Guy got lucky. (And check the pics!)Looks like the pole pierced his skin, skated around his ribs, and came out the other side. And then, this brass-balled mofo walks ten miles out of the boonies because he doesn’t wanna pay for a helicopter.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — 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-centimeter) steel-tipped pole passed through the flesh beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back. After conferring with his friends — and considering the high cost of a helicopter rescue — Cifaldi knew who would save him: himself.

If something unpleasant happens to me at the Beta SIte the absolute best I can hope for is a 40-minute truck ride to the interstate and then another 45 minutes to town. However, there’s a spot just big enough for a helicopter to land about a mile away from the property. As it turns out, you can buy ‘airlift insurance’ since most insurance plans don’t cover the $15k+ that it costs to get LifeFlighted outta the sticks. For $85 a year, it seemed like a good idea.

However, depending on the nature of the injury, I’d probably bundle myself into the truck and do my best to drive out.