Montana nurse hikes 10 miles to safety after being impaled by trekking pole
A backcountry accident on Montana's highest summit ended in a miraculous survival story after an experienced nurse sustained a severe impalement injury and completed a grueling six-and-a-half-hour self-evacuation to safety.
The incident occurred during a day-hike of Granite Peak, an 12,799-foot peak in the Beartooth Mountains known for its rugged terrain and technical ascents. David Cifaldi, a 32-year-old nurse from Billings, was navigating the upper reaches of the mountain alongside two companions when a sudden loss of footing triggered a high-altitude fall. As reported on social media by news outlets including the New York Post on X, viral coverage highlighted how “32-year-old ER nurse David Cifaldi who impaled his side on a trekking pole after slipping on rocks at 11,800 feet while hiking Granite Peak in Montana” managed to survive the harrowing ordeal.
The mechanics of the fall resulted in a rare and life-threatening penetrating injury. Cifaldi's aluminum trekking pole punctured his side, driving entirely through his torso muscle tissue. Relying on his professional training as a medical practitioner, Cifaldi made the crucial decision not to pull the object out on the mountain, recognizing that leaving the pole in place prevented rapid hemorrhage. As detailed in the reporting account, “Cifaldi left the pole embedded, used his medical knowledge to stay calm, and hiked 10 miles over boulders and snowfields in 6.5 hours to the trailhead with help from two friends who called search and rescue via satellite device.”
While his companions used a Garmin InReach satellite device to alert regional search and rescue teams and coordinate a rendezvous point, weather conditions and terrain constraints made immediate helicopter extraction unfeasible. Facing dropping temperatures and severe pain, Cifaldi pressed forward on foot. Holding the protruding ends of the pole steady to prevent internal shifting, he navigated roughly 10 miles of treacherous boulder fields, loose scree, and high-altitude snowfields to reach the trailhead.
At the trailhead, emergency medical personnel met the group and transported Cifaldi to Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings. Trauma surgeons successfully removed the carbon-fiber/aluminum pole segment, confirming that the shaft had passed cleanly through his lateral back muscles without severing major blood vessels or puncturing thoracic organs. Following the successful surgical intervention, a community fundraising campaign was initiated to assist with his medical expenses and ongoing physical rehabilitation.
Trauma care protocols for wilderness impalement universally emphasize stabilizing embedded objects rather than attempting field removal. In backcountry environments where medical care is hours away, improper removal of an impaled object frequently leads to catastrophic internal bleeding or rapid physical decompensation.
However, from an analytical and skeptical standpoint, 32-year-old David Cifaldi, a nurse from Billings, Montana (former ER nurse, currently working in wound care at Intermountain Health), was day-hiking Granite Peak—Montana’s highest mountain—with two friends, Jesse Ross and Brad Reich. At approximately 11,800 feet, near the summit approach, he slipped on rocks or a loose rock, fell forward, and impaled himself on one of his trekking poles. The pole went completely through the side of his torso (through the lat muscle), protruding from both ends with roughly 8 inches between the entry and exit wounds. It narrowly missed vital organs. While viral headlines emphasize the dramatic "10-mile hike while impaled," wilderness survival cases like this illustrate how remaining calm, maintaining impalement integrity, and relying on satellite communications are the structural factors that convert a fatal backcountry emergency into a successful rescue.
THE QUICK BREAKDOWN
The Incident: A 32-year-old nurse slipped on rocks at 11,800 feet near the summit of Granite Peak in Montana and impaled his side on his own trekking pole.
The Medical Decision: Recognizing the danger of internal bleeding, Cifaldi kept the pole embedded in his torso and walked 10 miles over steep terrain to reach emergency responders.
The Rescue: His two hiking companions used a satellite communication device to alert search and rescue, guiding him down through 6.5 hours of snowfields and boulder fields.
Skeptical Analysis: While media coverage naturally focuses on the shocking visual of the impalement, Cifaldi's survival was fundamentally driven by his adherence to wilderness trauma protocols—leaving the object in place—and clear group communication via satellite technology.
Original Coverage: View the shared post and news details via the New York Post on X.
High-altitude wilderness injuries underscore the necessity of proper emergency preparation, including carrying satellite communication devices and maintaining basic wilderness first-aid knowledge.
As outdoor recreation grows in remote mountain ranges, emergency services continue to remind hikers that field stabilization and rapid communication are the most critical factors in backcountry survival.