Modi woke us up with tea this morning at 6:30am. Breakfast was served at 7:30am, then we set off on the trail at 8am. The majority of our fellow trekkers at Shira I Camp headed for Shira II Camp. Instead of following the crowd, Calvin and Ahi said we looked strong enough to head straight for Moir Camp. Only 3 other groups took this longer route this morning.
The majority of today’s climb was through the Moorlands climate zone. Today was easily the longest hiking day, and covered the most distance. Annie got a headache with about 2 hours left in the climb, which persisted for most of the rest of the afternoon. She took some Advil and felt much better soon after. She was nervous that the altitude was already taking its toll, and worried what it would feel like after 6,000 more feet in elevation. We passed by one of our porters, Prospa, who was not feeling well with diarrhea. We gave him rehydration tablets, water, and granola bars, and he followed us to camp for the last mile. He was sent home the next morning (fortunately he was able to take a car from a ranger hut nearby) and we found out that he had the flu.
Moir camp is situated on a cliff overlooking moorlands. We took an afternoon walk with Goonda and Ahi after a short nap. The sun set without a cloud in the sky, which gave way to a bright starry night. We were mesmerized by the clear view of the Milky Way as we stood outside after brushing teeth. At nearly 14,000 feet, the night was freezing and we layered up inside our sleeping bags for the whole night. Bathroom runs are going to be painful!
