Silvermine sunshine stroll
The extreme rains of the last two months have meant most hikes have been cancelled or rerouted, and our intrepid leaders have been hard pressed to find non-muddy yet soul-soothing trails for hikers with cabin fever. In other words, none of us like tarred roads and suburban strolls. It was a delight to see the sun breaking out yesterday, enabling us to set off in mild conditions for a walk in the hills of Silvermine Nature Reserve. With no intention of doing the big climbs, such as Noordhoek Peak or the Amphitheatre – not for nothing are we called Slowly Up the Hills – we looked forward to exploring lesser trails that would lead us through thick fynbos, already showing new growth ahead of the approaching Spring, and admiring the expansive views from rocky outcrops not yet discovered.
The parking area half way to the dam provided easy access to the start of the trail and we headed south over the river, taking a left along the contour rather than the steeper track leading up to the Amphitheatre. It soon became apparent that the shallow track had proved to be the way of least resistance for the water that rushed down the slopes in the recent rains, and from time to time we were close enough to a babbling brook to revel in the sound of pristine waters rushing over rocks on their way to the sea. A slight berg wind was enough to make us shed most layers of clothing – it’s always best to be dressed for a blizzard in Cape Town, as weather conditions are often unpredictable – and thoughts of summer heat trickled into our memories. The best seasons for hiking are obviously Spring and Autumn, not only for the temperature, but for the changing fynbos and birdlife. There were few birds, mainly due to their food source not being quite ready, with only a few striking mimetes starting to open. Patches of pink and purple ericas grew low among the golden yellow leucadendrons, where insect pollinators have easy access. The taller ericas, with long tubular flowers mimicking the beaks of sunbirds will appear later, and with them, an irrepressibly cheerful twittering of the Southern Double-collared Sunbird will ring in these hills. But for now we had to make do with the distant, somewhat mournful call of a Southern Boubou or two.
The first picture shows Cape Hangklip as a faint peak in the left-hand dip with False Bay peeping through in the centre. The views in each direction are worth every step, whether steep or rocky, or in this trail’s case, eroded! There were times when it was a veritable canyon, and was a source of hilarity and opportunity to use leg muscles that we didn’t know we had. We rested among the fynbos to enjoy coffee and biscuits before continuing down to the jeep track via Mimetes Valley, well named for its numerous healthy specimens of my favourite protea. These tend to be concentrated in specific areas in the mountains, possibly due to the method of pollination. An interesting fact is that the mimetes is not killed by fire and is a resprouter.
Once we reached the jeep track, the way back to the cars (left at the paygate) was by means of a fairly steep ascent, which necessitated a few breathing stops by me, but as always they were an excuse to enjoy the tinkling waters of the stream where frogs croaked and tadpoles wriggled! A very pleasant, easy walk, with crisscrossing paths and not much opportunity for getting lost when taking a wrong turn.
