In a dire encounter high above Montana’s jagged landscape, David Cifaldi and his two companions braved peril on the foreboding Froze-to-Death Plateau. As they neared the summit of Montana’s highest pinnacle, the unpredictable wild demanded its toll—Cifaldi tumbled and, incredibly, found himself pierced by his own trekking pole.
The trekking pole, a formidable 44 inches (112 centimeters) of steel-tipped severity, tore through the meat beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, miraculously dodging any vital organs, and jutted dramatically from his back. After weighing their options, and noting the staggering expense of a helicopter evacuation, Cifaldi resolved that his salvation had to be in his own hands.
“We’ve got to get off this mountain,” Cifaldi recalled urging his concerned friends, even as they wavered in doubt. His reassurance was almost flippant. “I’m pretty confident this is outside my chest wall. ‘Tis but a flesh wound,” he added, channeling a steely resolve.
The 32-year-old, who harbors expertise as a nurse specializing in wound care at Billings, Montana’s hospital, conducted a thorough self-check. His spirits were intact; discomfort and bleeding were minimal, and, crucially, the pole was static. Equipped with a Garmin inReach, they coordinated a plan with local authorities through satellite communication, settling on a courageous self-rescue mission.
With determination, they commenced their descent. The trio traversed across unmarked paths, maneuvering cautiously over boulders and snow-laden fields, before finally beating a trail through the dense thickets to reach an established path, moving one step closer to safety.
After more than six hours in which they traveled about 10 miles (16 kilometers) and descended roughly 5,000 feet (1,500 meters), the group reached a trailhead where one of them, Cifaldi’s friend Jesse Ross, had parked a vehicle.
“The only reason it was possible at all was his confidence,” Ross recalled. “Who are we to say anything? He’s the medical person. Our job is just to support at that point.”
Cifaldi had long wanted to climb Granite Peak. At 12,800 feet (3,900 meters), Montana’s tallest mountain is prone to unpredictable weather including dangerous lightning storms and bitter cold. Hundreds of people annually try to reach the rocky summit; many come up short. In 2019, authorities said a 65-year-old Minnesota man who was an experienced climber fell about 150 feet (45 meters) to his death after reaching nearly the top of Granite Peak with his son.
As Cifaldi and his companions started hiking out, the pole awkwardly sticking out of his side, Stillwater County Search and Rescue team commander Ty Williams monitored the group’s progress via a dispatcher who took calls from the group.
The first call came in at 9:44 a.m. on July 20, right after Cifaldi impaled himself. At 1:30 p.m. the trio said they were getting closer to the trailhead and to let the nearest hospital know they were coming, Williams said.
“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.
By about 3:30 p.m. the hikers were in Ross’ vehicle headed to the nearest clinic, Cifaldi said.
When they arrived, they were told Cifaldi needed more advanced treatment in Billings. So they got back in Ross’ truck and kept driving to the hospital where he works, St. Vincent Regional Hospital.
Doctors removed the pole, bandaged him up and Cifaldi was back at work this week.
“I think 99 times out of a hundred I would make the same decision,” Cifaldi said as he sat in Ross’ front yard in Billings. “Search and rescue coming to help you is free. The flight’s not. That was a factor in me deciding to self-rescue. But the fact that I had two experienced great friends with me and we had the ability to contact search and rescue if something went wrong made that a lot more of an easy decision.”
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.