So we woke up this morning to this..
and we left to do this…
We actually woke up late because it poured with rain all night so we didn’t think we would be doing the hike today. That’s the thing with Norway, the weather changes all the time. Countless times we have watched the rain roll towards us and then watch as the sun appears from the clouds literally minutes after. Obviously we awoke to sunshine and the idea that we would get to Preikestolen before the crowds had faded along with the rain.
I had been a little nervous about the hike as the guide book had said “challenging”. Doug is a mountain goat he never stops to take a breath and I’m more fish out of water that needs to take large gulps of air.
Right from the get go its uphill and as its a 4 hour trek, I felt the nerves kick in. Meanwhile the mountain goat is passing people in all their flash hiking gear, at a great rate of knots.
I needn’t have worried because the hike is more “Medium” level than challenging, that or after years of chasing the mountain goat on hikes – I have developed more stamina.
The actual path was upgraded by Sherpas from Nepal so its in tip top condition and a pleasure to walk with some stunning scenery along the way.
The actual Pulpit Rock is magnificent with stunning views up the Lysefjord and beyond but its a scary place to be and what got to us was the risks some people were taking just for the “perfect” instagram shot.
The drop is sheer. We googled it when we got home and yes people have died whilst endeavoring to take that perfect shot.
My mountain goat can certainly climb but he definitely doesn’t like heights so after a lunch stop sitting not too near to the edge of Pulpit Rock, we climbed back down.
We are both wondering if we will be able to walk tomorrow but it will be another unforgettable day here in Norway.
We haven’t gone too far tonight, we are heading to Bergen along the National Tourist Route 13 which is the Fjord Route. Naturally this means catching ferries, crossing death defying bridges and driving through tunnels. The longest tunnel we drove through today was nearly 5km long through the mountainside. As I write this post we are sitting on the edge of a Fjord where the ferry crosses to Nesvik, (I have marked it on my map), watching the ferry cross to and fro and the fishermen catch fish off the wharf infront of us. My mountain goat is wishing for a fishing rod.
We had a fictional conversation today, it went like this..
“So how was Greece”? Joe asked.
“We didn’t get to Greece” we replied.
“So how was Italy” Joe asked.
“We didnt get to Italy” we replied.
“So how was Spain” Joe asked.
“We didn’t get to Spain” we replied.
“Why?” Joe asked.
Because we never left Norway.
Downunder Wanderings 