Another hot, hot hike

The temperature forecast for Cape Town yesterday was 31 degrees. As most of us know, this varies considerably from place to place and the important thing is that it indicates the temperature at Cape Town International Airport, three feet from the ground in the shade. What we all tend to forget is that when in the sun, this temperature is way higher, particularly when there is no wind.
We set out from Boyes Drive at the Ou Kraal corner where the massive crane and controversial ginormous earthworks are under way, marvelling at how the positioning of the crane allowed it to swing over our heads as we walked on the trail, and follow the contour of the mountain. Some clever arithmetic.
The easy trail rises gradually but consistently from the road towards Kalk Bay but offers no shade and it wasn't long before the men were perspiring and the ladies glowing. As always, the views across the bay were magnificent, and the tidal pools of St James and Dalebrook beckoned very enticingly far below. We passed the shark spotter under a shady rock, looking cool in his sunglasses. If we hadn't looked to our right, we would have passed him by unnoticed, which made us even more aware of the need to be vigilant on the mountain at all times - past history has not been good.
A descent to Weary Willy's brought us to a tumbling brook of clear mountain water still running strongly for this time of year and took the opportunity to have a splash to cool down a little. Some enterprising artist has chiselled a pictogram of a fish on a rock, although it certainly wouldn't have been in the stream! And then it was upwards towards Spes Bona forest and even further to our intended destination of the Amphitheatre.
The track was steep, with large rock steps to help hikers in some parts, and the sun was relentless on our backs. Above us, the steep cliffs of the mountain loomed, promising ample shade if we ever got there. By now, some of the hikers were suffering from the heat and a group decided to stay in the cooler shelter of a huge tumble of boulders, while the rest decided to continue to the forest, but then abandon the rest of the hike. It was a popular decision.
At that point, my cellphone rang (I have it on to track the hike and for safety) and after that, it was a bit of a circus. A personal emergency had occurred and I needed to retrieve an email, which meant I needed access to mobile data, not just a cellphone signal, and of course we had gone up a ravine which effectively cut me off from that. So ensued a scurrying up and down the trail (the heat was forgotten!) seeking a signal and eventually heading off on a side track to come within sight of Simon's Town where there were plenty of masts. It probably took half an hour, but I actually managed to sort it out from the top of a mountain - moral of the story - always carry your cellphone and have plenty of battery and access to mobile data where available. The GPS tracker resembles the path of a person trying to escape from a swarm of bees!
All the extra activity ensured that I had more than my fair share of peak cardio while the rest of the hikers carried on to the forest and back and the group in the shade at the boulders enjoyed coffee and buns!
The hike back to the cars didn't get any cooler although this time it was thankfully all downhill and we all agreed that this was yet another walk that should be reserved for the cooler months! It's very beautiful and not over strenuous in the right temperature conditions and I'm looking forward to doing it again.