Instead of trying to share every fantastic thing that happened (and there were quite a few) I'll just post the best pictures and comment on each one.
Wednesday morning we hung out at the South Rim. If you look over Bert's shoulder, you can see the gorge that the trail follows through the canyon. That distant horizon point in the background is the North Rim, 24 miles away. Right now we're all saying to ourselves, "Boy, that's a long ways a way." Note how clean and fresh we look.
Day 1 of hiking - Here's our group on the North Kaiabab Trail at the North Rim. Bert and I were so lucky to hike with Jacob & Sunny Hyatt and Jason & Kristen Wolfe. It was sooo cold! 
Isn't this a view to remember? The North Rim is very pretty. There are lots of greens and reds on this side of the canyon. Oh, and there's those two people wearing red and yellow. Yes, Bert and I literally wore our hiking clothes for four days. So get used to the red and yellow shirt because that's the only attire for the entire photo shoot.
Bert had Gatorade and I had water so we'd share every once in a while to mix it up. I think this picture should be a Camelbak advertisement.
Since we've starting backpacking Bert and I have made a sad discovery about my toes. They are designed for very nasty blisters, no matter the shoes, socks or moleskin I use. So here is a picture of my poor toes after our first day of hiking. We covered 15 miles from the North Rim to the Bright Angel Campground below Phantom Ranch. I lost track of how many blisters I had at around eight. I'd rather not not know the final total.
Day 2 - Crossing the Colorado was another "grand" sight. It is a huge, muddy river. It only made me a little nervous when guys tried to see how far they could get the bridge swinging.
Here's a great view of a stretch called "Devil's Corkscrew." I guess there's a good reason they don't call this "Walk in the Park." This is where the view of the Canyon really began to open up.
You should be very impressed with Bert timing this picture of our whole group (even though we almost covered up Jason). This is Garden Creek at Indian Garden Campground where we soaked our weary feet and muscles. This spot is an oasis halfway up the Bright Angel Trail. I can see why ancient Indians and cowboys frequented this lush little spot. 
Bert packed a chess set all the way down just so he and Jacob could have the game of all games. Jacob won out in the end, to Bert's dismay, and had the distinct honor of hiking the coveted Stallion patch out of the canyon. 
It might damage Bert's pride, but for the sake of a good narrative I have to include this picture of the Stallion on Jacob's pack.
Day 3- The last climb out of the Grand Canyon was a workout, for sure. All I have to say is that I'm sold on my Leki trekking poles. I don't think I could've made it out without them. I admit that when Bert first gave them to me I thought they were kind of dorky. But my poles made such a difference to the pressure on my joints, my ability to balance and helping me climb the incline to the South Rim. Thanks, honey, for my poles. And thanks for getting the ones with flowers on them.
After two days of hiking and two nights sleeping on the ground (without a tent) the last 4.5 mile stretch to the top was the most challenging. Jason, the engineer in our group, figured that for every seven feet forward we went one foot up. We took regular breaks for water and rest. I found it was just easier to sit down with my pack on. As we neared the top, the trail got more crowded as tourists of all types made their way down.
Here's the official "finished the hike picture" that was on Jacob's camera since ours ran out of batteries. We made it! We celebrated with steak (Bert ordered duck) at the El Tovar Restaurant. We had all worked up quite an appetite and nothing was sent back to the kitchen. 
Will we do it again? Yes! After seeing the Grand Canyon rim to rim, we simply realized that there is a world more to see! We took two of the most well known trails but there are many more that lead to picturesque, isolated destinations. I know we'll venture back into the Grand Canyon someday. But we'll definitely have to let my blisters heal first.
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