Hiker impaled by own pole hikes 16km to ambulance

An ambitious climb up Montana's Granite Peak turned into a life-threatening ordeal for David Cifaldi, an experienced hiker and nurse. While ascending the nearly 3,900-meter mountain on July 20, Cifaldi slipped and fell onto one of his trekking poles. The pole pierced through his backpack and body, lodging in his left side just below the armpit and emerging from his back.

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A few centimeters further and I would have been dead.

"Suddenly I saw this thing sticking out of my body," Cifaldi recounted to U.S. media. He realized the pole had gone through his shirt, backpack, and torso. "A few centimeters further and I would have been dead," he testified. The unusual trajectory, however, meant the pole did not lodge in a rib and likely missed vital organs and major blood vessels. Remarkably, Cifaldi experienced little pain and no severe bleeding, and he could breathe normally.

As a wound care nurse in Billings, Montana, Cifaldi assessed his condition and decided against waiting for an expensive helicopter rescue. With his friends Jesse Ross and Brad Reich, he began the arduous 16-kilometer descent. "I thought, I think we can get out of here," he said. The group used a satellite phone to send an SOS, but their decision to self-rescue was crucial given the difficult terrain for emergency services.

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Suddenly I saw this thing sticking out of my body.

Cifaldi's quick thinking and medical knowledge, combined with the support of his friends, allowed them to navigate the challenging hike back to civilization. The incident highlights the extreme dangers of mountaineering and the resilience of the human body and spirit in the face of severe trauma.

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I thought: I think we can get out of here.