And once again I forgot to take a picture of my campsite. At least I remembered before I’d taken the tarp down. I camped a couple of hundred yards southeast of the spring at the former Edward Beecher Recreation Area.

Decision Time

I checked my ECG when I woke up, and it was clear. That was good.

I double-checked my heart rate while I was hiking yesterday and confirmed that it was low. I maxed out at 129 BPM. I was well hydrated, so why had I gone into AFIB? Well, that was puzzling, but there was nothing I could do about it. Now what to do? I had several thoughts overnight.

• I’ve never had a second bout of AFIB immediately after it’s cleared. If I carried on, maybe, at worst, it would reoccur on Day Three, by which time I’d already be heading back towards the trailhead. I had one extra pill left, and normally, that would be enough to bring it back under control.
• There are many forest roads crossing the trail. If I needed to bail out, I could use them as a shortcut back to the trailhead and, if I was lucky, hitch a lift.
• I was sure missing a couple of days of the coated Aspirin would not significantly change my blood’s clotting ability.
• I could cut my hiking speed considerably and take things a lot easier on the trail with frequent stops.
• Today was going to be my shortest mileage day, so if I went further, I could cut down on the distance I had to travel the following two days.
• Of course, I could take the most sensible option and head straight back to the trailhead.

I checked the map, and found a flat area on a ridge to the north of the trail between Little Brazil Creek and Brazil Creek that would make a good place to stop. It would push the day’s mileage up from five-and-a-half miles to more like seven, but I could make that decision when I got to Little Brazil Creek.

Stubborn Gary took over, and I decided to carry on. I’d regret it if I went home without at least trying to get further along the trail. Once I was hiking, I’d check my ECG again, and if there was any sign of a problem, I’d turn around immediately and head back to the trailhead.

By ten-fifty, I was packed and ready to get on the trail. I’d heard a couple of horses go by, and that was it. I headed down to the spring, grabbed enough water to last me until lunchtime, and headed north toward Little Brazil Creek.

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