Skógafoss, translated as “Forest Falls”, is a waterfall situated on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliffs, of what used to be the former coastline long ago. Over time, the coastline had receded seaward, where it is now at a distance of about 3 miles from Skógar. The former sea cliffs dried and remained, paralleling to the coast over one hundred miles. Between this old coastline, coupled together with some mountains, a clear border seems to exist between the coastal lowlands and the highlands of Iceland, from where glacial melting waters channel down, forming this and many other falls. The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country, rivaling Gullfoss as Iceland’s most famous waterfall, with a width of 82 feet with a drop of 200 feet.

Known for the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days, however on this afternoon during an ugly overcast rain, I was afforded no such luck. Well whatever, I make my own luck, so I was going to take advantage of the overcasting saturation on the bright green vegetation, which framed the power of these falls from about half way up. To behold the sight from my vantage point, one might think it is an other-worldly treasure from a possibly warmer climate – Is this “Iceland’?

According to lore, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in a museum, though whether it gives any credence to the folklore seems to be debatable.