Thursday, September 5th - to call this a day that I'd been looking forward to with both excitement and a little dread - that would be accurate! The day had arrived for Ryan and I to hike Preikestolen - Pulpit Rock - one of the most visited tourist attractions in all of Norway!
Stavanger is about forty minutes from the Preikestolen Base Camp, but it's also one of the closest cities to the hike, so that's why our stay in Stavanger aligned with our hike! The drive from Stavanger is pretty straightforward, thanks to the longest (14 KM) and deepest underwater tunnel constructed back in 2019 that means you no longer have to take a ferry and then a bus to get the to base camp! I wasn't wild about being in a tunnel for almost twelve miles, but I'm glad it's there to make the destination easier to get to!
I only knew one person who had been to Preikestolen before; she's much more athletic than me, but she encouraged that my sneakers would be fine and I would be good to go. So with a Camel Bak filled to the brim and two additional stainless steel water bottles, protein bars and additional snacks - we set out to conquer this hike shortly after 8:30 AM! And let me tell you - the hike went up immediately, there was no easing yourself into this one, ha-ha!
The path was your run of the mill hiking trail, gravel and uphill for the first little bit and then it turned into rocks! A rock path, rock steps, it was nothing but rocks y'all! We were surprised to see that after only a small bit of hiking along, we'd arrived at a view point already - what a delight! However, when you consider that you start 890 feet above sea level, you've already started at an elevated position, so you will have views from the start and let me tell you - they will only get better as you go!
After our quick stop at the first overlook, we headed along a rocky path and while sometimes the trail headed up, for a little while it was fairly flat as we hopped along the rocks. We arrived at the first of the signs that show just where you are along the trail and I think we were both surprised to see how far we'd already come... but that was also misleading, ha-ha! We also discovered our new favorite warning: do not poop in nature! We absolutely were in stitches when we read this and couldn't help but wonder why that had to be mentioned so specifically?!?
We made it to the first meadow in the hike and cruised easily along the boardwalks winding across the marshy portions of the meadow. We could hear a waterfall coming from somewhere in the distance, but we couldn't see it because of the heavy tree line in every direction. We should have enjoyed the straight and flat while we had the chance, because once we headed into the trees ahead of us - the stone steps went straight up the side of the mountain... so up we went too!
The higher we went, the more incredible the views became! The hike usually takes about 4 hours round trip - not taking into account the time a hiker spends at the summit. After climbing numerous sets of steps up the edge of the mountainside, we rounded a corner and headed down some stone steps... there was quite a bit of up and down... The steps led us to another open area; not a meadow this time, but flat rock face with small lakes on either side. This hike absolutely offered so many different types of landscapes to take in - it was fascinating!
And yes - because of genetics - my face gets rosier with every step I take! So by the time we reached the top, I was looking like a ripe tomato!
I have to admit - the final ascent almost did me in! It was a climb up the rock face that was probably at about a 75 degree angle; and after almost 2.4 miles of climbing up and down, my legs were screaming at me as we climbed the final portion of the trail It was wonderful to know that when we arrived at the top, all I had to do was sit down and take in the stunning views! And then - once we crested the top of the hill, we were there! And the trail - well - it hugged the edge of the mountain on the right and to the left, it dropped straight down into the fjord below! Eek!
There were quite a few people at the top - but it wasn't as crowded as it could have been and we were thankful for that! One thing at the top that impressed me... in a world where people argue and bicker and fight over the smallest things; at the top of this majestic rock, people willingly formed a line and happily took pictures for the people in line behind or ahead of them. Don't speak the same language? It doesn't matter - everyone figures it out with no problem, laughing and smiling along the way. I waited in line while Ryan crept ever closer to the edge... and then it was our turn to take pictures!
A wonderful little coincidence that took place; my parents were on a fjord cruise down below, gliding along the Lysefjord underneath Pulpit Rock, and their boat arrived at the rock right about the time we made it to the summit! So when Ryan kept creeping closer to the edge, it was so he could snap pictures of the boat racing along under the rock! The boat that we confirmed later was; in fact, the boat that my parents were on! I have to say, that was such a fun little coincidence to have play out!
The views from Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) are breathtaking - I'm sure that is pretty obvious. Pictures won't ever do it justice but Ryan and I both did our best to capture the stunning beauty of this place. From the starting point of the hike, we'd gained 1,096 feet of elevation and when you're standing on the edge of the rock, you truly feel like you are standing on top of the world. Standing on this spot, in the middle of Norway, with the realization that I'd climbed all the way to the top - it was a pretty incredible feeling!
It's a pretty incredible feeling - until you remember that you have 2.4 miles back in the way you came to conquer and the hike is only halfway done, ha-ha!
We made it to the top in a little over 2.5 hours; a time that I was pretty impressed with! Somehow going down seemed more difficult than going up - I guess taking all those stone steps down is a bit harder on the legs than taking them up? I don't know, but man - heading back down on already trembling legs was definitely a feat unto itself! The trip down also included so many more people; we'd made it to the top shortly before 11 AM, so while we weren't the earliest to the summit, we were some of the earlier people there. There were masses of people heading up as we were heading down - I'm glad we started when we did!
The views as we headed down were just as spectacular as when we were going up - after hopping down and around all the stone steps for what seemed like forever, we found ourselves back at the meadow with the boardwalk stretching along ahead of us - flat and straight! From there, we just had a few more flights of steps, some stone pathways and then the final gravel descent to the base camp! I will confess that I took more breaks on the way back down than I did on the way back up - but before we knew it, we were rounding the corner and coming into the base camp lot - where the gift shop and cafe were!
I borrowed a couple pictures from my Mom and Dad - since they saw the rock from below! It's crazy to think that all the miniscule people that are milling around on the top... we were two of those people! Arriving back at the base camp, I was completely blown away that I had accomplished this hike... and I was also completely exhausted! My legs were trembling and when I sat down at the picnic table at the base camp, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up! However, after Ryan grabbed us some souvenirs, we drove back to Stavanger, picked up my parents and headed for Kristiansand!
The souvenirs we bought? Medals - much like you'd get for completing a race! But hey - we clocked our hike at just over six miles, we made a 1,096 foot gain in elevation, we traversed gravel, stone, rock steps, flat rock face and rock scrambles - all to make it to the summit of Preikestolen. The summit has been standing guard over the Lysefjord for approximately 10,000 years, ever since the glacier that created it melted away and left the stunning formation. So yes - I did indeed get myself a medal for conquering the mountain!
***************************************************
Stops & Stays Along the Way
No comments:
Post a Comment