The Amphitheatre, Silvermine

And another new hike for me! This time we set out from the upper car park at Silvermine to climb up to the ridge forming the Amphitheatre basin forming the catchment area for the Silvermine River, and in which the dam nestles. It looked incredibly daunting as we ambled up the jeep track on the left hand side, branching off into the fynbos after a few hundred metres. The sandy track with stone slabs led us steadily upward and then steeply upward as we headed for the ridge. At this stage, a group of slower, less able to climb hikers veered off to an easier walk, and soon they were small specks in the distance.
We could soon see across the southern Peninsula mountains almost to Cape Point, and across the Cape Flats north and east, where the remnants of the recent devastating fire over the Hottentots Holland were sending thin plumes skyward. With a strong southeaster developing and here to stay for a good few days, I knew the sparks would fly and sure enough, by the time our hike was over, the pall of smoke was covering the area and obscuring the mountain views. More work for our brave and seemingly tireless firefighters.
Surprisingly, we reached the top of the ridge without too much effort, although it was clear that we had climbed to quite an elevation, with the cars looking like dinky toys on the other side of the dam. Two people were swimming up and down the length of the dam, but as time went on, the wind strengthened and made the surface quite choppy, putting an end to that. The wind was a blessing, keeping us cool and better able to endure a little exertion.
It was a very enjoyable walk, with signs of protea cynaroides getting ready to burst into flower, their silky pale pink bracts pointing boldly out of their surrounding leaves. We will have to go back in February to enjoy them. A few tall watsonias still provide startling splashes of scarlet to delight the eye and add an arty touch to photos.
At the end of the ridge, we joined the jeep track and strolled leisurely down the slope. Casting our eyes to the right, it was hard to believe we had just scaled that ridge and walked along it - no ill effects and in less than three hours! A real sense of achievement.