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Dad and I woke up at 5:30 AM. By 6:00 we were on the dark, icy road. California drivers rarely have the opportunity to drive in these conditions. But we trudged on, slowly into the darkness.

Originally we had planned to go to Hopi Point, an outlook that has a reputation for being a great place to catch the sunrise or sunset. Due to the weather, the road was closed. We decided to head off towards the next outlook, Yavapai.

By the time we reached Yavapi Point, the sky had started to lighten from a pitch black to a dark blue. The path towards the outlook point was dimly lit. As I walked towards it, I looked to my left. I couldn’t see any detail, but the vast open black space told me I was walking along the south rim. It was like staring into an abyss.

Once I set up at the very tip of the outlook point, I waited. Dad and I had arrived almost 45 minutes before sunrise. I waited in the darkness. As the minutes passed, I could begin to make out the shapes of the canyon below. And finally, as the sunlight peeked over the horizon, the large shadow that had draped this gigantic hole began to pull away to reveal the colors of this Grand Canyon.

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