Standing at the Edge of the Grand Canyon

Nothing prepares you for the first look over the rim. Photos flatten it into a postcard; standing there, the canyon just keeps unfolding, layer after layer of rust and rose-colored rock disappearing into haze a hundred miles away.

We hiked partway down the Bright Angel Trail before the afternoon heat turned us back, which everyone we met agreed was the correct decision. Watching the light shift across the canyon walls at sunset, from gold to violet to almost black, was worth the whole drive out.