but the higher you got- the less you could see. And I have to agree, as a parent- the S&R bill would be a pleasure to pay instead of a funeral bill.
Everybody makes mistakes. It's how we react to our mistakes that separates the winners in life from the losers who end up dependent on others (i.e., gov't and my taxes) for survival (which now days includes food stamps to eat better than I do, and a better flat screen tv than I have... not to mention the coveted Obamaphone).
Joy kept hydrated...drinking water from a nearby stream. Authorities still need to talk to him more to figure out how he got lost in the first place while skiing.
"Obviously, he made some errors getting off the trail, but he...made some very good decisions in building a snow cave, " Adam said.
TRANSLATION: Despite this smart, level-headed kid having the sense to stay alive, the "authorities" will focus on whether or not they can find a way to fine him. They say they need to talk more as to figure out how he got lost. Well, let's see: everything is white and/or identical; landmarks/trails are covered; and, so it's hard to distinguish one thing from another and...you get LOST.
Give Joy a job teaching other kids how to survive outside of malls, gaming rooms, and fast-food restaurants. Good for you, Nicholas!!
Donna,
Good post. Did you think that maybe they want to find out all these answers so they can figure out preventative measures?
This way it may prevent people from getting lost in the first place.
Not to mention that if you get lost and it's white-out conditions, it would be much easier to step of a cliff or a sudden drop where you could be seriously injured and would not be able to protect yourself, like get to a nearby stream for water or build an Igloo...
Creek Dog: Donna, Good post. Did you think that maybe they want to find out all these answers so they can figure out preventative measures?
I would hope that's the point of further questioning, but it's not as if they need to ask him about the physical geography of Sugarloaf Mountain. Topographic maps already exist for skiers, hikers, and so forth. Honestly, offer him a job training young kids the basics of survival. Somebody obviously taught him.
Copy that...
I like your idea of giving him a job teaching survival tactics.
Topo's always been there but you'd be surprised at how many people don't understand them. Not even what a contour line is along with elevations, North arrow etc...
See ya!
Smart kid. I wonder if he will get arrested now.... Several years ago some members of the racing Unser family got lost on their snowmobiles and were eventually rescued, only to be arrested and ticketed for venturing into federal lands where they weren't allowed. Leave it to the government to insert itself even into tragedy!
Creek Dog: I totally agree with you. People are so reliant on GPS and other technologies that they've no clue how to map read or use a compass.
Good talking with you.
In some areas S&R are all volunteers (like where I live in Central California) thus not looking to get "repaid" for saving a life. Do we know for sure that these S&Rs at Sugarloaf are paid and looking for repayment?
Donna and Creek Dog sitting in a tree... :)
Chefmaddog, does it bother you when people make civil comments and are nice to each other?
Not at all. That's why I said it. It was a nice change.
Great to hear!!
smart kid, great story.
Great to hear!!
Indeed, a good story with a happy ending. I sure hope my children would have their wits about them in any similar situation in the same way this young man did.
Thanks Bear Grylls
No, Bear would have started eating yak droppings and then jumped into the river. This kid was smarter than that. :)
lol, good one.
This seems like a stupid question, but how do you get lost at a ski resort?
That's like going to an amusement park and getting lost. There's people everywhere
LOL. I laugh cause it's probably true...
Bear Grylls would have taken a short snowmobile ride to a hotel every night, returning to the snow cave in the morning to resume filming.
How do you get lost at a ski resort ? Simple just make 1 wrong turn and keep going for just a few minutes !! Thats all it takes ..guess someone never ski'd at a decent sized mountain!!
If the resort is a mountain, you can easily get lost or separated by going down the wrong slope.
Kind of like taking the wrong turn in the woods when you're hiking, only you're going very fast,
and gravity makes your your progression a one way affair.
If you don't know you are going in the wrong direction, you could be
a mile or more, down hill, and with no idea of which way you came from.
Maybe the kid was skiing in front, and thought dad was behind him, but dad took a fall,
or mistakenly thought that he had his eye on his son, only to learn that he'd been following
someone wearing a similar ski jacket.
I say there are so many ways that this could have happened
That the mean spirited "teen bashers" should just back off.
