Dusk snuck upon us as we sat in the Lilland Hotel in the Preikestolen Village, sampling beers and munching on olives with multigrain toasts. It had been a long day, and we could hardly muster the energy to head back to our bed and breakfast in Hundvag.

I wanted to get some thoughts down on the hike while the day was still fresh in my mind. But that evening, sitting in bed replaying the day in my head, all I could write went something like this:

            I guess I should be writing about my day today, but I’m finding it so hard to put everything into words. Maybe it’s because of the exhaustion radiating through my body and mind, or maybe it’s because it was truly indescribable. Let me sleep on this one. Let me dream about this one. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.

 Even now I’ll fail to describe it, because hiking Preikestolen was a dream in itself. All the other trails I’ve set foot on paled in comparison, no hike I had ever done before came close to preparing me for hiking in the Norwegian fjord country.

Dense snow coated the landscapes and long, protruding icicles decorated the mountains. Spiked shoes and hiking poles kept us from sliding down the terrain as we traversed the hills and valleys of the trail. Were you to stop and look around, any given vantage point would astound.

Winds whipped through the mountains, causing the snow to create its own peaks and valleys. The closer to the top, the harder the wind whipped, pelting snow onto our faces as we trudged on.  Above and beyond all expectations, dark blue began to peak above the top of the snowy hill. The building excitement muted the feel of the cold snow on my cheeks and my mouth hung agape as we reached the top.

“Welcome to my office”, our guide Erend said as he proudly looked out towards the horizon. An infinite view of mountain ranges dusted white seemed to encircle us. The fjord safely flowed in between, glittering against the sunlight that cracked through the clouds. The only colors the eye could see were blues, white, and the gray of the rock that shown through the white.

The view seemingly could not be more spectacular, until Erend led us to the Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen itself. It was as if someone had sawed away at the mountain and left a podium pointing out. “Here, stand right here, dance on the edge of elements”, the mountains seemed to say. “Learn how to feel so free and detached and oh listen to the amazing sound of silence that sleeps in the mountains”.

How does looking over the edge make you feel so many emotions at once? How often do you have a moment in your life and really think “wow, this is the greatest moment of my life.” I can tell you without a doubt that this was one of those moments.