CP Exclusive: Firefighter who went missing on ski trip recounts baffling journey
TORONTO — Danny Filippidis says he just wanted to capture a few memories.
His annual ski trip to Lake Placid, N.Y., with colleagues from Toronto Fire Services was drawing to a close when he realized he’d forgotten to bring a camera to the lodge where he was unwinding with friends about half-way up Whiteface Mountain.
He told friends he’d ski down to a car to retrieve his cellphone and return to document the end of their sojourn on the slopes. That quest led to a baffling journey the 50-year-old fire captain will likely never be able to fully remember.
Filippidis vanished on Feb. 7, triggering a massive ground search that involved state authorities, family and friends. When he surfaced six days later in Sacramento Calif., some 4,000 kilometres away, the veteran firefighter says he was just as mystified about his cross-country trek as everyone else.