Nurse’s Harrowing Ordeal: Impaled by Trekking Pole on Montana’s Granite Peak
A routine hiking trip to Montana’s highest peak turned into a life-threatening emergency for 32-year-old emergency room nurse David Cifaldi. On July 20, while ascending Granite Peak with two friends, Cifaldi lost his footing on rocky terrain and fell, inadvertently impaling himself through the torso with one of his own trekking poles. Despite the severity of the injury, Cifaldi made the remarkable decision to hike more than 10 miles back to the trailhead, navigating the rugged mountain with the pole still lodged in his body.
Cifaldi, a nurse from Billings, credits his medical training for keeping him calm. He conducted a self-assessment, noting “no bleeding, full feeling, no lightheadedness, nothing vital hit, and the pole was stable in place.” With the help of his two friends, he descended the mountain over six and a half hours, refusing offers of assistance from other hikers. One friend, Williams, explained, “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.”
Upon reaching the trailhead, Cifaldi was transported to a hospital where surgeons successfully removed the pole. He is now recovering and hopes to return to work quickly, but faces “significant medical bills” from the harrowing accident. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help cover expenses. The incident highlights both the dangers of high-altitude hiking and the remarkable resilience of those trained to handle emergencies.
Shimanta Das 
