Pulpit Rock (Hyvlatonnå) Forsand, Norway

Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Pulpit Rock or Preacher Pulpit, and by the old local name Hyvlatonnå (the carpenter-plane blade), is a massive cliff 604 meters above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway. The top of the cliff is approximately 25 by 25 meters, almost flat, and is a famous tourist attraction in Norway.

People took the 3.8 km hike to Preikestolen, making it one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway. The road to the site ends at a parking facility at Preikestolen Fjellstue. A trail extends from the parking facility to the site, which goes through a variety of mountain landscapes. A trip to Preikestolen from the closest car park takes about 3–4 hours for a round-trip hike. The walk to Preikestolen is very steep in places. The hike takes 1–3 hours depending on experience and fitness level. Even though the elevation differential is only 334 meters and the walk is not particularly long. The walk is not recommended in winter and spring when there is snow and ice, and the track may be slippery. The best season to hike the trail is from April to October. Sturdy shoes and rain gear are recommended for the hike. An alternative to the site is available year round: a ferry trip sails beneath the Pulpit rock through the Lysefjord. The weather other than in the summer can be wet and cold, and clouds can then prevent seeing the rock. The cliff was formed during the ice age, about approximately 10,000 years ago, when the edges of the glacier reached the cliff. The water from the glacier froze in the crevices of the mountain and eventually broke off large, angular blocks, which were later carried away with the glacier. This is the cause of the angular shape of the plateau. Along the plateau itself there continues to be a deep crack. The cracks show that the plateau will at some point fall down, but all the geological investigations have revealed that this event will not happen in the foreseeable future, and the geologists have thus confirmed the safety of the plateau.

/Wikipedia.org/

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