Dawn at Theewaterskloofdam.

"One person at a time" - heed the sign at Boesmanskloof Hut Bridge.

The overcast skies was a sure indication that an early start at 06h00 was justified. Ralph had kept tabs on the weather report and we would be lucky to avoid the rain. As we set out, a very slight drizzle had created an exquisite rainbow in the sky. The path being on the leeward side of the mountains, we were for the most part at least, sheltered from the worst of it. It was a relatively easy, mildly undulating walk with no steep climbs to speak of, at least not until the very end, just before reaching Nuweberg. The morning sun glistened off the waters of Theewaterskloof. The vast area before us, stretching all the way back to Grabouw and Elgin, is home to deciduous fruit farming. Whilst we were out in nature on a leisurely walk on the path not unsurprisingly known as the Orchard Route, for the farmers working the land, it was business as usual, despite the festive season being upon us. The silence on the descent of Bobbejaanskloof the day before was now replaced by the distant hum of machinery. I remember, as kids, we used to drive with our parents to the fruit-sorting and distribution warehouses of Elgin, buying boxes of apples and pears. Those were the days.

I was largely unprepared for the last section of the walk as we ventured ever closer to Nuweberg, when the R43 leading to Elgin and Grabouw came into view. Ralph had hinted at the fact this involved a steep climb however he might have possibly spared me the details for a number of reasons. The path drops down steeply towards a weir which crosses Riviersonderend via Vink's Bridge, reminding us somewhat of the passarella we had encountered on our Patagonian adventure two years before. The hillside on the opposite, bounded by firebreaks, was completely bare, scarred by the harvest of pines. A service road seemed to indicate a way out however a zig-zag path up the hillside was the more likely possibility. In attempting to cross a section of land littered with felled tree trunks, Ralph and I split up. Whilst he managed to pick up a signposted path to Nuweberg, I found myself stranded in no-man's land, with an option of taking the service road which in all likelihood led towards the R43 or alternatively, going over the top. It was a tough climb where the path eventually rounded a corner, from which the road leading up to the main gate of the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve was now clearly visible. By now Ralph had a significant lead on me and reached the parking spot at the forestry offices long before me.

Just as we drove along the dirt road and joined the road leading away from the main gate of the forestry station, it began to rain, a timely departure indeed. The Orchard Route path and the mountains behind it were by now bearing the brunt of a significant downpour and we were thankful that we had made an early start 6 hours before.