The hike to the rock

One of my main purpose to visit Norway is to visit its amazing Fjords. The first time I was doing some research on my impending trip to Norway, I was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of Fjord tours one can choose from. It took me days of browsing through forums and reading up reviews on those Fjord tours but somehow none of those tours really appeal to me. Most of those Fjord sightseeing trips usually bring us around by ships or express boats into the Fjords and we can only be able look at those towering mountains from afar. However I know wanted something more, I wanted to be near so that I can touch and feel nature myself. We decided to hike our way up to the Pulpit Rock, a huge rock formation jutting out 600m above the Lysefjord, in Forsand, near Stavanger. We started out early from Stavanger, taking a ferry to Tau. From there, a bus was already waiting at the port for passengers to bring us to the starting point of the hike. The sky was quite heavily overcast during our bus ride to the starting point of the hike. True to the weather forecast, it started to drizzle when we set out on our hike at 10am. The hike took about 2 hours, one way. I’ve read that the trail wasn’t entirely too difficult for unexperienced hikers, but I think it could be quite tricky at some places when it was wet and slippery. What started out as a slight drizzle turned into sheets of rain after 15mins into the hike, making everywhere too wet for us to stop and rest or take pictures!I trudged on, uncomplaining, listening to the dull, patter of rain on my thin jacket, all the while thinking that I must be out of my mind setting out on a such a treacherous hike when it was pouring rain. We were driven forward by the unrelenting rain because to stop wasn’t a choice, nor to turn back as we’ve come so far. The trail varies from flat and easy at some part to steep and slippery where stream of water flows. We had to climb over tree branches, hop over rocks and pools of mud, at times clambered on all fours to ascend those massive boulders.During our ascent, we didn’t have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and actually look around us due to the constant rain. Our single-minded goal was to reach the top safely without twisting our ankles or risking a fall. Therefore we didn’t realized what a feat we’ve accomplished when on our way down (thankfully the rain had stopped), we actually saw the trail and thinking back, OH MY GOODNESS, did we actually climb this under the rattle of rain?But our effort paid off and the weather lifted just in time when we reached the platform of the Pulpit Rock around noon. The view above and along the way more than made up for all our effort. Below and everywhere around us is the Lysefjord, stretched out magnificently before us, its beauty untouched. It was absolutely humbling to behold the landscape around me. We rested and had our packed lunch on the platform while being on cloud nine (at least I was ). Before heading down to catch the bus, which brought us back to the port of Tau, I had to sit on the cliff of the Pulpit Rock. It was absolutely an out-of-the-world experience to have my legs dangling precariously on the edge. It didn’t occur to me at all that someone behind me could trip and fall on me, pushing me off the cliff. All I had in mind at that moment was, I was so lucky to behold such splendour surrounding me, here and now. During the bus ride, there was a short description about the Pulpit Rock played on a recorder. According to the legend, the Pulpit Rock will fall into the Fjord one day, when the seven sisters from the region marry the seven brothers from the same region. The bus driver jokingly said, ‘Remember it’s one day, so maybe it’s not today’. Well, I really hope the rock will still be where it is for a long, long time to come.

A tip from me: do have proper footwear and clothing (both waterproof) if you plan to hike the Pulpit Rock. Pack along your lunch and bring enough water to replenish your energy, you’ll need it for your way down . If it starts to rain on your way up, just put on your rain coat, keep smiling and trudge forward no matter what. Trust me. You won’t be disappointed .