Dettifoss

[The_Traveler]

Dettifoss is probably the largest falls in Europe, 130 feet high by 300 feet wide.
Dettifoss (Vatnajokull National Park, Northeast Region, Iceland)

Below the falls it runs through a canyon and the bottom of the canyon is essentially unreachable because of the snow and ice.

What amazed me was the casual attitude of the Icelandic government towards the dangers.
This little sign - and a slender railing on one short section - was the only warning.
And we were 15 or 20 miles from any potential rescue.

The sky was overcast and the light so diffuse that we really couldn't see the snow that we were walking on. The bank, about 160 feet above the river, was obscured by thick snow, perhaps 3 or 4 feet deep and looking at the other side, it looked like the snow actually overhung the drop.

There was no way I was getting anywhere close to the edge.

 

[jaomul]

Right or wrong, looks like your on your own out there..

 

[The_Traveler]

Altho there were a good number of people at the falls, about 50 or so, to get there we drove 25 km on a road and saw not a single dwelling, construct, animal or other person.
I have no idea if there was cell coverage but we were a looooong way from any kind of help if anything happened.

 

[The_Traveler]

I just did a little calculation.
If we subtract the people in the Capitol Area of Iceland, the population density of Iceland is about .3 people per sq mile
(about 1/100th of the US)