Nurse Hikes 10 Miles with Trekking Pole Through His Body

A freak fall during a Montana mountain climb left nurse David Cifaldi with a trekking pole piercing completely through his body, but his medical training kicked in just when he needed it most.

Cifaldi was climbing Granite Peak, Montana's highest summit, with two friends on July 20 when he stepped on a loose rock at 11,800 feet. He dropped his trekking pole and fell forward, impaling himself on it with roughly eight inches of space between the entry and exit wounds through his lat muscle.

Instead of panicking, the wound care nurse and former ER professional immediately assessed his condition. No bleeding, full feeling, no vital organs hit, and the pole was stable in place.

"I think my nurse brain clicked on," Cifaldi told local outlet KTMF. "As soon as I was able to self-assess and establish that this was not life-threatening right now, I was pretty convinced I was going to get off that mountain under my own power."

And that's exactly what he did. Cifaldi made the decision to hike out rather than wait hours for a mountain rescue, trekking 10 miles back to the trailhead with the pole still through his body.

During the descent, he even asked one of his friends to warn approaching hikers so children wouldn't be startled by his injury. After reaching the trailhead, he endured a two-hour drive to the nearest hospital in Billings equipped to remove the pole.

The pole remained in place for eight to nine hours total from the fall to removal. Cifaldi is now receiving ongoing care, with the possibility of surgery still to come.

Why This Inspires

Cifaldi's story shows how professional training combined with clear thinking can save lives in the most unexpected moments. His calm assessment of the situation turned what could have been a tragedy into a remarkable survival story.

He's also quick to acknowledge how fortunate he was. "A couple inches the other way and this would be a different story," he said.

Reddit users celebrated his grit, with one person writing, "Good job, man!" and another adding, "Yikes!! Glad they made it to treatment."

David Cifaldi turned a potentially fatal accident into proof that knowledge, composure, and determination can carry us through life's most challenging moments.