Kjerag: Part 1
This past weekend was the last one we had with Jason's sister Lily before she headed to the States. Keeping with our Norwegian hiking theme (we did Månafossen and Preikestolen the previous two weekends) we decided to conquer Kjerag.
We left Friday afternoon and took the ferry to Lysebotn. The route is basically the same as the popular tourist attraction, but we didn't have to deal with tourists. ;-) The boat makes frequent stops at small docks along the way that have people's summer cabins. The ferry is the only way to get to some of the places and when you are ready to leave, you just call them up and they will make a stop. How cool is that?!
The ferry ride also allowed us to see a view of Preikestolen from the fjord. It's crazy to think that just the previous weekend we had been hiking up there! The ticket collector was getting our tickets when we passed it and pointed it out to us - I don't think we would have recognized it otherwise!
Once we arrived in Lysebotn, we took a break to feed Madi and let her run around for a bit before making our way to the cabin in Sirdal.
The drive from Lysebotn to Sirdal was about an hour and it was an incredibly windy and beautiful drive and we stopped a few places along the way to take pictures. It was so fun for Jason that he woke up early Sunday morning to drive it with the gopro when no other cars would be around. That's dedication. ;-)
We enjoyed fabulous weather the whole weekend and took advantage of the balcony at the cabin. We ate dinner on the deck, played card games, and just relaxed.
We also had some entertainment. The three sheep below are a trio of trouble-makers! We watched the sheep herders (people and dogs) try and wrangle these three rebels every night we were there. It was pretty funny to watch a car, dog, and multiple people chase after them!
Saturday morning we woke up early to head to the start of the kjerag hike. We were anticipating the hike to take us a good 2.5-3 hours each way based on input from co-workers and friends. The sign averages 2.5 hours. I am proud to say that we made it in 2 hours, 15 min each way! And that's stopping to take pictures, trade off who was carrying Madi, and going at a comfortable pace.
Family selfie at the Kjeragbolten sign! (Madi discovered she could get water out of the camelbak and then refused to let it go most of the way down...)
Here's an example of how Madi hikes: (1) Ready to rock this. (2) Onward Daddy! (3) Passed out. Oh to be a baby and get carried in a comfortable chair the whole way. :-)
You'll notice I've left one critical part out... kjeragbolten! I'll be back tomorrow with some pictures showing the hiking trail and the infamous kjeragbolten photos that I know are the part you really want to see. :-)
Until then, I'll leave you with this gorgeous skyline that I snapped on the car ride back home on Sunday afternoon.
