US man hikes out of mountains to get help after he was impaled by trekking pole

Mystic Lake is seen from the Phantom Creek Trail in the Beartooth Mountains (David Cifaldi via AP)

A Montana man who slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole while tackling the state’s highest peak decided to rescue himself rather than troubling the emergency services.

The 44-inch steel-tipped pole passed through the flesh beneath David Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back.