I'm really glad that this turned out OK!
and I also think the kid did well by keeping his head and his cool,
and coming out of this alive.
I agree. This does happen! You get caught up in the moment, and are having fun....anything can happen. skiing and snowmobiling..either way, you are having so much fun doing your own thing. One wrong turn, and you're off track. Especially if you've never done this before. The people you are with can get separated so easily. I'm so glad the kid is ok. He has smarts! So many others would panic and not know what to do. Alot of ppl keep walking, trying to get back and don't think to make camp. Too many die from anxiety and hypothermia.
Morton, u got that right! Which chain is it that "leaves the light on for ya"? Bear would need it just to find the motel lol
Smart kid.... great news.
All's well that ends well.
Great survival instincts. Now he can write a book about it and make millions!
That would be one incredibly boring book.....
His book would be a better read than your grouchy comments, T.FED.
These days, in order for a survival story to sell, one must chew off one or more of their limbs.
Glad all is well and kudos to the firefighter who found the young man. Another example of why we should never underestimate our firefighters and all they do for us!
And a thanks to the snowmobiling firefighter!!
Thank God for Joseph Paul , the man who cared enough to follow his intuition and was divinely guided to actually find and rescue the boy. Hurray for you my man! Impressive.
great story...smart boy you have there...
Glad to hear this. That's one thing Boy Scouts taught my son. They did a trip to Tahoe and camped in snow caves. My son thought it was really cool to sleep in a snow cave. They really teach kids survival in the wilderness. Sadly not everyone is as lucky as this kid.
How do you end up 4 miles from the ski resort wearing ski boots?
Well done, Nicolas. And, kudos to your Dad for teaching you all the right things over the past 17 years. His is the example to be followed by all!
Good job by the young man, and thanks to the firefighter who located him. Am wondering though, how did he become separated from his father?
Ski much, BillyMike?
When you are watching trees as well as your own decent, it is hard to keep track of the person next to you.
Smart kid! Glad he's okay.
What a fiendish grin.
I wouldn't call it fiendish at all....more like a "WTF u guys... I f'd up, but I'm aiight" grin to me lol He was a smart kid to not panic in the situation, and build that snow cave. I dunno if he was taught that, or unlike a lot o' people, he just has actual common sense and made the right decisions to look for trails when the time was right. Kudo's to ya Nick, and especially at your age to be outdoors, not sittin' inside wastin' your brain on video games or havin' a cell phone connected to your hip for texting. Of course now some jerk will claim that's exactly what caused you to get lost in the first place....texting while skiing lol I go campin' a lot, and even some o' my campin' buds get lost sometime to a degree. If ya ever wanna join us, you're more than welcome, and you're one person I wouldn't have to worry about 'cause ya got a good head on your shoulders...good instincts. Glad you're ok.
In a properly built snow cave with just the smallest of fires it is possible to get sweaty. Especially, in 30 degree weather and wind chill only matters if you feel the wind.
Still impressive in our pampered indulgent soft society.
Right on this kid the right thing and made it....Hats off to him....
Very smart young man!! Maybe some adults could take a page out of his book and survive better than so many others that become a statistic.
Both of my children were born and raised in ski country, knowing the dangers and the proper survival skills are mandatory. This kid was trained and didn't panic, good job.
Finally a story that doesn't end in disaster!!! It was good to read something positive for a change....
Great news!!
best job description ever.
17 years old and NO CELL PHONE?????????? Publicity stunt
I'm 18 and I don't have a cell phone. Your argument is INVALID.
Hmm, didn't think of that - A cell phone would have avoided the whole mess . Its impressive the kid kept his head, but I'm just curious as to how he got into this mess in the first place (Calm down, haters, I'm not jumping to conclusions; I realize there could be a logical explanation, I'm just wondering.)
I don't know about this area, but much of rural Maine has spotty cell reception at best, if any at all. All the more reason that his training and instincts were appropriate for the need. Technology is not always the answer!
Interesting point, this certainly does provide a wonderful story for a college application.
This kid could end up being a Navy Seal! He has what it takes...calm, cool, collected, logical reasoning. Great ending to what could have been simply another tragedy attributed to the elements.
or a teacher.... :-)