Photo: Halfpoint Images / Moment / Getty Images
A Montana nurse demonstrated extraordinary composure after a freak hiking accident left him impaled on his own trekking pole near the state's highest peak. Rather than wait for an expensive helicopter rescue, he hiked more than 10 miles down the mountain with the pole still lodged through his body.
David Cifaldi, 32, was attempting to summit Granite Peak on Sunday, July 20, when disaster struck. He and two companions were crossing the Froze-to-Death Plateau at approximately 11,800 feet elevation when Cifaldi stepped on loose rock, dropped his trekking pole, and fell forward. The 44-inch steel-tipped pole pierced through the flesh beneath his left arm and protruded from his back.
"As I rolled over, I noticed one of my trekking poles laying on the ground, and as I kind of sat up, I realize that the other one was stuck in my side," Cifaldi told The Associated Press.
Cifaldi, who works in wound care at St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, Montana, immediately shifted into what he called his "nurse brain." He performed a self-assessment and determined he was alert, experiencing minimal pain and bleeding, and that the pole hadn't struck any vital organs. After conferring with his hiking companions, Jesse Ross and Brad Reich, Cifaldi made a decision that surprised them both.
"I was like, 'We've got to get off this mountain.' And they're both like, 'I don't know about that,'" Cifaldi recalled. "I'm pretty confident this is outside my chest wall. 'Tis but a flesh wound."
The group used a Garmin inReach satellite communication device to contact Stillwater County Search and Rescue at 9:44 a.m. Rather than requesting immediate assistance, they informed authorities of their plan to self-rescue. Search and rescue team commander Ty Williams monitored their progress remotely as the trio checked in every 30 minutes.
The descent proved challenging. With the pole awkwardly protruding from Cifaldi's side, the group navigated unmarked terrain across boulder fields and snowfields before reaching an established trail. Ross described the delicate coordination required to ensure Cifaldi didn't fall again. Ross walked ahead to scout the safest path, while Reich monitored the wound from behind.
After more than six hours of hiking that covered approximately 10 miles and descended roughly 5,000 feet, the group reached the trailhead around 3:30 p.m. By that time, Cifaldi had been impaled for nearly six hours.
"The only reason it was possible at all was his confidence," Ross said. "Who are we to say anything? He's the medical person. Our job is just to support at that point."
The trio drove to the nearest clinic, where medical staff determined Cifaldi needed more advanced treatment. They then drove to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, the same facility where Cifaldi works. Doctors removed the pole and bandaged the wound. In total, the pole remained in Cifaldi's body for eight to nine hours from the time of the accident to its removal.
Cifaldi returned to work this week, crediting his successful self-rescue to having experienced companions and the ability to communicate with search and rescue if conditions had deteriorated. He acknowledged that the high cost of helicopter rescue factored into his decision.
"Search and rescue coming to help you is free. The flight's not," Cifaldi explained. "That was a factor in me deciding to self-rescue."
Williams said his team respected Cifaldi's wishes and medical judgment. "There was no danger to anybody else. He didn't want our help and so we're not going to essentially violate his rights or go against his wishes by forcing our help on him," Williams said.
Granite Peak, at 12,800 feet, is Montana's tallest mountain and notorious for unpredictable weather, including dangerous lightning storms and bitter cold. Hundreds attempt the summit annually, but many fail to reach the top. In 2019, a 65-year-old Minnesota climber fell approximately 150 feet to his death near the summit.
Cifaldi said he felt fortunate the pole missed vital organs. "I feel very lucky. I feel like somebody was definitely watching out for me because, like I said, couple inches the other way and this would be a different story," he said. "I think 99 times out of a hundred I would make the same decision."
Ross has established a GoFundMe account to help cover medical expenses from the incident.