Author: Cordell

I call it all “WONDERFUL” but I’ll have to admit it all sometimes is a bit tough, a little scary, but I’ve always loved challenges…..

So, no thought of GIVING UP, nor GIVING IN! The “GOOD FIGHT” continues, previously having….

NOW “FIGHTING” WITH THE COMPLCATIONS OF THE….

MINI-STROKE!

Details con be seen scrolling down to the previous post, but over the next 2 weeks I worked consistently to overcome the effects….in BALANCE, STRENGTH, ENERGY by consistent exercise every day, gradually increasing and by May 3rd in the foothills, as reported already, for the 1st time in 2003 I actually got to the VALLEY VIEW SPOT with a big zig-zag up the front of the hills as seen below from previous post… but here it is again as a reminder.

After this success I sort of got lazy, as I believe I explained already, and did nothing for 3 days–A GIGANTIC MISTAKE for this old guy. It resulted in seemingly another small mini-stroke, and I hate to confess it, but I felt so bad for a day or two that I began wondering if THAT WAS WHAT PASSING ON FELT LIKE?

My first impulse was the phrase used in the last post: KEEP MOVING or RISK GOING DOWN-HILL RAPIDLY! I’m remembering it was simpler,

KEEP MOVING OR DIE!

But I knew I had to do that very carefully, back off from where I had worked up to, and gradually build up all over again but always have my blood pressure cuff with me, checking it often as well as having the emergency medication –like Nitro Glycerin— I would need if there was a problem–which I’ve been doing for 20 years! So I got started, carefully, but…..

….I was worried enough to also do some research on the Internet to learn more about MINI-STROKES and one thing led to another and I learned that some of the possiblies were that I could have: A BRAIN TUMOR? ALS? THE BEGINNING OF ALZHEIMERS or PARKINSONS? etc.

So, I got more serious about it and for sure knew better control of my blood pressure was a key! So, even without an appointment, I dropped by my Cardiologist’s clinic…he is Dr. LAWLESS, so I figured he couldn’t be bothered by me not obeying the “law” and not having an appointment!

……. but I had a written description of what I had gone through and asked the receptionist to give it to him and see if he could see me. I was quickly told he wanted to see me, and gave me one new medication to take once a day, and doubled the dose of another, plus the one I’d been taking for years, with strict instructions how to take them.

And, it was recommended I have an eye exam as my research showed the left eye/forehead was often involved–and so it was in my case since the beginning in 1985, so I called the Dr. who a year ago did surgeries on my eyes: Removing cataracts and installing new lenses. The mini-strokes had affected especially my left eye (and forehead) where several times I had a piercing headache and grabbed my eye with pressure as it felt like it would burst…..and I got ice on it quick for 30 minutes. That eye is a bit weaker now, with frequent twitching. So an eye exam can actually detect whether there is a brain tumor, or other problems. I have that appointment today.

It worked out good at least assuring me I don’t have a brain tumor, etc. but just normal wear and tear on my eyes for a sort of mature fellow, along with a suggestion for better eye drops.

At the same time I learned it might help to take additional Vitamin A, B12, D3, and Potassium/magnesium, as well as foods high in those items, like avocado, bananas, orange daily, etc. all in addition to my morning smoothie of the most nutritious WEEDS in the world from Guatemala that make up my garden, the smoothie also having additional nutrients, like, an egg, Red beet root powder, Spirulina and Curcumin. The last three had already solved my enlarged prostate problem, and all the rest had to help solve my blood pressure problem too!

OF KEY IMPORTANCE MY CAREFUL PERSISTENCE DAILY WITH CAREFUL EXERCISE

So by May 12th I had built up to do more in the foothills, as seen below the red trail my May 3rd record, and the blue one May 12th

With the new medications for blood pressure, with a bit of experimentation in order and quantities taken–doesn’t sound like following “strict instructions” but I was a Medical Specialist in the Army and for decades in Guatemala was in an isolated area doing thousands of medical treatments on the Indians & myself so— I had made a lot of improvement, as well as noting that my every other day of doing the foothills (the other day I saved gas and just did outdoor stairs nearer to home) with increased distances–noting that MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS BETTER & LASTED LONGER with the exercise…..and I was doing better in other ways, like from the point we see below going down a steep rocky area and then on to the parking lot….I was now doing that carefully swinging my trekking poles up behind me and going all the way to the parking lot with no poles…….and did so on any relatively safe area....to carefully not let my body become totally dependant on the poles, and hopefully get to a point when I don’t need them anywhere!

…… so by May 16th I headed for the foothills again and was excited and pumped up to do more……IN FACT I WANTED TO GET TO THE VALLEY VIEW SPOT AGAIN, BUT DO IT THE SHORT BUT HARD WAY–STRAIGHT UP THE MOUNTAIN! I bowed my head for a brief prayer asking the Lord to bless me with strength, balance…..and especially WITH WISDOM as I went up the mountain.

The bottom portion I had done with no problem, but when confronted with the steep, smooth–no footholds— up to the ridge, I used my head deciding that was too dangerous for my condition, and headed a ways to the left to find a deer/elk trail back towards the ridge, hoping to hit it above the lower dangerous (for me) portion.

NOTE: You normal guys and gals will perhaps be laughing at my caution and difficulty on areas a snap for you–but remember 30 months ago I couldn’t walk, and had a dead right leg and thanks to the Lord I was able to invent new exercises, get me dead leg to wake up and gradually I learned to walk again like a baby, but in my 88th year still have a dangerous balance problem, etc.

I carefully worked my way back to the trail, but miscalculated so didn’t hit it above the steep, dangerous part–and I’ve got to mention MY PHOTOS JUST DON’T SHOW HOW STEEP AND DANGEROUS IT WAS FOR ME….BUT BELIEVE ME, CONSIDERING MY CONDITION, IT SOMETIMES TOOK MY BREATH AWAY! WITH MY MISALIGNED SPINE, MY SPINE DOCTOR TOLD ME ALMOST ANY KIND OF FALL COULD KILL ME!

There were places where the only footholds I could find were the deep hoof prints of elk made at a time when it had rained. I crossed the actual trail and kept working towards the edge of the ridge hoping to find a safe way with good footholds, but it got steeper and more dangerous and there were places where I had to move along side stepping, but it got worse and all of a sudden I sort of got stuck in such a steep spot I found it impossible to go forward, afraid to turn around and lose my balance, so couldn’t go back.

I thought I could make a big effort moving forward maybe requiring a jump on a steep slope–but FLASHING before my mind was my prayer asking for WISDOM! So I just sat down to rest, catch my breath and think, surveying my options. I finally took the least dangerous option, and side stepped back and slightly upwards and found a safe pathway back to a safer area, and finally made it to the ridge and the trail that was still steep but not so much, and was grateful I was now a bit safer!

LOOKING TO THE NORTH this was my view, and right behind me…..

……and below, TO THE SOUTHEAST, I was looking at Grove Canyon and seeing the trail way below me in the area of the “ROCK & ROLL.”

From here, mostly following the steep trail I moved up the ridge ……

I soon came to the University of Utah’s EARTHQUAKE RECORDING instrument below the’ VALLEY VIEW POINT

……and in another few minutes I was at my GOAL and viewing

“THE VALLEY of our LADY of MERCY of TIMPANOGOS” the most pleasing, beautiful and fertile site in New Spain,” by Fathers Escalanate & Domingues IN 1776, the first white men to view our UTAH VALLEY.

Before heading back, but going down the canyon trail, let me back up just a touch and show you what I photographed near the Earthquake instrument:

Our wonderful MULE DEER.

Now headed down, the safe way, switch-backing down into the canyon and down to the Trailhead, but with unending VISIONS OF NATURE all along the way that I enjoyed so much I never noticed being tired, even though, for me it was a big day.

Now with even improved eating over a previous “Maya Smoothie excellent nutrition,” plus me experimenting with the 3 new blood pressure meds and slimming it down to just one tiny one in the morning, and a large one in the evening–for 2 a day rather than 5, and eliminating the previous standby med, plus every other day a light exercise day like on the stairs, and the other day a relatively heavy one in the foothills I’m maintaining excellent blood pressure every day–including during the hikes, yes, with my pulse sometimes up to 112/minute, but pressure excellent. BUT I CAN’T RELAX, CAN’T LET DOWN MY GUARD!

I also learned again that I have to BE WISE and not get overconfident and let myself get into a DANGEROUS SPOT like I did on my last big hike straight up the mountain.

