On a snowy Black Friday in November 2024, a 22-year-old experienced hiker from Quebec set out alone to climb one of the most remote peaks in New York's Adirondack Mountains—a challenging 18-mile journey he expected to complete in a single day. When he didn't return as planned, what followed was one of the most extensive search operations in Adirondack history, involving dozens of elite forest rangers battling brutal winter conditions for over a week. This is the story of Leo Dufour, a university student studying to become a teacher who had already conquered 32 of the legendary 46 High Peaks, and the extraordinary efforts to find him in a wilderness that doesn't always give up its secrets. It's a reminder that even the most prepared among us are never more than one wrong turn away from the unforgiving power of the mountains.
00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes
00:42 Leo Dufour's Quest in the Adirondacks
03:00 The Challenge of Allen Mountain
07:09 The Search and Rescue Efforts
12:47 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned
24:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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References:

• "New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Statement on Recovery of Missing Canadian Hiker Leo DuFour." DEC Press Release, May 10, 2025.
• "Update: State Police seeking the public's assistance in locating a missing hiker in the town of Newcomb." NYS Police Press Release, December 2024.
• Lynch, Mike. "Remains of missing Canadian hiker found." Adirondack Explorer, May 2025.
• Lynch, Mike. "Missing hiker: What we know so far, as search enters 5th day." Adirondack Explorer, January 22, 2025.
• Lynch, Mike. "Search for Canadian hiker shifts to recovery." Adirondack Explorer, March 28, 2025.
• "DEC: Body of missing hiker Leo DuFour found May 10 off Mt. Allen Mountain trail." The Adirondack Almanack, May 12, 2025.
• "Due to treacherous conditions, search for Leo DuFour transitioned to recovery mission." The Adirondack Almanack, December 10, 2024.
• "Extensive search underway in the Adirondacks for missing Canadian hiker." NCPR News, December 4, 2024.
• "Rangers had to divert resources during Allen Mt. search to rescue solo searcher." NCPR News, December 10, 2024.
• "DEC: No signs of missing hiker Thursday." Adirondack Daily Enterprise, December 5, 2024.
• "Hikers find body of missing person on Allen Mountain." My NBC5, May 2025.
• "Body of Missing Hiker Is Found 5 Months After He Vanished in the Adirondacks." The New York Times, May 29, 2025.
• The Globe and Mail (Canada): "U.S. authorities find body of missing Quebec hiker in New York state's Adirondacks." May 11, 2025.
• Advnture: Clarke, Julia. "Body of 22-year-old Canadian hiker found 5 months after vanishing on snowy Adirondacks mountain." May 2025.

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In this unflinching episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into one of history's most harrowing survival stories. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 slammed into the Andes Mountains, leaving 33 survivors stranded at 12,000 feet in subzero temperatures. For 72 days, they battled avalanches, frostbite, and starvation. When their meager supplies ran out, they faced an unthinkable decision: consume the dead or die themselves. This episode chronicles the psychological torment, the impossible moral choices, and the superhuman trek of two survivors who walked ten days through the frozen mountains to find rescue. A raw testament to human resilience and the terrifying price of survival.

00:00 Welcome and Housekeeping
01:25 Introducing the Podcast
01:48 Setting the Scene: The Andes Flight Disaster
02:08 The Crash
03:11 Immediate Aftermath
04:05 Struggle for Survival
15:55 The Search is Called Off
18:16 Facing the Unthinkable
20:06 The Grim Reality of Survival
21:01 A Desperate Decision
23:35 The Psychological Toll
25:44 Avalanche Strikes Again
27:18 A Daring Escape Plan
28:38 Journey Through the Mountains
35:36 Rescue and Aftermath
39:22 Legacy of Survival

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REFERENCES

Primary Sources:

• Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read (1974)
• Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home by Nando Parrado (2006)
• Out of the Silence: After the Crash by Eduardo Strauch (2019)

• Official Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 accident investigation reports
• Medical journals documenting survivors' conditions upon rescue
• Geographic surveys of crash site location
• Aviation records and flight data

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When a routine test flight goes catastrophically wrong, Army Air Forces Lieutenant Leon Crane parachutes into the Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter—alone, with no survival gear, and temperatures at 40 below zero. The city kid from Philadelphia has never spent a night outdoors in his life. What follows is one of the most remarkable survival stories of World War II: 84 days in the Arctic, a 120-mile trek through brutal terrain, and a series of decisions that meant the difference between life and death. This is the story almost nobody knows about—the man who refused to die on a frozen mountain.

00:00 Escape Ads with Patreon
00:46 Introduction to Crux True Survival Stories
01:10 Leon Crane's Harrowing Fall
02:48 The Crash and Immediate Aftermath
03:48 The Struggle for Survival Begins
04:19 The Fateful Flight Details
06:12 The Plane's Descent and Crash
09:48 Crane's First Night in the Wilderness
14:14 Days of Waiting and Desperation
17:38 The Decision to Move
20:38 Finding the Trapper's Cabin
23:27 Recovery and Reflection
26:10 Surviving the Wilderness: Rationing and Isolation
28:04 A Glimmer of Hope: Discovering the Map
30:06 The Desperate Journey Begins
31:09 Battling the Elements: Falling Through the Ice
34:11 Miraculous Rescue: Finding Shelter
35:58 The Final Struggle: Marching Towards Survival
38:05 The Unbelievable Reunion
42:34 Aftermath and Legacy
47:25 Lessons from Leon Crane's Survival
48:03 Closing Thoughts and Acknowledgements

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Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

REFERENCES

1. Wikipedia - Leon Crane
2. Military.com - "How This Airman Survived 3 Months in the Alaskan Wilderness After a World War II Plane Crash"
3. Anchorage Daily News - "Lost in the wilderness for 81 days: The tortuous tale of Leon Crane's first Christmas in Alaska" by David Reamer
4. Adventure Journal - "Leon Crane Survived a Terrifying Plane Crash, Then 80 Days Alone in an Alaskan Winter"
5. Air & Space Forces Magazine - "Valor: Alone in the Arctic" (April 1997)
6. Heroes, Heroines, and History - "A WWII Pilot's Incredible Survival Story in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness" by Mary Dodge Allen
7. National Park Service - Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve documentation
8. Murphy, Brian. 81 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness
9. Valor Friday - This ain't Hell military history blog
10. Amazon.com - 81 Days Below Zero book listing and reviews
11. Hachette Book Group / Da Capo Press - 81 Days Below Zero publisher information
12. Goodreads - 81 Days Below Zero reviews and ratings

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