• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • ☕ Support
  • ✉ Contact
    • Contact Me
    • Request Product Review
    • Work With Me
    • Submit Guest Post
  • Blog Archives
Nutty Hiker Adventures Logo

Nutty Hiker Adventures

Hike Every Hike Like It Is Your Last

  • Hiking >>
    • Hiking Articles
    • Hiking 101 >
      • 10 Essentials of Hiking
      • Types of Hikes
      • Trail Etiquette
      • Hiking Terms & Jargon
      • Hiking First Aid Kit
      • What to Bring On Every Hike
      • Pre Thru-Hike Checklist
      • Hacks to Lighten Your Backpack Weight
      • How to Avoid Norovirus While Backpacking
      • Choosing a Sleeping Bag Liner
      • How to Poop in the Woods
      • Gift Guide for Hikers
      • Books for Hikers & Backpackers
      • Movies About Hiking
      • Subscription Boxes for Hikers
      • Thru-Hiking Trails Bucket List – USA Edition
      • Your Hiking Questions Answered
    • Long Trails >
      • Appalachian Trail
      • BamatoBaxter
      • Greenbrier River Trail
      • Lone Star Hiking Trail
      • Pinhoti Trail
    • Rails To Trails >
      • Greenbrier River Trail
    • Gear Reviews
    • Ask Nutty Hiker
  • Camping >>
    • Camping Articles
    • Camping Gear Reviews
  • Survival >>
    • Survival Articles
    • Survival Gear Reviews
  • Destinations >>
    • The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist || Adventure Safely
    • State Highpoints
    • National Parks & Forests >
      • Black Hills National Forest
      • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Idaho
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maryland
    • Nevada
    • New Mexico
    • North Dakota
    • Pennsylvania
    • South Dakota
      • Black Hills National Forest
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
      • North Texas
      • Central Texas
        • San Antonio
      • East Texas
      • South Texas
      • West Texas
      • Texas State Parks
      • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    • Utah
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
  • Road Trips >>
    • The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist || Adventure Safely
    • Road Trip Ideas
  • Motorcycle >>
    • Sturgis 2024
  • News >>
    • Outdoor News
    • Interviews
  • Video’s
  • Photography >>
    • Latest Work
    • Photography Gear Reviews
    • Portrait Portfolio
  • ✎ Logbook >>
    • My Daily Antics
    • Ask Nutty Hiker
  • Resources >>
    • Recommendations
    • The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist || Adventure Safely
    • Hiking Essentials Checklist
    • Morse Code Converter || Send a Message in Morse Code
    • Military Time Converter
    • Message Encryption & Decryption
    • Message Transformer
  • Shop
    • My Artwork
    • Merch Store (T-Shirts & More)
You are here: Home / Hiking / Appalachian Trail / Appalachian Trail #3: Injury & Gatlinburg

Appalachian Trail #3: Injury & Gatlinburg

April 26, 2025 by Nutty Hiker Last Modified: June 6, 2025Leave a Comment

We started off the week with a 12(ish) mile slackpack, then a trip to the ER, and ended it by exploring Gatlinburg for three days.

Miles Since Last UpdateTotal Miles HikedMiles Remaining

13

82.4

2115

Sunsets picked us up bright and early from the hotel and shuttled us to Deep Gap to circumvent the fire closure. We were all bummbed about having to miss those 15 miles, mainly because it also meant we missed the GA/NC border, a plane crash site, and an old twisted tree that you see in everyone’s videos. But that’s how it is out here. You just have to roll with the punches. We were planning to stay at their Airbnb for a couple of nights and do some slackpacking, so we emptied our packs to the bare minimum and said goodbye to Sunsets.

We started at Deep Gap and began our ascent up Standing Indian Mountain. It was a two-mile climb, and I was a little leery of it. Sunsets assured me it was a gentle climb, and he was right =). I found some easter eggs along the way, hidden along the trail. I only took one and left the others.

appalachian trail day 15 view while climbing standing indian mountain
appalachian trail day 15 found an easter egg on trail I am holding it up

Once we got to the top, we opted to take the side trail to reach the peak. Oh man! What a view!

Appalachian Trail Day 15, the four of us standing on top of Standing Indian Mountain summit

The trail for the rest of the day was generally mild. As we were hiking up to Mooney Gap, I looked back and saw Jerry limping. He had apparently just kicked a stump and twisted his bad ankle. Thankfully, it happened just steps away from Mooney Gap, and where Sunsets was waiting for us. FYI, if you are in the area and need a shuttle, I highly recommend Sunsets’ Shuttle.

The plan for the next day was to hike to Winding Stair Gap. However, when Jerry woke up, he couldn’t put any weight on his foot/ankle, and it was horribly swollen. There would be no hiking today. We told Tony and Helen to go ahead without us, but they didn’t want to. They opted to take a zero and wait to see what the hospital set. Chica and Sunsets were amazing. Sunsets dropped us off at the ER (amazing service there by the way, they were super quick about everything). Thankfully, no fractures, but he would need to be in an air cast and rest it for the next 3-4 days. We spent the evening with Chica and Sunsets (which was much needed) and said goodbye to them the following morning.

appalachain trail day 16 aircast nuttyhiker
appalachian trail day 16 chica sunsets nuttyhiker

We would again need to roll with the punches. Our original plan was to hike to the NOC, then grab a rental car, as we were going to skip Smoky Mountain National Park for now due to a norovirus outbreak there and return later when the shelters would be less crowded. So, instead, we went ahead and got a rental and a hotel room in town. We told Tony and Helen to go without us, and we would meet them at the NOC with the rental to pick them up in three days, so we could then head into Gatlinburg, where we had planned to spend a couple of days.

They ended up arriving at the NOC a day earlier, so we decided to spend three days in Gatlinburg, which turned out well because it was nothing but rain for four days. We enjoyed everything Gatlinburg had to offer, and did all the touristy things before packing up and heading to Johnson City so we could return the rental car and get back on trail at Sam’s Gap.

Day 15 Video /// Day 16 Video /// Day 17 Video /// Day 18 Video /// Day 19 Video /// Day 20 Video /// Day 21 Video


←Previous: Appalachian Trail #2: A Wildfire Changes Our Plan
Next: Appalachian Trail #4: Made it to Uncle Johnny’s→

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, BamatoBaxter, Hiking Tagged With: Trails

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment or Suggestion Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

FOLLOW

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed
  • Amazon
  • Patreon

SUPPORT =)

This blog is my full-time job. I rely heavily on support from my readers. If you would like to help offset the cost of running this blog and my nutty adventures so I can continue to bring you travel & outdoor adventures, please feel free to donate =)
PayPal
Cash App
Venmo

DISCLOSURE

Per the FTC, This website contains affiliate links, advertisements, and sponsored posts. For reviews, I was provided with a complimentary copy of the item unless otherwise stated. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the amazon links located on my website. Read my full policy here.

AWARDS/ASSOCIATIONS

OWAA Member Logo Best Outdoor Blogs Best Hiking Blogs

Copyright © 2025 — Nutty Hiker Advenures | Bridget Carlson • All rights reserved.
The links on this website are solely for the convenience of our visitors. Nutty Hiker does not endorse, operate, or control external websites.
Terms of Use • Privacy Policy• Disclosure• Contest Rules