In the U.S. state of Montana, a routine hike nearly turned into a tragedy. David Chifaldi, 32, was climbing Granite Peak with two friends when disaster struck, reports the website infohub.kz.
Just short of the summit, Chifaldi slipped and fell. In shock, he saw that one of his trekking poles had pierced his left side below the armpit and exited through his back.
By a stroke of luck, Chifaldi is a nurse. Calming himself, he assessed the injury: almost no bleeding, no dizziness, and lungs intact. The pole had lodged in muscle, just three centimeters from vital organs.
To avoid the high cost of a helicopter rescue, Chifaldi decided to descend on foot. His friends supported him — one walked ahead to warn other hikers, while another monitored the wound. To lighten the mood, they joked and nicknamed him “Shashlik.”
The descent took six hours, covering about 16 kilometers over rocks and snow. First taken to a nearby hospital, Chifaldi asked to be transferred to the clinic where he works. There, under anesthesia, doctors carefully removed the pole, which had been in his body for seven hours.
Chifaldi recovered quickly and returned to work within days. Despite the ordeal, he remains optimistic and plans to summit Granite Peak next year.
Notably, in Kazakhstan, people often take free healthcare and emergency services for granted. Many head into the mountains unprepared, leading to costly rescue operations funded by the state. In the U.S., such medical evacuations can be astronomically expensive, forcing people to weigh every decision.