Preisketolen

Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, is one of Norways biggest attractions. Found in Lysefjorden, it is a
 25 meter squared plateau, that juts out of the fjord walls 604 meters above the ocean. About 7 km long, this hike is one that thousands of tourists travel to each year. To get to the Preikestolen lodge and trail head from Stavanger, adventurers must take a ferry from Stavanger to Tau and once dropped off take a bus, or drive if their destination. From the moment Norway became a possibility I had wanted to do this hike, and lucky for me Kairi and Eric did as well.

We made the first ferry out at 8:15am and upon landing at Tau hopped a bus that would take us to Preikestolen lodge and the trailhead. I had been a little nervous about this hike. Partly because I always worry that I won't be strong enough to complete a hike of this magnitude, but also because of what I'd heard about the trail itself- that it was super steep all the way up and that there were no bathrooms, and no place along the trail to sneak off to if a bathroom break became a necessity. Kairi and I weren't taking any chances and had actually refrained from drinking anything in the morning to circumvent emergencies. It turns out that the only true fact was no bathrooms along the trail.

For me the first 1/2 km was the worst part of the entire hike. It was just a groomed trail that went straight uphill, and each step made me doubt my capability to make it to Preikestolen even more. But once past that the trail was kind of nice. There were fairly level trails through the woods. Quite a few rock stairs that, while precarious at times, is definitely preferable to that first 1/2 km. There were times we walked across flat boards over bogs, huge rock walls encircling us. Other times we traversed small rock hills with little ponds and wispy trees keeping us company. And then there were the moments we broke out onto a cliff with blue-gray lakes softly beckoning below us. All around we were greeted with the rich browns, mossy greens, and gray hues that make up the rainbow of the forest.

I had worried that going on a weekend would cause the trail to be too crowded, and while it definitely was full of people of all ages (I saw a baby just a few months old and someone at least in their mid 60s) and heard languages of all nationalities (Norwegian, English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, etc...) I don't feel that it detracted much from the power of the hike.

We had woken to a partly sunny/cloudy day in Stavanger, but at the ferry the skies held nothing but gray, and on the bus ride to the trailhead there were raindrops hitting the windshield. The rain had ceased by the time we started and on our way to the top it only visited a few times. Mostly our steps were only accompanied by foggy clouds and strong winds. I was kind of happy with that though, hot sun would have been unpleasant for climbing.

Kairi turned out to be a speed demon and had the lead most of the way, but she'd stopped for a picture with Eric and I turned out to be the first to reach and step onto Preikestolen. Every picture I have seen of this place has always looked cool. When I flew over it in the helicopter on Monday it was even more incredible and made me more excited for this hike. But actually standing on top of it, well, that was something else. A total rush of awe and excitement. I snapped a few pictures and when Kairi and Eric got there we took a lot more. I laid on my stomach and peeked over the edge - talk about an adrenaline rush! - and then sat up and had my legs dangling over and that felt even scarier!

Just as we started on our return hike the rain came. It wasn't hard, but it fell with a steady insistence for the entirety of our way back to the lodge. In true Kelly fashion, I did slip on some rocks at one point landing squarely on my right knee. It's sore now, I have a few scrapes, and I'm sure a bruise will blossom tomorrow, but it could have been worse (there was one poor man we saw come into the lodge who'd broken his arm). Thanks to a good raincoat and waterproof boots my torso and feet stayed fairly dry, but my head was soaked and my pants were pretty wet too (although I do have very good hiking pants that dry faster than some so that wasn't too awful). By the time we finished I was thoroughly chilled. The worst though was my fingers, white with frozen numbness they refused to move, to bend, to work like fingers should.

We had just missed a bus for the ferry and had an hour to way until the next, so we walked to the lodge where I headed straight for the bathroom. I grabbed paper towels to mop up my drenched faces and then tried desperately, unsuccessfully, to get my fingers to cooperate. Despite this, I managed to change into an extra t-shirt and sweater I'd packed in my backpack which had stayed surprisingly dry, but my fingers were so bad it took me 30 seconds just to snap up 2 snaps. I ran my hands under steaming hot water for a minute before giving up and joining Kairi and Eric.

They had taken a seat and ordered food from the lodge restaurant. I pulled out my snacks and ate, and was able to then warm my hands around a cup of some hot beverage that Eric had kindly pushed in my direction. The bus and ferry ride back were pretty uneventful and back in Stavanger we raced for the parking lot and our warm heated car that would take us home.

Hours later, showered, wearing warm pjs, and drinking hot peppermint tea, I am able to appreciate all of the experience much more than I was back at the lodge. The one major bummer for me is that it appears my camera has given out, which could mean no more picture taking for me the rest of my trip. That's disappointing, but honestly if the choice was between a working camera or todays hike I would choose the hike every time. It was absolutely worth it!