Lonely
Planet has ranked Pulpit Rock as one of the top ten most beautiful natural
sights in the whole world. Each year, over 200,000 tourists hike the 4
kilometres along the Lysefjorden to reach Pulpit Rock and take in the view.
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| Ferry dock in Lauvvik |
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| Dave getting ready to board the ferry in Lauvvik |
This
morning I woke up in Stavanger giddy with excitement—it was the first time all
trip that I was ready to go before Dave. Just before 9:00 am we checked out of
our hotel, repacked the car, and then hit the road. We followed highway 13 as
it twisted and turned, to the small town of Lauvvik, where we boarded a ferry
to Oanes. From there, we continued on highway 13 north-east, until we reached
the turn off for Preikestolen.
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| Preikestolen = Pulpit Rock in Norwegian |
The hike to
Pulpit Rock is four kilometres out and back, making it 8 kilometres total.
Everything we read told us to give ourselves lots of time—at least 4 hours.
This seemed generous, even accounting for variable levels of fitness, but as
soon as we stepped on the trail we understood why. The trail was absolutely
rammed with people: it seemed everyone and their grandparent, kid, dog and baby
had decided to make the trek to Pulpit Rock today.
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| Dave leading the way on the hike to Pulpit Rock |
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| We were never more than 20 feet from another person the entire hike |
Dave and I
spent most of the ascent dodging and weaving around families, which meant we
absolutely flew up the mountain. The crowds thinned a bit the further up we
went, but I was impressed by the general stamina and determination of those
around us. I saw more dogs and babies at the top than I ever would have bet on.
We reached the
summit of Pulpit Rock trail just after 12:00 pm, 70 minutes after leaving the
parking lot (four hours, take that!) At the top, Dave admitted he had been
keeping track as we went, and only one person passed us the whole way.
We, by comparison,
must have passed at least 500 people!
The view
from the top was stunning, as could be expected. Pulpit Rock was formed 10,000
years ago by glaciers. As the glaciers melted, the rock face split off in
sharp, even chunks, giving Pulpit Rock its distinctive look. The rock itself is
25 x 25 meters, which gave people lots of space to take selfies, dangle their
legs—and for those very brave—peer over the edge and take in the sheer drop
down.
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| Approaching Pulpit Rock from the trail |
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| Dave on Pulpit Rock |
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| On Pulpit Rock, looking Eastward |
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| Dave was a daredevil and peered over the edge! |
After
taking the obligatory photos on Pulpit Rock, we retreated further up the rock
face, to relax and enjoy the lunch we had brought with us.
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| Pulpit Rock from above |
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| Above Pulpit Rock with fjords in the distance |
The descent
back down from Pulpit Rock was less manic, as Dave and I agreed to go more
slowly and take in the view of the Lysefjorden, which follows the trail on the
south side for much of the way. We were lucky to have blue skies and sunshine
as the backdrop for the entire hike: many people aren’t as lucky, as the weather
in Norway is notably unpredictable and rain often dims the views.
We made it
back to our car a little before 4:00 pm, which means the entire trip took us
about 5 hours—but we spent quite a long time relaxing at the top.
For
tonight, we are staying at the Preikestolen Fjellstue, a modest restaurant and
lodge located at the base of the hiking trail on Lake Revsvatnet.
Tomorrow we
drive North, to Trolltunga!
Until then,
Heather
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