It’s still MICKEY MOUSE stuff for nearly all of you, but considering where I was and what I’ve gone through, I’m so grateful, and appreciative to the Lord for helping to make it all enjoyable and inspiring by being able to….

SEE WONDERFUL VISIONS OF NATURE ….

…all around me, like the whole bunch I’ll insert below with a sort of summary of what I’ve seen so far this year showing their progression as

SPRING COMES ALIVE.

If you don’t see beauty in all I show, download from https://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/ my 34 page ANTI-AGING CHALLENGE writing and learn what to take to increase your ability to recognize beauty increasing your “testosterone” that will give you more energy (of course for hiking), a better mood, and a greater appreciation for magnificence of God’s wonderful creations, even in…like....

THE ROCKS!

ISN’T HE BEAUTIFUL…..I MEAN “HANDSOME?”

Now to a few glimpses of some of my amazing collection of thousands of VISIONS OF NATURE as they come alive in the Spring then reproduce for next years VISIONS

On beginning my HIGH UINTAS PROJECT with a 27 day no-resupply backpack following the spine of the Uinta Mountains east, I met the author of the book SAGEBRUSH COUNTRY, that is about the Uinta Mountains….THAT ARE SURROUNDED BY SAGEBRUSH. Such as the case with our Wasatch Mountains too, circled by foothills with the dominate plant SAGEBRUSH.

We see here the coming alive of the foothills, with well growing sagebrush, the green bushes in the distance are scrub oak or Gambels Oak.

A whole book could be written about sagebrush so common in the foothills and deserts of Utah, and critical for the survival of at least mule deer during the winter. Early this Spring the edible leaves and tender branches were all cropped off of all the sagebrush like I haven’t really noticed so much before. I should have got some photos early, but only have a few that sort of show it.

If you look closely below you will see around the new leaves the tips of branches nipped off. Deer are browsers eating leaves and twigs, rather than grazers that eat grass, like elk.

Below is another example, the leaves were all cropped down, but now sprouting.

Below we see a new bush of sagebrush coming up in great shape, in fact so bushy as to not even look like a sagebrush which is a bit uncommon due to our wetter year that has the greening of the foothills looking better than for some time as you can see in the first photo about Sagebrush.

Here we see a beautiful old sagebrush that is colorfully loaded with LICHENS, another of the fascinating life forms of which there are 3,000 varieties identified in the Rocky Mountain area. There are others not even named yet. It is a LIFE FORM which is a combination of an algae and a fungi in a partnership (symbiotic) relationship, each filling a role in the survival of the other. It was said by an expert “Lichens are fungi that have discovered agriculture.” We see them on rocks I’ll insert below, and on scrub oak and other trees. I discuse them a bit in my HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS book, on page 401, 402

NOW ON TO MANY, MANY VISIONS OF NATURE

REMEMBER WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU IN PAST YEARS….MAY IS WHEN IN THE FOOTHILLS THEY WAKE UP AND COME OUT OF THEIR DENS, BUT SLOUGHING OFF THE OLD SKIN WHEN THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH BLIND WITH RATTLES NON-FUNCTIONAL SO WILL STRIKE AT ANYTHING THAT FRIGHTENS THEM!

FIRST THE SCRUB or GAMBLES OAK, along with sage brush is the most common in the foothills.

This is a very large Gambles Oak. I use it to make beautiful, unique picture frames like below.

Then, especially in the canyons is the MAPLE….not the syrup variety, nor the variety of maple we have in Guatemala, but they are instantly recognized by it’s leaf–ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE FROM CANADA

And, in the canyons, especially near the stream, there is an unending variety of beautiful trees, bushes and wildflowers, following are just a few recently awakening….ALL ESPECIALLY BEAUTIFUL IN THEIR EARLY STAGES…..sort of like most of us who were even called “ADORABLE,” or “CUTE,” but, darnit we had to grow up!!!!

At the mouth of Grove Canyon, near the trailhead all of a sudden I saw a weed I recognized from Guatemala, and from my garden. It is “BLEDO” or “amaranth” one of the at least 5 varieties. It is a weed in everyone’s garden, but I purposely grow it, along with MACUY, a revered Guatemalan and Mayan weed that the Indians women and children gather in the forests. …….of course I grow them in my garden. I have said that these two plants “saved the Mayan people” as they made their beans and corn a more complete and balanced meal. They were so important to the Mayans that the Spaniard conquerors looked at them as part of the religion they tried to eliminate by prohibiting their use. Of course it didn’t work.

BLEDO & MACUY are the two I use in my smoothie which is my morning meal. From a tiny plot along side of my tiny Cabin-A home, I harvest, process and freeze sufficient to last me through Fall, Winter and Spring until the new harvest begins. Below you see what I’m talking about.

PURSLANE (seen below), or in Spanish “VERDOLAGA” also common in Guatemala, is another of the weeds that go into my smoothie. My garden is also a charitable project as I feed a growing herd of wild rabbits multiplying in our area, including cottontails, and tiny little cute ones too.

And below a couple of photos of RABBIT BRUSH that in the Fall add a striking flash of color to our foothills….I’ll insert below a picture showing such east of Springville, Utah

RABBIT BRUSH, a young one here, another along with a cottontail rabbit, and below a large one– that in the fall awakens us all with its brilliant FLASH OF YELLOW FLOWERS as seen below in the CRAGS OF THE WASATCH.

Here in SAGEBRUSH COUNTRY we see a cottontail rabbit. I have seen cottontails in the hills on my hikes but they are gone in a flash not giving me a chance for a photo. So I had to resort to the magic of Photoshop using the tame rabbits we have around our house in American Fork. There should also be jackrabbits very common in the deserts of Utah, but I haven’t seen one yet in these foothills.

Here we are at one of my favorite spots at the foot of THE CRAGS OF THE WASTACH with RABBIT BRUSH in the Fall

Two varieties of beautiful INDIAN PAINTBRUSH

Below we see early in the Spring a mule deer the upper shot with the soft organs eaten by predators, and below a week or so later with most of it gone.

Animal burrows are frequently seen in the hills, made by animals like BADGERS, RABBITS, FOXES and COYOTES. Smaller ones would be from ROCK SQUIRRELS, etc.

Below we see on the left a fairly large burrow, and another two on the right.

DO YOU SEE THE FOX CROSSING THE PICTURE IN THE MIDDLE? It is the Red Fox that we have in the foothills of the Wasatch.

The ROCK SQUIRREL is the most commonly seen mammal in the foothills.

Here I’m showing only the tips of one of the common small trees of the desert foothills, THE CLIFF ROSE, which I will soon show you when its flowers blossom as one of the MOST SPECTACULAR VISIONS OF NATURE in our foothills, and I’ll show you SPECTACU.AR FURNITURE & such I make out of its beautiful wood. Go back to the Crags of the Wasatch to see the trees clinging to the cliffs in the left center–that is CLIFF ROSE.

WESTERN BLUE FLAX, found from the foothills up into the Quaking aspen belt in the Uintas, seen two pictures below.

Later when it blossoms well get more views of this plant.

Our cherished DANDELION provides food for the wonderful Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. By the way, my garden started by me actually PLANTING DANDELIONS which I have called “the SPINACH OF THE WEED WORLD,” which before Bledo and Macuy, was my staple in my smoothie, and included in my egg omiletts, soups, etc. and I still have a DANDELION PATCH, but the rabbits keep it cropped down not leaving me anything.

Western Tiger Swallowtail.

I shouldn’t have to tell you what this is....MORNING GLORY which right now is all over the foothills.

My last hike in the foothills, May 24th, I did a reversal, GOING LOW, rather than high, just to get photos of the last couple of VISIONS OF NATURE, along with homes of Pleasant Grove, one with a swimming pool, and of course Utah Lake in the distance. I hope you have enjoyed my report of the VISIONS OF NATURE of foothills of Mt. Timpanogos

GOT TO GO….TODAY MY DAY FOR ANOTHER HIKE IN THE FOOTHILLS, as I wait for the HIGH UINTAS to thaw out….SNOW DEPTH ON BALD MOUNTAIN PASS was 100″ on March 24th. Right now at around nooon on May 26th, depth is down to 48″. Usually they try and have the PASS open by Memorial Day weekend, but not likely this year. I’ll keep you informed.

THE HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS

Below crews working to clear the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, near the entrance to Mirror Lake on June 28, 2011. That was a heavy snowfall year when the High Uintas open to backpacking didn’t happen until like mid-July or after.

