I camped in the National Forest just south of the Grand Canyon National Park and tried to wake up early to catch the sunrise. I was unsuccessful. But you can't go wrong with the Grand Canyon at any time of day. It's just one of those things that every person should experience. Pictures are totally insufficient. Please go check it out if you haven't. Or, like me, if you were dragged there on a family vacation as a kid and your parents forced you go peer off the ledge while you complained about having to pause your gameboy - go again.

I visited the southern rim of the canyon, which is the more developed and trafficked side. The north side is only a few miles away, but there's no bridge across the canyon and you must drive about 200 miles to get there. There are 5 or 6 viewpoints on the southern rim of the canyon, and I spent the first morning driving along and comparing the views.

In the afternoon I visited the backcountry hiking center to see about taking a backpacking trip into the canyon. The permits are hard to come by at the last minute (many people reserve far in advance), but I was lucky enough to get a permit for 3 days hiking, 2 days camping inside the canyon on the way to the Colorado River. I was really excited and I bought a bunch of supplies and spent the rest of the day getting ready. I decided I would leave before 5am to make sure I got to see the sunrise as I hiked down into the canyon. Then I realized I didn't know where the trailhead was. So I walked along the trail leading around the edge of the canyon with map in hand trying to find it. The sun was setting.

There were some stairs leading down from the trail to a lower level that I thought might be the right direction. The stairs were clogged with tourists getting their pictures taken, and elderly people struggling down the hand rails, and little children running around. I thought to myself - 'I'm going backcountry hiking through the grand canyon tomorrow, I don't need to wait for these people.' So I decided to climb down the short wall next to the stairs. I got part way down and then I was stuck. It was taller than I thought. I jumped down and landed funny and ended up pulling a muscle in my lower back. I went back to my camp and tried to ice it but it cramped up really bad and I could barely walk. I spent the next couple days laying down trying to fix my back. It got better, but not quick enough to hike the canyon.