 On July 17, 1939, 12-year-old Fendler was separated from his family during a storm near the summit of Maine's Mount Katahdin.His disappearance launched a manhunt which became front page news throughout the nation, and involved hundreds of volunteers who went looking for him throughout Baxter State Park.Fendler survived for 9 days without food or proper clothing before following a stream and telephone line out of the woods near Stacyville, Maine.