In 2011 the PASS was open on June 28th, but no thru traffic yet as the first picture shows the crews working on it on that day. While 2022-23 is said to be our greatest snowfall year ever, but the High Uintas had more back in 2011.

Snow depth here is at least 48 inches, which is what is reported today on May 26th also at 48 inches right now at noon. So it should be better for backpacker/hikers/etc. this year. I’ll make my contacts with the Forest Service in Kamas, and begin to report soon.

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OFF TO MY FREE OUTDOOR WORKOUT GYM

The MINI-STROKE suffered late April 17th causing mental confusion and inability to make needed corrections in my writing, along with acute headache in the left forhead and eye, was mostly gone by the next morning. Remaining was some weakness and fluttering in my left eye, and worse than usual balance along with some lack of energy. I was greatly relieved being able to understand my writing and quickly did the needed corrections and then immediately began careful exercise, and soon began going to the foothills, like every other day and carefully began working out, each day a little further on more and more difficult trails…..and was so happy and grateful to the Lord and to friend’s encouragement, to be doing pretty good.

But, a few days later when getting higher up the trail, and then coming down in a very steep area some call “ROCK & ROLL” I all of a sudden was a bit careless and lost my balance, but having learned from my young guardian angel, TED, (of course you know I’m sort of joking as I’ve actually never seen him….yet) how to fall without hurting myself, I was able to keep from actually “rolling” but awakened again to the reality of being in my 88th year and swore to never let down my guard!

By Wednesday, May 3rd, I’d made a lot of progress, but mad at myself for several times backing off and not pushing myself hard enough to meet my goals going up the mountain (actually hills, but for an old guy IT’S A MOUNTAIN!)….NONE OF THIS WAS ACTUALLY EASY & WITHOUT PAIN…..but to that day I’d been blessed with a lot of encouragement and support from friends, and by that date had been given encouragement from two very special friends–one that morning on Facebook, so became determined to make it to what I call THE VALLEY VIEW area, but going up the front where I would likely be alone and not seen limping and struggling along with pain on my face. So, with enough water, and my lunch in my waist pack, up I went……and was surprised to see one young lady along the way who was coming down!

Even though I really felt good after the above accomplishment, and didn’t really feel tired, I rationalized resting too much….for 3 days, and suffered a sort of relapse, or mini-mini-stroke, and had to then back off a little to begin again working back up to what had been my maximum this year. After a good workout it’s fine to take one day off, but no more for this old guy. KEEP MOVING or RISK GOING DOWN-HILL RAPIDLY!

For me it helps to mask the difficulty and sometimes pain by being on the lookout for what I call VISIONS OF NATURE that always inspire me and so I’ll insert below a few views as I got higher and higher, along with some of the wonderful bursts of spring that always make this season of the year enlightening when I see beauty in almost everything from the rocks, to the budding trees and bushes. to the exotic plants in their first stages of development, and some of the first colorful flowers–that in the actually desert like conditions of the foothills don’t last too long as soon the hills do turn into a desert.

This plant of the foothills will take a bit more time to blossom. I’ll report with a photo when it does.

We see below the blossoming is beginning. I’ll keep an eye on it and photograph its progress.

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I’ll be honest in admitting I do as President Biden–wearing DARK GLASSES–to hopefully mask a little the fact that I’m a little older than most, and especially now as my left eye was adversely affected some by the mini-stroke!

So, to begin my 88th year>>>> INTO THE FOOTHILLS OF TIMPANOGOS to KEEP MY BODY ALIVE AS BEST I CAN…….

GRADUALLY THE HILLS ARE COMING ALIVE…..ALWAYS FOR ME A MARVELOUS GROWING VISION of NATURE I’M GRATEFUL…AGAIN….TO BE ABLE TO WATCH WITH WONDER!

FINALLY THERE’S A GROWING COLOR IN THE HILLS ……EVEN WITH A BIT OF YELLOWS and PINKS…..

SPRING IS COMING ALIVE with what for me are THE WONDEROUS VISIONS OF NATURE that never cease to AMAZE ME each year….. that I’ll have to confess, for an old guy in his 88th season, is just a LITTLE HARDER TO GET UP THE MOUNTAIN TO WITNESS, but for me THE OTHER OPTION, IS NO OPTION AT ALL….SO UP I GO!

SOME OF THEM WILL TAKE A WHILE LONGER….BEFORE THEY BURST FORTH WITH COLOR…..BUT I’LL KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THAT AMAZING VISION…& SHARE IT WITH MY FRIENDS!

ALONG THE TRAIL UP I SEE AGAIN THE COURSE OF NATURE AT WORK…..A DEER FIRST DONATING HER SOFT PARTS TO A PREDATOR…..and a WEEK OR SO LATER THE REST!

I WAS FINALLY BLESSED–IN SPITE OF THE “MINI-STROKE”— GETTING UP HIGHER THAN EVER FOR 2023, & LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS PROVO and SEEING IN THE FOREGROUND THE FLOOD RETENTION AREA AT THE MOUTH OF GROVE CANYON BEGINNING TO FILL UP.

USUALLY THE LOWER CREEK IS DRY AS THE WATER IS TAKEN OUT IN PIPES TO FILL THE DRINKING WATER TANKS ALONG THE FOOTHILLS THAT KEEP ALL OF UTAH VALLEY’S COMMUNITIES ALIVE. THE LOWER CREEK WE SEE BELOW ACTUALLY HAS WATER IN IT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS WITH THE RUN-OFF BEGINNING.

From my high vantage point we see spread in the distance UTAH LAKE, and at our foot what with the oncoming SPRING & SUMMER will become what was originally named….

“THE VALLEY OF OUR LADY OF MERCY OF TIMPANOGOS, THE MOST PLEASING, BEAUTIFUL AND FERTILE SITE IN NEW SPAIN.”

Named in 1776 by the first white men to see our Utah Valley, named by Fathers Domingues & Escalante. They got along fine with our Timpanogos-Utes–known as “THE FISH EATERS” from the then productive waters of Utah Lake (Native Cutthroat trout)— and promised to return to establish a Catholoic Mission, however they never returned. Can you imagine what our Utah would be if they had of followed through?

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NOTICE: Click on the following link if interested in a quite surprising change announced & important message on the GUATEMALAN FOUNDATION (retired) WEBSITE regarding what for short I’ve been calling my 80+ year autobiography….

……THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA book

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Jesus Christ told the Jews:

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

I believe quite knowledgably that he was referring to people at that time on the American Continent to whom, after his resurrection, he appeared–the amazing event becoming a SECOND WITNESS OF JESUS CHRIST. The Maya/Poqomchi people among whom I spent 35 years (1967 to 2002), had a belief I researched and then labled it:

THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY MAN

For HOLY WEEK & EASTER SUNDAY, I wrote an article with photographs that you can download to learn about my research on the legend –– 09 THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY MAN.pdf — After 35 years of residency in the Mountains of the Maya, I returned to the U.S. and launched in 2003 my HIGH UINTAS WILDERNESS PROJECT.

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Today, Monday, April 10th, SPRING IS HERE and in a day or two I will share my new activities & VISIONS OF NATURE in the Timpanogos foothills as part of my efforts to make another COMEBACK, this one in my 88th year…….SOUNDS RIDICULOUS, BUT I WILL BE DOING MY DARNDEST…AGAIN!

THE FOLLOWING POST IS SIMILAR TO THE LAST ONE, BUT WITH SOME INSERTS, LIKE THE VIDEOS BELOW, AS WELL AS EDITS & CORRECTIONS FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING & IS WORTH GOING THROUGH AGAIN.

TO SEE THIS VIDEO CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW:

WHICH INCLUDES MY EFFORTS IN WINTER IN THE BYU SMITH FIELDHOUSE with great companions!!!!

SHE WAS DOING HER DARNDEST TO CATCH ME!!!!

If you’ve watched the above videos, you’ll have noticed that at least 20 of my YouTube videos are pictured there……that maybe you’ve already been tempted to click on, and there are more you can search for.

Click to view my SEARCH FOR BIG FOOT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyRAoXlkvCQ&t=9s

EVERYTHING REVEALED IN MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA & HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOKS. With the hope all interested will ENJOY MORE THE WONDERMENT OF THE EARTH and SAVE LIVES!

Until now, you couldn’t get this 31 page writing without buying the online book for $20, BUT  IT IS NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL INTERESTED…..

