Change of route

Yesterday I arrived at the Silvermine East gate in good time for our hike over to the Amphitheatre near Kalk Bay, and was met by a traffic jam of cars waiting outside. Although the gate is supposed to be opened at 8am, no SANparks official had yet arrived to unlock it. Much grumbling and mumbling about inefficiency and lack of service was wasted as none of those under discussion were there to hear, and we couldn't even contact them because this section of Ou Kaapse Weg is notorious for being the only part of the mountain pass without cellphone coverage. You don't want to break down along that stretch of road!
An earlier group of hikers waited an hour before giving up and going back down the valley for a much curtailed walk, while we decided to take the river trail on the other side, up to the Silvermine Dam. This was partly because of time constraints but mainly due to the increasing heat of the day, exacerbated by a late start. Sometimes a change of plan can work out for the best, and it certainly did, as we enjoyed a delightful ramble of just over 5kms through the little valley, accompanied by the babbling of the river at our side and many shady parts to keep the heat down. Our intended hike would have provided no shade whatsoever.
The gentle but steady uphill (meaning a gentle downhill) was just what was needed after Tuesday's quite strenuous climb, and a few lovely fynbos specimens and a dusky flycatcher looking down at us from the branches made for a perfect Friday morning.