A Montana nurse hiked 10 rugged miles to safety with a steel trekking pole sticking straight through his body.
Story Snapshot
- A 32-year-old Montana nurse was impaled by his own trekking pole near the top of Granite Peak.
- He chose to leave the pole in place and hiked about 10 miles down with friends watching his condition.
- Search and rescue teams stayed on standby while respecting his decision to self-rescue.
- Doctors later removed the pole in a hospital, and he returned to work days after the accident.
Freak Accident on Montana’s Tallest Mountain
On July 20, nurse David Cifaldi was climbing Granite Peak, Montana’s tallest mountain, with two friends when a simple slip turned into a nightmare. Near 11,800 feet, he slipped on loose rock and fell onto one of his trekking poles. The steel-tipped pole drove under his left arm, passed through the muscle on his side, and exited through his back, leaving several inches of metal between the entry and exit wounds. One pole lay on the ground; the other was suddenly part of his body.
Cifaldi, 32, works as a wound care nurse in Billings, and his medical training took over right away. He checked his breathing, watched for heavy bleeding, and felt along the track of the pole. There was no large pool of blood, he could take deep breaths, and the pain was surprisingly mild at first. Based on what he knew about the body and trauma, he judged the pole had likely missed his lungs and vital organs and was lodged in muscle outside his chest.
Choosing Self-Rescue Over Airlift
High on Granite Peak, far from roads and surrounded by snowfields and boulder fields, Cifaldi had to decide whether to wait for a helicopter or move. He and his friends used a Garmin satellite device to call Stillwater County Search and Rescue and report what happened. Rescuers were ready to help but did not force an evacuation; the commander later said there was no danger to anyone else, and Cifaldi did not want their direct help. With teams on standby, the group turned around to hike off the mountain.
They left the pole in place, which matches common trauma advice not to remove an object that might be blocking bleeding. One friend stayed by Cifaldi’s side, watching his breathing, skin color, and mental state as they crossed tricky ground and snow. Another friend handled navigation and contact with rescue crews. Reports say they checked his condition about every half hour while moving slowly but steadily down toward the trailhead at Mystic Lake. The hike off the mountain took about six to six and a half hours.
Ten-Mile Trek and Hospital Care
From their high point near the summit, the group covered roughly 10 miles of rugged terrain and dropped nearly 5,000 feet in elevation with the pole still sticking out of Cifaldi’s side and back. Media accounts describe him retracing every step they had climbed earlier that day, working across loose rock, snow patches, and alpine slopes. By mid-afternoon, they reached the trailhead, where an ambulance was waiting to drive him to a nearby clinic before transfer to a larger hospital in Billings.
Doctors at the hospital kept the pole in place until Cifaldi was sedated and ready for controlled removal. Imaging and careful exam showed the pole had missed his lungs and vital organs and was lodged in the latissimus dorsi muscle below his armpit. Under conscious sedation, surgeons pulled the pole free and inserted a drain tube to clear fluid from the injury track. Real pain began only after the pole came out, when the numbing of shock and tight muscle ended. Despite the serious trauma, he was discharged and back at his job within days.
Survival Story and Backcountry Lessons
This story has spread widely because it shows how training, calm thinking, and grit can turn a likely tragedy into a rescue. Cifaldi’s choice to self-rescue was shaped by his belief the wound was not immediately life-threatening and by awareness of the huge cost of helicopter airlifts. He followed basic trauma rules: do not pull out impaled objects in the field and watch for signs of chest or major organ damage like breathing trouble, heavy bleeding, or fast loss of strength.
Trending Photo: American hiker fell on a Granite Peak mountain, got impaled and somehow walked more than 10 miles downhill for over 6h30m to find a hospital, to avoid paying hefty helicopter evacuation fee, which can cost $30,000–$50,000 in Montana. David Cifaldi is a Nurse. pic.twitter.com/XF9OQ8uleI
— Trending Explained (@TrendingEx) July 28, 2026
Backcountry experts note that most people should not try what Cifaldi did unless they have strong medical knowledge, solid partners, and a way to reach rescue teams if things change. Stillwater County Search and Rescue stayed ready in case his condition worsened and were fully informed of the plan. His trek off Granite Peak shows why hikers should carry satellite communicators, travel with partners, and respect both the danger and beauty of remote mountains. It is a reminder that personal responsibility and skill still matter when things go wrong in the wild.