FREE! Just click on the following:

THE ANTI-AGING CHALLENGE: Why, What & How?

I REVIEW MY HIGH UINTAS PROJECT FULL OF GLITCHES & SOLUTIONS….WORTH GOING THRU AGAIN AS THERE ARE CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD…..like:

This writing, on pages 31 and 32 describes FREE NUTRITION….from what generally are considered “WEEDS,” first, DANDELIONS (“diente de leon”) and then PURSLANE (“verdolaga”), DANDELION I call “the Spinach of the Weed World.”

Back when I wrote it, I hadn’t discovered yet here in the U.S. “MACUY,” nor recognized yet “BLEDO” or Amaranth…..two plants so important to the Ancient Mayans that the Spanish conquerors attempted to prohibit their use. One of these days I’ll update the writing which does deal with:

DANDELIONS or “DIENTE DE LEON”

DANDELIONS are the first to be ready to harvest in the Spring, and the last in the Fall, but are hated by ALMOST everybody, so soon the lawns where they get needed water are poisoned as this fellow is doing, and the vacant lots not getting watered, have the dandelions going dormant, so I BEGAN PLANTING PLOTS OF DANDELIONS in my garden, and lived on them, along with “Verdolaga” or Purslane, but…..

…the wild domesticated rabbits in our area were multiplying and quickly discovered my patches of watered dandelions and so during the summer of 2022 I DIDN’T HARVEST ANY DANDELIONS, the rabbits kept them mowed down like a lawn.

The cottontails also multiplied and soon followed the others in mowing down my dandelions……at the very time when I planted plots of MACUY, that then seeded themselves along with the BLEDO, so my chore became one of thinning them and controling them for better production.

The rabbits also eat VERDOLAGA or PURSLANE, as well as the others, but only prevented harvesting Dandelions. My watered and pampered weeds have our rabbits on the increase & too cute to harvest!

MACUY in the foreground, and mixed in and in the background stalks of BLEDO or AMARANTH now in the stage of producing sprouts each with spears of seeds that I harvest all together, even with at times woody stems, but no problem since they are blanched, then blended into a smoothie.

Below we see “BLEDO” or “AMARANTH” — the weed in our gardens we have all tried to eliminate, but it just keeps on bugging us, until like me–remembering my Guatemalan experience eating and liking it–which had me recently doing a little research and remembering it was sacred to the Mayans, even it’s seed considered a psuedo-grain extremely nuturitious….

After the initial harvest of leaves, I let it keep growing with sprouts along the stem that I harvest all summer along with the seeds.

As we see below, I don’t have to dig up the garden area anymore, except to bury egg shells, banana peels, etc. from the kitchen as fertilizer, and don’t have to actually plant anything. Each stake is where I have burried some great kitchen waste. All the containers are full of stuff accumulated during the winter when the ground is frozen, and will be burried when the ground thaws and mud gone so I can prepare lots of spots where my MACUY, BLEDO, and VERDOLAGA will grow incredibly well and…..

….. feed me with all the greens I need to replace expensive broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, swiss chard. beet greens, celery, cucumbers, etc. I need for a healthy diet. I will have a couple of tomato plants, and only have to buy during the year inexpensive CARROTS & FRUITS.

All of the weeds we are dealing with seed themselves–always so thick that my only chore is one of quickly thinning with my heart shaped hoe leaving clumps of MACUY and BLEDO–for better production, that from my small plot alongside my tiny Cabin-A home I produce my morning meal 365 days a year!

So every now and then during the summer I harvest a pot full, then blanch to disinfect, then freeze in shopping bags, each bag being a week to 10 days of smoothies–and have enough to last all winter and spring until the next harvest. By the end of the 2022 harvest in October I had 34 bags of processed weeds enough to last me until mid-summer when the new harvest will begin and continue about 3-4 months.

So, along with MACUY, another edible weed from Guatemala, mentioned at the end of the now FREE WRITING–I now let all of them have their way–taking over my garden and feeding me every morning throughout the year with a SMOOTHIE –with a few other things added, like a half banana, a carrot. an egg or two, fruit juice, red beet powder, etc.

In other writings I give credit to MACUY & BLEDO for having SAVED THE MAYANS, making their deficient diet of corn & beans– a BALANCED DIET–

ANOTHER OF MY IMPORTANT WRITINGS NOW SEPARATED FROM THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE….

………..actually my AUTOBIOGRAPHY FOR 0-22 YEARS–which laid the FOUNDATION FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE–and became PART 1 of my MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA BOOK, I have also separated the edited and improved version of the 80 page writing which has other SECRETS FOR SUCCESS….at least SECRETS FOR MY LIFE, some of which might be helpful to you–at least interesting for some of you, and my family, but you see below the front page…….and below it a link to download it to your computer……

To download the 80 page writing, click on the following link:  

Part 1: 0-22 years  THE VISION QUEST: A Checkered Faith & Works Journey

INCLUDING some details on page 41 of THE EXPERIENCE AT 16 THAT GOT IT ALL STARTED…..

It was one night when 16 years old–with a NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE that (NDE) SAVED MY LIFE & it was REVEALED TO WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DEDICATE MYSELF TO!

Several have reported my HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS book & my stories and example SAVED THEIR LIFE! — My MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA book tells about how my family & Guatemalan Foundation friends SAVED THOUSANDS AMONG THE MAYA! —

SO ALL WORTH EMBARRASSING MYSELF REVEALING MY PROBLEMS & WEAKNESSES>>>SHOWING ALSO LIFE SAVING SOLUTIONS!

My main strategy in life was to….

TRUST IN THE LORD, NOT GIVE UP, NOR GIVE IN…..EASILY & SAVE LIVES!

“MICKEY MOUSE” ….TINY “COMEBACK” EFFORTS REVEALED TO SAVE LIVES! .…..& SEVERAL HAVE THANKED ME FOR SAVING THEIRS! …..so more than worth embarrassing myself!

SAVED on East Fork Pass BY SATELLITE PHONE CALL TO BUDDY RUSS SMITH at SKYCALL COMMUNICATIONS!

There are more than 20 YouTube VIDEOS reviewing my efforts, & SURVIVAL EXPERIENCES.…..at the end of the videos at the beginning of this post, you will see many others of my videos….you maybe have already watched some of them . Others can be found going to YouTube.com and then search for: Cordell Andersen Videos, or Cordell Andersen Comeback videos and you’ll find them mixed in with other videos …..

ALL OF MY 8 SURVIVAL EXPERIENCES ARE DETAILED IN MY HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK, as well as OTHER FAMOUS SURVIVAL EXPERIENCES THAT FAILED….& WHY?

SINCE MY BOOK WAS PUBLISHED ONLINE ONLY ONE BACKPACKER HAS DIED IN THE UINTAS…..and HE DIDN’T HAVE MY BOOK!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

RECENT EXPERIENCE FOR SURVIVAL BEING:

My life from 2 1/2 years ago being unable to walk……followed by months of exercises in bed forcing my dead leg to wake up, then to shopping carts at stores, to a walker, and finally with help from my infant GUARDIAN ANGEL, learned to take baby steps again…...WHY DO I BELIEVE SUCH…revealed in a moment.

Then using a walker…..I FINALLY BEAT THE KENYANS in THE COBAN INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON in Guatemala....in a dream….Then all pumped up by that, actually doing a HALF-MARATHON from American Fork to Alpine and back.…using the walker!

Admittedly I must have not looked too good as motorists were calling 911 and Policemen sent to rescue me……then two beautiful young ladies stopped to save me….and I narrowly missed a LOVE KIDNAPPING!

All the while at that time…and continuing today….working to solve a FAILED “NASAL TURBINATE REDUCTION SURGERY”…..causing BREATHING & MUCUS CONGESTION PROBLEMS. Turbinates are thin plates inside on both sides of the nose. If caused to swell breathing can be obstructed, with increased drainage of mucus causing congestion and wheezing in the throat. I have struggled with that problem since returning to the U.S. from my many years in Guatemala. One reduction surgery about 12 years ago helped for 2 years or so, then it returned. Then I found an effective inhaler permitting me to sleep well–but it’s ingredient–Oxymetazoline HCI–caused the turbinates to swell even more, but gave me short-term immediate congestion relief, however created a dependancy and began my high blood pressure problems! Another surgery about 18 months ago failed, and has got worse than ever with worsening ERRATIC BLOOD PRESSURE, etc., etc. with all sorts of interesting physical & mental problems of real old guys…in one month (April) to be in my 88th year!

