Nurse impaled by trekking pole on Montana's highest peak hikes 10 miles to avoid rescue cost

The accident

On July 20, David Cifaldi, 32, and two friends set out at 2 a.m. to climb Granite Peak, Montana's highest summit at 3,901 metres. They crossed the Froze-to-Death Plateau at dawn, with clear skies and temperatures around 18°C. Nearing the top, Cifaldi slipped on a rock and fell onto his trekking pole. The 112-centimetre pole, tipped with steel, drove under his left armpit and out through his back. One friend used a satellite phone to send an alert while the other photographed the wound so Cifaldi could examine it.

“I was like, 'We've got to get off this mountain.'”

A nurse's self-diagnosis

Cifaldi works as a wound care nurse at St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings. He immediately assessed himself: he was alert, had almost no pain, no heavy bleeding, and the pole did not shift. He concluded the injury was outside his chest cavity and had missed his lungs and other organs.

“I'm pretty confident this is outside my chest wall. 'Tis but a flesh wound.”

The cost-driven decision

A helicopter rescue would have been costly, and Cifaldi decided to walk down. He later said that having two experienced friends and the ability to call for help if things went wrong made the decision easier. The group used a Garmin inReach device to notify Stillwater County Search and Rescue of their plan. Commander Ty Williams said his team tracked the hikers but did not intervene.

“There was no danger to anybody else. He didn't want our help and we're not going to force it on him.”

Six-hour descent

The trio picked their way off the plateau, crossing boulder fields, snow patches, and unmarked backcountry before linking up with a trail. Cifaldi hiked roughly 10 miles (16 kilometres) and descended about 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) with the pole still embedded. The trek took more than six hours.

“The only reason it was possible at all was his confidence. He's the medical person. Our job was just to support.”

Recovery and return

At the trailhead, they drove to a local clinic, then Cifaldi was transferred to St. Vincent Regional Hospital, where doctors removed the pole and treated the wound. He was discharged and back at work within days. Looking back, he said he would make the same choice again.

“I think 99 times out of a hundred I would make the same decision.”