The weather took an amazing turn this weekend and the mountains begged to be run. I decided to do an early start around sunrise, and headed out to Silvermine East to do some adventuring. Having done some routes on that side before, I had a general idea of what to expect and where to go.
From the main gate I headed down the main track and then to the single track over the waterfall. Following the track to the right around the ridge, I hit some pretty steep uphills and slowed the running down somewhat :P I made my way in the direction of Kalk Bay and found the turn to Cave Peak.
After making my way to the top, the view was breathtaking. The whole of Simon's Town opened up below - the view is incredible.
Next I headed to the Kalk Bay viewpoint, and again - another breathaking view. The only route I could see lead to Boye's Drive. and I wasn't keen on going halfway down only to realise there was no way back to the entrance. This is one of the things I love about hiking and trail running - as long as you have your bearings you can explore safely. Also, the routes taken are generally quite well travelled so it shouldn't be too long before you come across someone if you really get into a pinch :)
I retraced my steps and then made my way towards the exit, slowly but surely. There are so many great single tracks in Silvermine East that it's difficult to not run them. Running the trails this morning really made me remember why I love trail running so much - silence, beauty, peace. And you get a great workout without even realising it :)
I took a slow jog back to the entrance, soaking the beauty in as much as I could. Total time taken was 2h20min, and the route ended up being just shy of 14km.
Some statistics for anyone interested:
- Distance: 13.7km
- Time: 2h22min
- Average Heart Rate: 164 bpm
- Max Heart Rate: 194 bpm
- Calories: 903kcal
- Average Pace: 10:05 min/km
- Max Pace: 3:26 min/km
- Average Cadence: 68 spm (137)
- Max Cadence: 108 spm (216)
- Steps: 14140