Having been a Medical Specialist & instructor in the Army, and knowing how to use a Blood Pressure cuff has made possible understanding that issue–when & why it happens, and how to manage it, WHICH I BELIEVE HAS SAVED MY LIFE MANY TIMES!

NOTE: I believe all should get such a cuff and learn how to use it, as well as for backpackers, have an Oximeter to manage High Altitude Sickness.

All of that, plus CANCER after the 1st summer of my High Uintas Project..…followed up to 2020 by 15 surgeries to remove, repair, or replace with titanium what was possible–all on top of my first mini-stroke in 1985, and another in 2020, all slowing me down a bit, but a lot of me was still capable of working pretty good–SO I KEEP MOVING & SOLVING EACH PROBLEM AS IT ARISES–others of course laughed at me calling me a RODEO CLOWN, a CRAZY DON QUIJOTE DE LA MANCHA and worse.…..but I embraced the funny ones having a good laugh or two at myself and WENT TO WORK….

….. used Fitness Center, and STAIRS–in several places for winter , & then FOOTHILLS…..and after a lot of effort reported here…….

…..FINALLY AT THE END OF THE 2022 SEASON DID A HIKE IN THE UINTAS using trekking poles and only one 5 lb. pack on my back–as my misaligned spine can’t bear the weight of a regular pack, the rest of my gear in waist packs, including a large “Lumbar waist pack” you see on my lower back or butt!

Then in December 2022, after a Christmas in Texas with family as reported in my last post–scroll down to see it, but we all returned with some kind of strange sickness that had a couple of us laid up for a month, with me no fever, but multiplied nasal/throat mucus and congestion. I finally came out of it but incredibly weak and nearly losing all of my balance….but too much of me was still working pretty good, so…I HAD TO GO TO WORK…AGAIN, and EXERCISE but with the cold weather I had to do more than push a shopping cart around inside of Walmarts –which I do going around the store a couple of times….or parking lot if good weather>>>>so….

…. I found 3 flights of stairs at the Revere Health Clinic where I could…..go TO WORK AGAIN the first time or two getting out of breath and needing to rest after just one lap of the 52 steps…..BUT PERSISTED….NOT ACCEPTING DEFEAT!

……and just in the last few days with weather above freezing for a few hours every day…..back to the outdoor stairs with help from my little buddy GUARDIAN ANGEL, and making surprising progress that for a while I wondered if it would ever happen again !!!!

A big part of this was solving the constant mucus congestion and wheezing making sleep almost impossible. Before the “strange Texas sickness” I had learned that only one medicine loosened the mucus and made productive coughing, that being Guaifenesin in 600 mg or 1200 mg, but quite expensive to be taking several times every day–for this “Young Ruler” who took the Lord serously in the BIBLE parable and ended up with only half of what normal people get for Social Security for not having paid into the system for all my years in Guatemala–especially before sleeping. But I found it as seen below at DOLLAR TREE now with inflation up to $1.25 per 15 tablets of 400 mg. tablets. Then happy to find the exact same medicine at WALMARTS as seen below at .88 cents per bottle. Usually during the day taking just one tablet was enough, but before retiring needing to take 3 tablets, equal to one 1200 mg tablet of MUCINEX. Still a great savings, and very effective, making the cost only about .30 cents per day!

But, for that to be effective, I also had to start doing a SINUS RINSE …..

….. at least once or twice during the day, and 15 minutes before retiring, followed by taking 3 tablets of the above medication– Guaifenesin— MUCUS RELIEF . The 3rd part of the formula that made it all work, was an inhaler–the one with Oxymetazoline HCI being incredibly effective, but it had a warning for people with heart problems–and previously using it for years and years likely helped create my heart problems, so reduced using it to only one spray in each nostril, while finding a combination of two that gave me almost the same results (mainly Budesonide Nasal Spray from WM’s)……..

…….PRODUCING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS CLEAR BREATHING AT NIGHT & NO WHEEZING!

ALSO, WHEN THE WEATHER ONCE IN A WHILE WARMS A BIT…..BACK TO THE TIMPANOGOS FOOTHILLS….which always feels so much better than the stairs, and helps a lot….like–ONLY– on February 18th:

But, now on February 22 we awoke with snow, so for a while…..

BACK TO THE OUTDOOR STAIRS….or INDOOR CLINIC.

… with help from my little GUARDIAN ANGEL, and quite miraculously quickly gaining the strength I had lost, as well as some of my balance!

After a day or two of help from my GUARDIAN ANGEL, I kept it up all by myself increasing a few laps or repetitions every day, but my memory hasn’t been helped by my little friend–apparently Guardian Angels aren’t perfect….yet, and I sometimes lose track of how many I’ve done….so to not do less, or more than I should each day, I started keeping track with the colorful rocks I like so much.

So, today February 10th, I did 15 STONES–or repetitions, but NOW using just 5 rocks, then moving them forward or backwards and only forcing my mind to remember 1 set, 2 sets, or 3 sets which I did today, and then moving the 5 rocks off to the side so no one would trip on them. I must say I felt great…..great, compared to just two weeks ago when at the Clinic stairs 1 repetition had me out of breath and needing a hand-up from my little friend, but he refused and gave me the message I had to push myself and learn to do it alone–AND ITS BEEN WORKING, thanks to him, and the Lord!

GUARDIAN ANGELS UNDER SUSPICION!

I suspect that some of you are doubting my stories about my infant Guardian Angel, and I’ll have to admit not actually seeing him....yet, and have neglected to ask him his name……but now a few days later learned his name is ….surprise, surprise–TED–so now I have two cherished friends named TED! But for those who haven’t read my MAYA BOOK, let me tell you my experience:

In 1975 I helped Janie Thompson, and the BYU PROGRAM BUREAU plan for the LAMANITE GENERATION–a group of Native American student singers & dancers– a tour of Latin America, which included in our remote area of Guatemala an outdoor performance on our Paradise Valley Plantation, then known as THE CID: A Center for Indian Development, and another in the colonial city of Coban.

In the clean-up work a couple of days later our precious little 2 year old Michelle, we lovingly called “Pepita,” was tragically killed in an accident related to the clean-up. You can read all the details of the tragedy in my MAYA BOOK, pages 125 and 293.

Sometime later I had to make a trip to Guatemala City and alone left early before sun-up. A while later as the day was dawning I became drousy and went to sleep, my pickup veering off the road headed for a deep ravine……when all of a sudden A SLAP ON MY FACE awakened me in time to save me from what likely would have ended my life-long work among the Mayans.

I LITERALLY HEARD THE SLAP and FELT THE STINGING ON MY FACE! I was alone, except for someone I couldn’t see who was there to SLAP ME and SAVED MY LIFE!

I FELT STRONG IMPRESSIONS AT THAT MOMENT THAT IT WAS MY “PEPITA” WHO AT LEAST FOR THAT EVENT WAS MY GUARDIAN ANGEL. This was not the last such life saving event in my Mayan Adventure–as it was said we lived from “CRISIS TO CRISES,” and I added, “FROM MIRACLE TO MIRACLE”, and I also had quite a few in my 2,000 miles of High Uinta backpacking Adventure to write that book, and I have since become a strong believer in GUARDIAN ANGELS.

NOW BACK TO 2023

I’M AMAZED AT THE PROGRESS THAT CAN BE MADE BY GETTING RID OF SICKNESS, WITH PROPER NUTRITION & STUBBORN DETERMINATION– FROM ONLY ONE REPETITION A WEEK OR TWO AGO, NOW UP TO 15–and now not being out of breath, nor needing to rest, with better balance and doing a little more each day I’m able to better manage my blood pressure…..that for a while was so out of control I laid down to sleep at night with two nitro glycerine tablets within easy reach, well as a couple of aspirins, and left the door unlocked so Jesse wouldn’t have to break in…..in case of….well you know!

NOW NEW WONDERFUL INDOOR STAIRS FOR COLD WEATHER…..

I checked in with Security, a wonderful ex-Army drill Sargent, who fully sympathized with my need, he telling me, “I hope when you get to be my age you can be in as good a physical condition as I am!” I asked him how old he was, he replied, “SIXTY-SIX!” ….he apparently assumed I was younger than him. I of course couldn’t resist saying,

“I’M EIGHTY-SEVEN!”

