Day 12: Kjerag

The alarm clock rings at 6 o'clock. Rene, Michael, and I sneak out, we want to climb the Kjerag mountain without the children. The journey there takes 2.5 hours. We start our tour from the Øygardstølen parking lot at 9 o'clock sharp. It goes steeply uphill right away. The difficulty is that there are hardly any steps, but mostly steep cliffs. Safety chains have been hammered into the rock and they could be used well for the ascent and descent. The first ascent goes up to 185 meters and then 75 meters downhill into a valley, which includes a small lake. The view of the Lysefjord is initially denied us, as clouds hang between the walls. But there is a beautiful sight.
Now we climb another 120 meters up to descend again by 90 meters on the other side. After a short break, we take on the toughest stage. It goes steeply uphill for about 200 meters. The structures of the rock change only slightly. Once at the top, we are on a plateau. Now the path is easier. We follow the small signs to the destination. Shortly before, it gets difficult again. Between two cliffs, the path goes over large rocks past a small stream straight to the endpoint. Already in the distance, we discover the large rock between the cliffs. Some tourists climb onto the rock and have their photos taken. The view from above of the Lysefjord is now also free, and we look out over the fjord from a height of 1000 meters. We are happy to have reached the destination and enjoy our lunch. The ascent takes about 2 hours. We also see a rope over the rocks and a woman balancing on it, of course with a safety rope. Initially, there are about 30 people in the area, and now more and more people are pushing in. Fortunately, there are significantly fewer people than at Preikestolen. Rene and Michael do not dare to climb onto the rock. I take a look at it and decide to do it. Rene doesn't want me to do it. Unfortunately, I have to wait for a while before I can take the step. When it's my turn, my heart beats strongly. It's a small path around a rock, and then a big step has to be taken. Then I stand on the rock that is wedged 1000 meters above the fjord. I focus on the photos and don't look down. It also goes by quickly. Now we go back. Michael goes a bit higher, we start the return journey. It doesn't seem so exhausting to me anymore. The descent over the steep polished granite proves to be problematic. Proudly, we reach the parking lot after a total of 5 hours and almost 10 km. The return journey is quick.
Meanwhile, Erik and David are playing by the sea with grandma and grandpa. There they discover the animal and plant world. They are very happy to see us again.