PreikestolenCareful. . . ! Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen)

About 20 miles east of Stavanger lies one of Norway's most popular tourist attractions, 'The Pulpit Rock' or Preikestolen in Norwegian. Perched some 1982 feet above Lysefjorden below, this 82 feet x 82 feet semi-flat hunk of granite tabletop rock sits precariously out over the water. In 2012, some 200,000 tourists visited this attraction. In the summer of 2013, my wife and I ventured up to "peek" out over the edge. I can tell you it is straight down to the water, no safety ledges, flat meadows or tree branches protruding out to cushion someone's fall. 

It took us about 2 hours to hike up to this spot seen in the photo. No switchbacks. In some places along the trail there were wood planked bridges suspended out over deep crevasses with nothing below but rock and water. The climb is so steep at several locations, they have huge stones placed like a staircase to ascend the height. Stones with heights of two feet and higher. I am 6'4" tall and have fairly long legs but in places it was all I could do to negotiate from one step to the next with no railings or cables to grab onto or hold. This attraction defies every health and safety code known to man but draws thousands of tourists every year nonetheless.

The trail towards the top can be as narrow as 3 feet (with people passing in both directions) and once to the top, you must be extremely mindful of the edge since it has no railings (not even cables), no warnings signs, no fences. Just a rock edge that ends and plummets 1900 feet. Both my wife and I ventured out to the edge to get a glimpse downward. . .on our stomachs. Quite impressive view, well worth the climb. Though I do not have a fear of heights (in most cases), I definitely feel that heights like this warrant utmost respect. Tourists at the top were sunbathing, conversing, taking photos, drinking water, eating snacks and dangling their feet over the edge. Even saw one woman sketching the scenery on a notepad while dangling her feet over the edge. One older gentleman told us he owned a farm on the plateau off in the distance, and in all his years on that farm had never climbed here to the top. "Had to do it at least once", he said. The view and size of this landscape would make any human being truly feel insignificant scale-wise. God's creation is simply astonishing.

There had not been any deaths from The Pulpit Rock for over 50 years. But in October 2013, just 2 months after we visited, a young Spanish tourist went to the edge to take one last photo, lost his footing, and fell to his death. It was reported his friends said one minute he was there, the next he was gone.

Follow-up: the folklore story to tell is of Odin, a folk god of the old Viking era in Norway. Odin is said to have overseen his kingdom in Norway and all the countryside from this pulpit rock. If you have seen the last episode of The Vikings for season 2, you would have noticed the last scene of the season with Ragnar in the distance on the Pulpit Rock, crouched down, and clutching King Horik's Sword of the Kings.