. I take the path towards Vesturdalur and this time the path stays nice and close to the edge of the gorge. I have a great view of the rocks and a high waterfall on the other side. The official route joins me again and not long after the path turns away from the gorge around a hill, where I come across a fence and some sheep. The soil is a thick layer of black ash making hiking as hard as on sand. Then I descend and I see a disorderly collection of rocks below. As I get closer, there are the most fantastic basalt formations. The hexagonal and octagonal shapes fan out in countless variations. There are also honeycomb-like blocks, smooth and shiny. It's so tempting to stop and take pictures, but my feet are pretty wet and I hike on to the campsite. There I pitch my tent, put on dry socks and after a hot meal I go out again for an evening walk. I want to take a close look at the beautiful basalt formations and without a backpack it’s a lot easier. I hike and climb and am amazed. What an eruption this must have been, the basalt formations are tens of meters high. A sign points to side paths and if a rock has its own nameplate, it must be a special rock formation. The Kirkjan looks like a chapel, the lava rises gracefully and forms a hollow space. Very special. I don't venture deep into the cave, because the rocks are more fragile than they appear and a whole pile of basalt blocks adorn the bottom of the chapel. Also in the ceiling I spot a few of which I wanna bet they aren't too solidly attached anymore. Another side path and there’s a wall which looks a bit like a medieval fortress. Interestingly, some places are as smooth as concrete, with holes through which the angular basalt peeks out. Eventually I leave the basalt formations behind and climb a special, red mountain. A beautiful contrast to the deep blue sky and the green on the other side of the gorge. It's Rauðhólar, the red hill, but the top is closed to prevent erosion. How unfortunate, I saw a rock arch I would have liked to see up close. I return along the main route, only following a side path which leads to a lava cave. If only I could spend the night there. But I don't know how stable the cave is and I return to my tent satisfied.

Day 2: Vesturdalur - Dentifoss 20 km
The last day of my Icelandic vacation starts dry and sunny. I quickly set off and from the parking lot at Vesturdalur a wide and easy path leads to Dettifoss. The Jökulsárgljúfur is wide here and although I can still see the angular shapes of basalt blocks across the river, the formations are not as spectacular as yesterday. A little further on I see two columns known as Karl and Kerling, meaning ‘guy’ and ‘old woman’. What myth could be behind that? The path winds on, and in the distance I see water vapor that can only be thrown up by a powerful waterfall. At a sign ‘Katla’ I cannot resist and dive into a side path, which I hope will return to the main route. I descend to an island in the middle of the Jökulsà à Fjöllum and have a beautiful view of the river. The path continues to a narrow gorge, but because the river has undercut the rocky bank, the last part to the best viewpoint is closed. A pity. I return to the main route and a few hills further I still see the waterfall, a crooked V-shape across which the water plunges down with an impressive roar. After a while I descend to the Stalla, a large river that tumbles through a narrow bed and joins the Jökulsà à Fjöllum. White crests on the water do not bode well for the crossing. I follow the way marks upstream to a ford, where fortunately the river is wider and without ripples glides along calmly. That means it's deep, deep enough to swap my shoes for the sandals for the last time. I can now call myself a veteran when it comes to fording rivers and I look at my opponent with recently gained expertise. Rolling up my trouser legs above the knee should be enough. I step into the water and use my trekking poles to provide stability. The river bed consists of small stones and I walk to the other side without any problems. The water is not even too cold and I continue refreshed. It is sunny and windless and so there are flies. Not very many fortunately and I bear it well. In fact, when I take a picture, I am so focused that I don't notice them at all. And there is plenty to enjoy here. First, a rock face appears where the basalt has gathered in straight, orderly columns. Then I come to a powerful waterfall where the river plunges white foam across the rocks. Hólmárfossar actually consists of four or five waterfalls next to each other, where the river divides and squeezes through the vegetation in several places. It is beautiful, an unexpected gift which brightens my day even more. Along the water there’s a path up through an open and muddy birch forest full of wild flowers. I climb to a bridge across the river and here the trail becomes wide and easy again. There must be a parking lot nearby, because tourists are pampered here. And indeed, not much later I reach a small parking lot with only park ranger’s jeep. I have a brief lunch break on a patch of grass in the sun and I make grateful use of the latrine. I also delete some pictures, because after more than three weeks I am on my third and last memory card. When it cools down I continue and because of the hill I climb I quickly feel warm again. The gorge narrows, with impressive cliffs on both sides. In a bend the sun just breaks through and the water lights up into a silver ribbon. For the first time I meet other hikers, day trippers who will undoubtedly be picked up in Vesturdalur by a bus. Dettifoss comes closer. The path becomes more tricky and stony, but never very difficult. At a junction, I had planned to take the challenging route. However, a sign warns that the route is steep and difficult, especially with a heavy backpack. "Consider taking the alternative route." As a civil servant’s daughter, I recognize the politely phrased ‘don't do it’. And just this once I allow myself the easiest route. This means that I have to follow a side gorge, the Storulakir, deep inland and also miss the view of the Hafragilsfoss. So be it. I walk along the deep gorge almost to the road to Asbyrgi before I can get around it. Until now the landscape was green with heather, trees and grass, now it becomes bare and rocky. Once past the gorge I walk across a lava field where the rocks fan out like spilled water. The way markings lead to a campground, which is basically a designated place for wild camping. Apart from three jerry cans of water, there’s no accommodation whatsoever. Another time I would be up for that, but for tonight I am hoping for a warm shower. As the end approaches, I am starting to get impatient. I see cars at various viewpoints and I want to see Dettifoss. But first I walk along the gorge Sanddalur where I see three brown birds of prey for the first time, maybe kestrels. At the end the markings disappear into the depth and I have to search for the path down. There is none, at least, the rocks that make up a vague staircase do not deserve the name ‘path’ in any way. I climb almost straight down across the rocks. It's quite a challenge, but as long as I stay calm, it's doable.

At the bottom of the gorge, the difficult path joins from the left and if I see it that way I have done well to skip it. I cross the gorge and climb back up on the other side. There I start to see the enormous water vapor Dettifoss raises. One last lava field and I step it wooden platform which overlooks the waterfall. The wind is exactly in the wrong direction and only by wiping the lens of my camera and snapping a quick picture, I manage to capture Detifoss. Fortunately, there are more viewpoints, and some are slightly beyond the waterfall, beyond the water vapor’s reach. so the vapor is blown the other way. The rumbling is overwhelming, a continuous freight train. I can’t imagine the amount of water. It’s gorgeous to look at, but also incredibly powerful and deadly. After having viewed the waterfall with due respect, I continue to Selfoss, slightly upstream. Where Detifoss is a classic waterfall, where the river as a whole thunders over the edge, Selfoss looks more like a lock complex with a row of scuppers open. Not half as exciting as Detifoss. It starts to rain and I walk to the parking lot where I hope to arrange a lift back to civilization. Then the sun comes out and when I turn around a bright rainbow stretches out over Jökulsárgljúfur. My first rainbow in Iceland. What a great farewell to this great and impressive country.

View my pictures of this hike here.