Overview
- On Monday, July 20, 32‑year‑old David Cifaldi slipped near the summit of Granite Peak and a 44‑inch steel‑tipped trekking pole drove through the flesh beneath his left arm and out his back.
- Cifaldi, a wound‑care and former ER nurse, left the pole in place, checked his breathing and pulses, and decided to descend rather than accept an airlift because he judged his injuries not immediately life‑threatening.
- One friend used a Garmin inReach satellite communicator to notify Stillwater County Search and Rescue, which monitored the group with periodic check‑ins but did not force assistance after Cifaldi declined help.
- The trio spent about six to seven hours descending roughly 10 miles over boulder fields and snow before reaching a trailhead; surgeons at St. Vincent Regional Hospital removed the pole about eight to nine hours after the fall and Cifaldi has since returned home and to work.
- Friends have launched a GoFundMe to cover medical bills and lost wages, and the case highlights how medical judgment, companion support, remote communications and the cost of air evacuations shape backcountry rescue choices.