A 32-year-old nurse from Billings, Montana, is recovering after a harrowing experience on the state’s highest peak, Granite Peak. David Cifaldi and his two hiking companions were crossing Montana’s Froze-to-Death Plateau when Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell.
Self-Rescue Efforts
The 44-inch steel-tipped pole passed through the flesh beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back. After conferring with his friends and considering the high cost of a helicopter rescue, Cifaldi decided to self-rescue. The group used a satellite-based communication device, a Garmin inReach, to contact local authorities and inform them of their plan to self-rescue.
They carefully descended from the plateau along an unmarked route, navigating through boulders and snowfields before bushwhacking their way to an established trail. After more than six hours and traveling about 10 miles, the group reached a trailhead where one of them, Cifaldi’s friend Jesse Ross, had parked a vehicle.
Medical Attention
Cifaldi was taken to the nearest clinic, but was told he needed more advanced treatment in Billings. He was then driven to St. Vincent Regional Hospital, where doctors removed the pole and bandaged him up. Cifaldi was back at work this week, saying he would make the same decision to self-rescue 99 times out of 100.
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
