In the summer of 1999, a promising and enthusiastic 17-year-old named Thomas John Nazzaro from Durham, New Hampshire, embarked on an adventurous wilderness training trip in Alaska. He was a participant in a month-long course offered by the National Outdoor Leadership School, designed to teach resilience and survival skills amidst the state's rugged terrain. On July 11, 1999, Thomas was with his group on the Matanuska Glacier, a massive ice field located about 40 miles east of Palmer. The group was camped at the 2,300-foot level of the glacier when Thomas went to get water from a stream for his group. He was wearing Scarpa plastic boots, Patagonia black rain pants, a middleweight polypropylene top, a red and black North Face Gore-tex fleece, and a fleece beanie.
When Thomas did not come back after a reasonable amount of time, his fellow students became worried and went to look for him. Their search led them to a partially filled water pot near a small glacial stream. Not far from there, a powerful and thunderous stream of water was pouring into a large hole in the ice, known as a moulin. It is believed that Thomas, possibly seeking a faster way to fill the water containers, walked toward the larger stream across the sloping ice and accidentally fell into the moulin, a vertical shaft carved by melting water. The hole was described as being tucked against the base of an ice wall, making it difficult to see until it was too late.
Immediate rescue efforts were launched by Alaska State Troopers and Air National Guard pararescuemen. A rescuer was lowered approximately 100 feet into the icy chasm but could find no trace of Thomas and no sign of the bottom. The inside of the moulin was described as being as smooth and slick as a luge. A fiber-optic camera was later lowered 250 feet into the hole, but it still did not reach the end of the tunnel. After days of searching with no success, the official search for Thomas was suspended, and he was presumed to have died from the fall and the frigid water. His body has never been recovered. The case remains a heart-wrenching reminder of the inherent dangers of the Alaskan wilderness and the suddenness with which a life can be lost.
Last Seen: Jul 11, 1999
