BILLINGS — What began as an early morning goal to summit Montana's tallest mountain turned into a remarkable survival story after a Billings man was impaled by a trekking pole on Granite Peak.
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David Cifaldi, an Intermountain Health nurse, was climbing Granite Peak on Monday with friends and fellow hikers Jesse Ross and Brad Reich when he slipped on terrain, only about two miles to their destination.
"By the time I rolled over, I kind of knew something wasn't right," Cifaldi said.
One of his trekking poles had landed on the ground. The other had pierced his side.
Ross and Reich immediately used a Garmin emergency communication device to alert rescuers, but the group quickly realized Cifaldi was stable enough to assess his injuries before deciding what to do next.
"He was very calm and collected the entire time," Reich said.
Ross said Cifaldi's experience as a nurse helped keep everyone focused.
"It was really a freak accident," Ross said. "We wanted to make sure he was alright, and I'm really grateful he could turn his nurse brain on and reassure us through it."
Cifaldi said his medical training allowed him to quickly determine the injury may not have damaged vital organs.
"Through my skin I could feel the trekking pole," he said. "I knew it wasn't deep, and I knew I could take deep breaths."
Because he wasn't experiencing significant bleeding or severe pain, the group made the difficult decision to hike out rather than opt for a helicopter evacuation.
The journey back covered nearly 10 miles and took about six and a half hours.
Along the way, Cifaldi even asked his friends to hike ahead and warn other hikers about his injury and help navigate any obstacles that could further complicate his injury.
"Mystic Lake is a very popular trail," Ross said. "There's families, and he even had us hike ahead and warn people so young kids didn't have to see such a gnarly wound. Just so selfless."
After reaching the trailhead, Cifaldi was evaluated at a nearby clinic before his friends drove him to Billings and Intermountain Health, where doctors assessed the situation.
He credited his team at Intermountain Health and the ingenuity of his surgeon with finding an innovative way to safely remove it.
"She had the genius idea to tie a drain to the end of the pole, so when they pulled the pole out, they pulled the drain through," Cifaldi said.
Looking back, Cifaldi said he realizes how fortunate he was.
If the trekking pole had entered just a few centimeters deeper, he believes the outcome could have been far more serious.
Despite the frightening experience, the three friends aren't giving up on Granite Peak.
"I hope I can follow it up with, and then we went back a year later and we did make it up the summit," Cifaldi said.
Ross laughed that they may make one change before trying again.
"Maybe we go without trekking poles next time,” laughed Ross.
Click here to donate to a GoFundMe to help pay for Cifaldi's medical costs.