My new drill Sargent friend, Rod, shocked said, “NOW YOU ARE BRAGGING!”

A wonderful place for my exercise, where I can relax between laps–until my blood pressure normalizes & then increase a lap, etc. All 4 floors of course with restrooms drinking fountains, and comfortable chairs–and, just in case I push myself too much I’m in THE RIGHT PLACE!

That leads us into what a friend said after one of my lectures at the Utah Valley Historical Society, that being:

“WHAT A LIFE, WHAT A COUPLE OF BOOKS! “

The HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS one that along with history, legends, survival stories that have saved lives, and up-to-date info and topographical maps on all the Trailhead areas, all of it my “MY JOYFULL LIFE SAVING WRITING,” or we might say:

MY JOYFUL LIFE ENHANCING & LIFE SAVING SECRETS FILL..……my HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK

The revealing of what I have learned and done to be where I am, and still might be in the future, is worth it’s weight in gold, and the $20 it will cost you to get the entire digital book on your computer would be more than worth the cost!

When I created the book I insisted on it having what no other HIGH UINTA book had (has)— color photographs–and knew that color increases the cost so much that it was not possible to produce it as a printed book. Therefore it was introduced as an online, digital book for $20. I of course wanted a printed one for myself, paying $173 for it, and soon learned a few Uinta lovers–beginning with my buddy TED– were also interested in spending whatever to have a printed copy–thus about 60 of you spent from $140 up to $170 for your 730 page two volume copy.

HOW TO GET A 50+% DISCOUNT – I just learned that the cost to print one color copy is now $200, but COPYTECH can print a black & white copy with color cover, for $90 plus shipping cost, bringing it to around $100.

I’ll be frank and honest that for me THE COLOR IS WORTH THE EXTRA COST, but if you just want to get information you can save a lot with black & white.

To get an online copy of the HIGH UINTA MOUNTAIN book, some have called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS, send me $20 (don’t be afraid of sending a $20 bill as we aren’t south of the border) along with your email address, and I will immediately email you the link to download the book with my permission to share once with a friend. 

Send to:  Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003

TO AVOID PAYING ME FOR THE ONLINE UINTA BOOK, GET THE PRINTED BOOK BY GOING TO THE INFORMATION BELOW. REMEMBER TO SPECIFY IF YOU WANT IT IN BLACK & WHITE or COLOR.

IN THIS MONTAGE WE SEE A FEW OF THE 317 VARIETIES OF WILDFLOWERS I HAVE IDENTIFIED & PHOTOGRAPHED FROM THE FOOTHILLS OF THE UINTA TO THE TOP OF UTAH’S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN–KINGS PEAK!

**********************************

EVERYTHING REVEALED IN MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA & HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOKS. With the hope all interested will ENJOY MORE THE WONDERMENT OF THE EARTH and SAVE LIVES!

Until now, you couldn’t get this 31 page writing without buying the online book for $20, BUT I DECIDED TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL INTERESTED…..

FREE! Just click on the following:

THE ANTI-AGING CHALLENGE: Why, What & How?

MY LIFE …. WITH LOTS OF GLITCHES & SOLUTIONS….WORTH GOING THRU AGAIN AS THERE ARE CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD…..like COMPARING ME AT 83 TO BILL GATES AT 63!

This writing, on pages 31 and 32 describes FREE NUTRITION….from what generally are considered “WEEDS,” first, DANDELIONS (“diente de leon”) and then PURSLANE (“verdolago”), DANDELION I call “the Spinach of the Weed World.”

Back when I wrote it, I hadn’t discovered yet here in the U.S. “MACUY,” nor recognized yet “BLEDO” or Amaranth. One of these days I’ll update the writing which does deal with:

DANDELIONS or “DIENTE DE LEON”

DANDELIONS are the first to be ready to harvest in the Spring, and the last in the Fall, but are hated by ALMOST everybody, so soon the lawns where they get needed water are poisoned as this fellow is doing, and the vacant lots not getting watered, have the dandelions going dormant, so I BEGAN PLANTING PLOTS OF DANDELIONS in my garden, and lived on them, along with “Verdolaga” or Purslane, but…..

…the wild domesticated rabbits in our area were multiplying and quickly discovered my patches of watered dandelions and so during the summer of 2022 I DIDN’T HARVEST ANY DANDELIONS, the rabbits kept them mowed down like a lawn.

The cottontails also multiplied and soon followed the others in mowing down my dandelions……at the very time when I planted plots of MACUY, that then seeded themselves along with the BLEDO, so my chore became one of thinning them and controling them for better production.

The rabbits also eat VERDOLAGA or PURSLANE, as well as the others, but only prevented harvesting Dandelions. My watered and pampered weeds have our rabbits on the increase & too cute to harvest!

MACUY in the foreground, and mixed in and in the background stalks of BLEDO or AMARANTH now in the stage of producing sprouts each with spears of seeds that I harvest all together, even with at times woody stems, but no problem since they are blanched, then blended into a smoothie.

Below we see “BLEDO” or “AMARANTH” — the weed in our gardens we have all tried to eliminate, but it just keeps on bugging us, until like me–remembering my Guatemalan experience eating and liking it–which had me recently doing a little research and remembering it was sacred to the Mayans, even it’s seed considered a psuedo-grain extremely nuturitious….

After the initial harvest of leaves, I let it keep growing with sprouts along the stem that I harvest all summer along with the seeds.

As we see below, I don’t have to dig up the garden area anymore, except to bury egg shells, banana peels, etc. from the kitchen as fertilizer, and don’t have to actually plant anything. Each stake is where I have burried some great kitchen waste. All the containers are full of stuff accumulated during the winter when the ground is frozen, and will be burried when the ground thaws and mud gone so I can prepare lots of spots where my MACUY, BLEDO, and VERDOLAGA will grow incredibly well and…..

….. feed me with all the greens I need to replace expensive broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, swiss chard. beet greens, celery, cucumbers, etc. I need for a healthy diet. I will have a couple of tomato plants, and only have to buy during the year inexpensive CARROTS & FRUITS.

All of the weeds we are dealing with seed themselves–always so thick that my only chore is one of quickly thinning with my heart shaped hoe leaving clumps of MACUY and BLEDO–for better production, that from my small plot alongside my tiny Cabin-A home I produce my morning meal 365 days a year!

So every now and then during the summer I harvest a pot full, then blanch to disinfect, then freeze in shopping bags, each bag being a week to 10 days of smoothies–and have enough to last all winter and spring until the next harvest. By the end of the 2022 harvest in October I had 34 bags of processed weeds enough to last me until mid-summer when the new harvest will begin and continue about 3-4 months.

So, along with MACUY, another edible weed from Guatemala, mentioned at the end of the now FREE WRITING–I now let all of them have their way–taking over my garden and feeding me every morning throughout the year with a SMOOTHIE –with a few other things added, like a half banana, a carrot. an egg or two, fruit juice, red beet powder, etc.

In other writings I give credit to MACUY & BLEDO for having SAVED THE MAYANS, making their deficient diet of corn & beans– a BALANCED DIET–

ANOTHER OF MY IMPORTANT WRITINGS NOW SEPARATED FROM THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE….

………..actually my AUTOBIOGRAPHY FOR 0-22 YEARS–which laid the FOUNDATION FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE–and became PART 1 of my MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA BOOK, I have also separated the edited and improved version of the 80 page writing which has other SECRETS FOR SUCCESS….at least SECRETS FOR MY LIFE, some of which might be helpful to you–at least interesting for some of you, and my family, but you see below the front page…….and below it a link to download it to your computer……

To download the 80 page writing, click on the following link:  

Part 1: 0-22 years  THE VISION QUEST: A Checkered Faith & Works Journey

INCLUDING some details on page 41 of THE EXPERIENCE AT 16 THAT GOT IT ALL STARTED…..

It was one night when 16 years old–with a NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE that (NDE) SAVED MY LIFE & it was REVEALED TO WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DEDICATE MYSELF TO!

Several have reported my HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS book & my stories and example SAVED THEIR LIFE! — My MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA book tells about how my family & Guatemalan Foundation friends SAVED THOUSANDS AMONG THE MAYA! —

SO ALL WORTH EMBARRASING MYSELF REVEALING MY PROBLEMS & WEAKNESSES>>>SHOWING ALSO LIFE SAVING SOLUTIONS!

My main strategy in life was to….

TRUST IN THE LORD, NOT GIVE UP, NOR GIVE IN…..EASILY & SAVE LIVES!

