''Tis but a flesh wound': Montana man hikes 6 hours impaled by trekking pole

David Cifaldi and his two hiking companions were crossing Montana's ominous Froze-to-Death Plateau and approaching the top of the state's highest peak when their adventure took a bizarre and dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell.

A hiker climbing Montana's highest peak slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell, then hiked six miles off the mountain along with two friends to get help, he says.

Doctors removed the pole, bandaged him up and Mr Cifaldi was back at work this week.

David Cifaldi and his two hiking companions were crossing Montana’s ominous Froze-to-Death Plateau and approaching the top of the state’s highest peak when their adventure took a bizarre and dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell. The 44-inch (112-centimetre) steel-tipped po

3 min readJul 30, 2026 10:46 AM IST David Cifaldi was impaled by a trekking pole after falling near the summit of Granite Peak in Montana. (Photo/Go Fund Me)David Cifaldi was hiking Montana’s tallest mountain on July 20 with two of his friends when he slipped on a rock after nearly seven hours on the trail. The first t

Montana man hikes out of the mountains to get help after he was impaled by a trekking pole  Toronto Star

David Cifaldi was approaching the top of Montana’s highest peak with two friends when their hiking adventure took a dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole

Montana man hikes out of the mountains to get help after he was impaled by a trekking pole  AP News

David Cifaldi was approaching the top of Montana’s highest peak with two friends when their hiking adventure took a dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole

Man hikes 6 hours after impaling himself with hiking pole  CNN

David Cifaldi, 32, was climbing Granite Peak with two friends on July 20 when he slipped on loose rocks at an altitude of about 3600 metres.

When David Cifaldi slipped over some rocks during an outdoor hike with his friends, he expected to roll his ankle.

David Cifaldi, a wound care nurse, was impaled by a trekking pole at 11,800 feet on Montana's Granite Peak in a freak accident. He hiked for 10 miles to get help.

GoFundMe A Montana man walked 10 miles to safety with a trekking pole speared through his torso after slipping near the summit of the state’s highest mountain. David Cifaldi fell on one of his poles close to the top of the 12,803-foot Granite Peak during a hike with two friends. “By the time I rolled over, I kind of kn

David Cifaldi slipped and his pole pierced him in the side, then walked back hours along the route he had climbed A Montana man walked 10 miles to safety with a trekking pole speared through his torso after a fall during a hiking expedition on the state’s highest mountain. David Cifaldi slipped on rocks close to the su