Everything that happened in Montana Hiker Impaled

David Cifaldi, a 32-year-old nurse, impaled himself on a 44-inch steel-tipped trekking pole while climbing Montana's highest peak, Granite Peak, and the pole passed through his flesh beneath his left arm and protruded from his back.

After assessing himself and considering the high cost of a helicopter rescue, Cifaldi decided to self-rescue with his two hiking companions.

The group used a Garmin inReach satellite device to contact local authorities and inform them of their plan, then descended the mountain for over six hours, traveling about 16 kilometres and descending roughly 1,500 metres.

They reached a vehicle at a trailhead, drove to a clinic and then a hospital, where doctors removed the pole, and Cifaldi returned to work.

Cifaldi's friend Jesse Ross said his confidence made the self-rescue possible, and Stillwater County Search and Rescue team commander Ty Williams monitored their progress.

David Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole while crossing Montana's Froze-to-Death Plateau near Granite Peak.

The steel-tipped pole passed through flesh beneath his left arm and protruded from his back, missing vital organs.

Cifaldi, a nurse, assessed himself and decided to self-rescue with two companions rather than call a helicopter due to cost.

The group used a Garmin inReach satellite device to inform authorities and hiked about 10 miles over six hours to a trailhead.

Cifaldi drove to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, where doctors removed the pole and he returned to work within days.