“MICKEY MOUSE” ….TINY “COMEBACK” EFFORTS REVEALED TO SAVE LIVES! .…..& SEVERAL HAVE THANKED ME FOR SAVING THEIRS! …..so more than worth embarrassing myself!

SAVED on East Fork Pass BY SATELITE PHONE CALL TO BUDDY RUSS SMITH at SKYCALL COMMUNICATIONS!

This VIDEO below gives a review of all of my efforts, & SURVIVAL EXPERIENCES up to about 2014.

FOR MANY VIDEOS COVERING MY ENTIRE HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS PROJECT……..

At www. youtube.com and then search for “Cordell Andersen COMEBACK videos” and you will find mixed with others all of the above. Searching for just “Cordell Andersen videos” you’ll find many more that you can watch for FREE.

ALL OF MY 8 SURVIVAL EXPERIENCES ARE DETAILED IN MY HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK, as well as OTHER”S FAMOUS SURVIVAL EXPERIENCES THAT FAILED….& WHY?

SINCE MY BOOK WAS PUBLISHED ONLINE ONLY ONE BACKPACKER HAS DIED IN THE UINTAS…..and HE DIDN’T HAVE MY BOOK!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

RECENT EXPERIENCE FOR SURVIVAL BEING:

My life from 2 1/2 years ago being unable to walk……followed by months of exercises in bed forcing my dead leg to wake up, then to shopping carts at stores, to a walker, and finally with help from my infant GUARDIAN ANGEL, learned to take baby steps again…...WHY DO I BELIEVE SUCH…revealed in a moment.

Then using a walker…..I FINALLY BEAT THE KENYANS in THE COBAN INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON in Guatemala....in a dream….Then all pumped up by that, actually doing a HALF-MARATHON from American Fork to Alpine and back.…using the walker!

Admittedly I must have not looked too good as motorists were calling 911 and Policemen sent to rescue me……then two beautiful young ladies stopped to save me….and I narrowly missed a LOVE KIDNAPPING!

All the while at that time…and continuing today….working to solve a FAILED “NASAL TURBINATE REDUCTION SURGERY”…..causing BREATHING & MUCUS CONGESTION PROBLEMS. Turbinates are thin plates inside on both sides of the nose. If caused to swell breathing can be obstructed, with increased drainage of mucus causing congestion and wheezing in the throat. I have struggled with that problem since returning to the U.S. from my many years in Guatemala. One reduction surgery about 12 years ago helped for 2 years or so, then it returned. Then I found an effective inhaler permitting me to sleep well–but it’s ingredient–Oxymetazoline HCI–caused the turbinates to swell even more, but gave me short-term immediate congestion relief, however created a dependancy and began my high blood pressure problems! Another surgery about 18 months ago failed, and has got worse than ever with worsening ERRATIC BLOOD PRESSURE, etc., etc. with all sorts of interesting physical & mental problems of real old guys…in one month (April) to be in my 88th year!

Having been a Medical Specialist & instructor in the Army, and knowing how to use a Blood Pressure cuff has made possible understandng that issue–when & why it happens, and how to manage it, WHICH I BELIEVE HAS SAVED MY LIFE MANY TIMES!

NOTE: I believe all should get such a cuff and learn how to use it, as well as for backpackers, have an Oximeter to manage High Altitude Sickenss.

All of that, plus CANCER after the 1st summer of my High Uintas Project..…followed up to 2020 by 15 surgeries to remove, repair, or replace with titanium what was possible--all on top of my first mini-stroke in 1985, and another in 2020, all slowing me down a bit, but a lot of me was still capable of working pretty good–SO I KEEP MOVING & SOLVING EACH PROBLEM AS IT ARRISES–others of course laughed at me calling me a RODEO CLOWN, a CRAZY DON QUIJOTE DE LA MANCHA and worse.…..but I embraced the funny ones having a good laugh or two at myself and WENT TO WORK….

….. used Fitness Center, and STAIRS–in several places for winter , & then FOOTHILLS…..and after a lot of effort reported here…….

…..FINALLY AT THE END OF THE 2022 SEASON DID A HIKE IN THE UINTAS using trekking poles and only one 5 lb. pack on my back–as my misaligned spine can’t bear the weight of a regular pack, the rest of my gear in waist packs, including a large “Lumbar waist pack” you see on my lower back or butt!

Then in December 2022, after a Christmas in Texas with family as reported in my last post–scroll down to see it, but we all returned with some kind of strange sickness that had a couple of us laid up for a month, with me no fever, but multiplied nasal/throat mucus and congestion. I finally came out of it but incredibly weak and nearly losing all of my balance….but too much of me was still working pretty good, so…I HAD TO GO TO WORK…AGAIN, and EXERCISE but with the cold weather I had to do more than push a shopping cart around inside of Walmarts –which I do going around the store a couple of times….or parking lot if good weather>>>>so….

…. I found 3 flights of stairs at the Revere Health Clinic where I could…..go TO WORK AGAIN the first time or two getting out of breath and needing to rest after just one lap of the 52 steps…..BUT PERSISTED….NOT ACCEPTING DEFEAT!

……and just in the last few days with weather above freezing for a few hours every day…..back to the outdoor stairs with help from my little buddy GUARDIAN ANGEL, and making surprising progress that for a while I wondered if it would ever happen again !!!!

A big part of this was solving the constant mucus congestion and wheezing making sleep almost impossible. Before the “strange Texas sickness” I had learned that only one medicine loosened the mucus and made productive coughing, that being Guaifenesin in 600 mg or 1200 mg, but quite expensive to be taking several times every day–for this “Young Ruler” who took the Lord serously in the BIBLE parable and ended up with only half of what normal people get for Social Security for not having paid into the system for all my years in Guatemala–especially before sleeping. But I found it as seen below at DOLLAR TREE now with inflation up to $1.25 per 15 tablets of 400 mg. tablets. Then happy to find the exact same medicine at WALMARTS as seen below at .88 cents per bottle. Usually during the day taking just one tablet was enough, but before retiring needing to take 3 tablets, equal to one 1200 mg tablet of MUCINEX. Still a great savings, and very effective, making the cost only about .30 cents per day!

But, for that to be effective, I also had to start doing a SINUS RINSE …..

….. at least once or twice during the day, and 15 minutes before retiring, followed by taking 3 tablets of the above medication– Guaifenesin— MUCUS RELIEF . The 3rd part of the formula that made it all work, was an inhaler–the one with Oxymetazoline HCI being incredibly effective, but it had a warning for people with heart problems–and previously using it for years and years likely helped create my heart problems, so reduced using it to only one spray in each nostril, while finding a combination of two that gave me almost the same results (mainly Budesonide Nasal Spray from WM’s)……..

…….PRODUCING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS CLEAR BREATHING AT NIGHT & NO WHEEZING!

ALSO, WHEN THE WEATHER ONCE IN A WHILE WARMS A BIT…..BACK TO THE TIMPANOGOS FOOTHILLS….which always feels so much better than the stairs, and helps a lot….like–ONLY– on February 18th:

But, now on February 22 we awoke with snow, so for a while…..

BACK TO THE OUTDOOR STAIRS….or INDOOR CLINIC.

… with help from my little GUARDIAN ANGEL, and quite miraculously quickly gaining the strength I had lost, as well as some of my balance!

After a day or two of help from my GUARDIAN ANGEL, I kept it up all by myself increasing a few laps or repetitions every day, but my memory hasn’t been helped by my little friend–apparently Guardian Angels aren’t perfect….yet, and I sometimes lose track of how many I’ve done….so to not do less, or more than I should each day, I started keeping track with the colorful rocks I like so much.

So, today February 10th, I did 15 STONES–or repetitions, but NOW using just 5 rocks, then moving them forward or backwards and only forcing my mind to remember 1 set, 2 sets, or 3 sets which I did today, and then moving the 5 rocks off to the side so no one would trip on them. I must say I felt great…..great, compared to just two weeks ago when at the Clinic stairs 1 repetition had me out of breath and needing a hand-up from my little friend, but he refused and gave me the message I had to push myself and learn to do it alone–AND ITS BEEN WORKING, thanks to him, and the Lord!

GAURDIAN ANGELS UNDER SUSPICION!

