Montana nurse impaled by trekking pole walks six hours to safety
David Cifaldi, 32, hiked about 16km with a pole through his torso after slipping on Granite Peak, avoiding a helicopter rescue.
David Cifaldi, a 32-year-old wound-care nurse from Billings, Montana, was hiking Granite Peak with two friends on July 20 when he slipped and fell onto his 44-inch trekking pole. The steel-tipped pole entered beneath his left arm and protruded from his back, missing vital organs, according to the Associated Press.
After assessing himself as alert, with little pain or blood and the pole immobile, Cifaldi decided against a helicopter rescue. He told his friends, 'We've got to get off this mountain'; they replied, 'I don't know about that,' he said. 'I'm pretty confident this is outside my chest wall. 'Tis but a flesh wound.' The group used a Garmin inReach satellite device to alert local authorities to their plan. Stillwater County Search and Rescue commander Ty Williams monitored their progress by phone — a first call at 9:44 a.m., an update at 1:30 p.m. as they neared the trailhead. 'Search and rescue coming to help you is free. The flight's not,' Cifaldi said.
They descended about 5,000 feet over roughly 16 kilometres in more than six hours, navigating an unmarked route through boulders and snowfields, before reaching a trailhead and driving to a clinic. Cifaldi was then transferred to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, where doctors removed the pole. Cifaldi said he was back at work this week.
Granite Peak, Montana's highest mountain at about 12,800 feet, is known for unpredictable weather. Hundreds attempt it each year but many fall short; in 2019, authorities said an experienced Minnesota climber died after falling about 150 feet near the summit. Williams said rescuers did not impose help because Cifaldi did not want it and there was no danger to others.
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The resilient nurse speaks through his actions — a pragmatic survivor who values cost and self-reliance over immediate rescue.
By weaving concrete details of the injury, the hike length, and the avoided helicopter cost, the narrative builds a hero of practical decision-making, turning a near-tragedy into a lesson in self-sufficiency.
The medical professional speaks as an expert who turns a crisis into a controlled descent using his nursing skills.
By foregrounding the nurse’s training and immediate self-assessment, the report frames the incident as a showcase of professional competence, subtly implying that his expertise made the difference between disaster and survival.
It omits the financial reason (the steep cost of helicopter rescue) for choosing to hike down, presenting the decision as purely clinical.
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