Breakfast at 6.30am, none too soon if you went to bed at 9pm (extremely healthy appetites became a feature of our climb and the food was great). It was another glorious day. We departed for what was to be a long day but it was fine. Most of the walk consisted of gentle climbs through valleys but there were 2/3 very steep climbs (all short). Evans is a fantastic guide, calming, confidence inspiring and very sensible about encouraging walkers to go slowly.
(Most important, to avoid getting altitude sickness, walk slowly and drink lots of water.)
Evans is also most tolerant of constant questions and lots of giggling. All kinds of flora and fauna spotted this day (e.g the bird ‘mountain chat’, the rock hyrax, amazing rivers, views of the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya etc). Our lunch spot was by a beautiful river, where we ate more delicious food and rested.
We arrived at Shiptons Camp about 3pm that afternoon. This is a bigger camp looking up at the Mt. Kenya peaks. There are 2 large dorms with a flushing toilet in each. There is a dining area with long tables. This is a great place to sit and share adventures with other climbers. We sat and drank tea until dinner arrived: chicken curry and amazing banana fritters (another Evans skill). If we thought it was cold in Moses, this was another story altogether. Once night came, it was freezing (Bed at 8pm!!) You cannot be over-prepared for this. Our porters very kindly filled a water bottle for me which greatly facilitated the sleeping process.