I suspect that some of you are doubting my stories about my infant Guardian Angel, and I’ll have to admit not actually seeing him....yet, and have neglected to ask him his name……but now a few days later learned his name is ….surprise, surprise–TED–so now I have two cherished friends named TED! But for those who haven’t read my MAYA BOOK, let me tell you my experience:

In 1975 I helped Janie Thompson, and the BYU PROGRAM BUREAU plan for the LAMANITE GENERATION–a group of Native American student singers & dancers– a tour of Latin America, which included in our remote area of Guatemala an outdoor performance on our Paradise Valley Plantation, then known as THE CID: A Center for Indian Development, and another in the colonial city of Coban.

In the clean-up work a couple of days later our precious little 2 year old Michelle, we lovingly called “Pepita,” was tragically killed in an accident related to the clean-up. You can read all the details of the tragedy in my MAYA BOOK, pages 125 and 293.

Sometime later I had to make a trip to Guatemala City and alone left early before sun-up. A while later as the day was dawning I became drousy and went to sleep, my pickup veering off the road headed for a deep ravine……when all of a sudden A SLAP ON MY FACE awakened me in time to save me from what likely would have ended my life-long work among the Mayans.

I LITERALLY HEARD THE SLAP and FELT THE STINGING ON MY FACE! I was alone, except for someone I couldn’t see who was there to SLAP ME and SAVED MY LIFE!

I FELT STRONG IMPRESSIONS AT THAT MOMENT THAT IT WAS MY “PEPITA” WHO AT LEAST FOR THAT EVENT WAS MY GUARDIAN ANGEL. This was not the last such life saving event in my Mayan Adventure–as it was said we lived from “CRISIS TO CRISES,” and I added, “FROM MIRACLE TO MIRACLE”, and I also had quite a few in my 2,000 miles of High Uinta backpacking Adventure to write that book, and I have since become a strong believer in GUARDIAN ANGELS.

NOW BACK TO 2023

I’M AMAZED AT THE PROGRESS THAT CAN BE MADE BY GETTING RID OF SICKNESS, WITH PROPER NUTRITION & STUBBORN DETERMINATION– FROM ONLY ONE REPETITION A WEEK OR TWO AGO, NOW UP TO 15–and now not being out of breath, nor needing to rest, with better balance and doing a little more each day I’m able to better manage my blood pressure…..that for a while was so out of control I laid down to sleep at night with two nitro glycerine tablets within easy reach, well as a couple of aspirins, and left the door unlocked so Jesse wouldn’t have to break in…..in case of….well you know!

NOW NEW WONDERFUL INDOOR STAIRS FOR COLD WEATHER…..

I checked in with Security, a wonderful ex-Army drill Sargent, who fully sympathized with my need, he telling me, “I hope when you get to be my age you can be in as good a physical condition as I am!” I asked him how old he was, he replied, “SIXTY-SIX!” ….he apparently assumed I was younger than him. I of course couldn’t resist saying,

“I’M EIGHTY-SEVEN!”

My new drill sargent friend, Rod, shocked said, “NOW YOU ARE BRAGGING!”

A wonderful place for my exercise, where I can relax between laps–until my blood pressure normalizes & then increase a lap, etc. All 4 floors of course with restrooms drinking fountains, and comfortable chairs–and, just in case I push myself too much I’m in THE RIGHT PLACE!

That leads us into what a friend said after one of my lectures at the Utah Valley Historical Society, that being:

“WHAT A LIFE, WHAT A COUPLE OF BOOKS! “

The HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS one that along with history, legends, survival stories that have saved lives, and up-to-date info and topographical maps on all the Trailhead areas, all of it my “MY JOYFULL LIFE SAVING WRITING,” or we might say:

MY JOYFULL LIFE ENHANCING & LIFE SAVING SECRETS FILL..……my HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK

The revealing of what I have learned and done to be where I am, and still might be in the future, is worth it’s weight in gold, and the $20 it will cost you to get the entire digital book on your computer would be more than worth the cost!

When I created the book I insisted on it having what no other HIGH UINTA book had (has)— color photographs–and knew that color increases the cost so much that it was not possible to produce it as a printed book. Therefore it was introduced as an online, digital book for $20. I of course wanted a printed one for myself, paying $173 for it, and soon learned a few Uinta lovers–beginning with my buddy TED– were also interested in spending whatever to have a printed copy–thus about 60 of you spent from $140 up to $170 for your 730 page two volume copy.

HOW TO GET A 50+% DISCOUNT – I just learned that the cost to print one color copy is now $200, but COPYTECH can print a black & white copy with color cover, for $90 plus shipping cost, bringing it to around $100.

I’ll be frank and honest that for me THE COLOR IS WORTH THE EXTRA COST, but if you just want to get information you can save a lot with black & white.

The “IMPOSSIBLE DREAM In the Mountains of the Maya” book, 568 pages, that is my 80+ year autobiography that now begins with Part 1 the crucial 0-22 year VISION QUEST! ….but which you can get separatly clicking on the previous link.

Followed by Parts 2, 3, & 4 that tells the story of how what started as THE ANDERSEN FAMILY PRIVATE PEACE CORP, ended up not being so crazy as almost everyone said it was, rather, achieved the “DREAM” as someone said,

“SAVED THOUSANDS, AND AIDED MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MAYANS GET AN EDUCATION!” and furthermore “Stimulated the organization of a WORLD-WIDE HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION!”

I’ll have to be frank about this book, as it is too “controversial” for most people, even though a thorough, careful reading of the entire book with an honest heart shows clearly it has a noble purpose closely alligned with the BIBLE and modern scriptures.

The now finished book took me a lifetime to live, and 5 years to write, finished with one last crucial addition on February 6, 2023, which is a picture of where the FIRST TWO MIRACLES OCCURRED on the SEA OF CORTEZ when 7 year old Julie and 5 year old David were set adrift ALONE on the open sea in our 12 foot aluminum boat….but humbly knelt in the boat and prayed for help….and were saved!

Today at COPYTECH a color print of the book costs $154, but they can also do a black & white book, with color cover, the cost being only $55. For me the color is worth it, but if you just want information, get black & white. The online version of the MAYA MOUNTAINS BOOK is FREE. Go to https://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/

To get an online copy of the HIGH UINTA MOUNTAIN book, some have called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS, send me $20 (don’t be afraid of sending a $20 bill as we aren’t south of the border) along with your email address, and I will immediately email you the link to download the book with my permission to share once with a friend. 

Send to:  Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003

TO AVOID PAYING ME FOR THE ONLINE UINTA BOOK, GET THE PRINTED BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE, BY GOING TO THE INFORMATION BELOW. REMEMBER TO SPECIFY IF YOU WANT IT IN BLACK & WHITE or COLOR.

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Looking forward to the SPRING for outdoor exercise, but in the meantime we were invited for Christmas with my son Cordel Ammon “Lito,” his wife Diana and two cute grandchildren in the home they just built in Azle, Texas….so in two cars–Nephi’s and Mahana’s, we drove in caravan 1,150 miles to Azle, Texas.

LITO as I call him (from CordeLITO) is one hard working son I’m very proud of, working in the oil industry in Texas, and my personal chef while with them in Texas.

Mahana (from Valparaiso) with her two, Ryan and William, and Diana (from Coban) with her two, Rebeca and James

The day after we arrived, was Christmas and we gathered in the living/TV room, appropriately decorated with one of my rustic picture frames and a much loved High Uinta Mountain scene:

Triangle Mountain and Reconnaissance Lake, rival to Red Castle as the most beautiful outdoor scene in Utah!

Calen was the first to open one of the many envelopes I had prepared for the entire family, finding that for the first time since 2016 I had the energy to put together a much enlarged FAMILY BIRTHDAY CALENDAR for 2022-23, including a Family Photo Album. a booklet of 24 pages.

Nephi, with whom I traveled, checking out the gift I put together for my large family, now with at least 105 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the gift was the

2022-23 FAMILY BIRTHDAY CALENDAR & PHOTO ALBUM

with 24 pages of beautiful color photos of my wonderful Andersen Clan families….best I’ll insert a picture of it below that I had printed for all the family. You can see it by clicking on the link above and if interested download it to your computer.

The main theme was to celebrate 11 years of the ANNUAL ANDERSEN FAMILY LAKE POWELL REUNION, with all the group photos, plus most of the individual attendees, and then some historical photos of the Andersen and Morgan families when I was a child, along with photos of most of the rest in the family who have not been able to be at the Reunion, as well as the growing David & Terri Andersen family Reunion….they now having 21 grandchildren and a family reunion in New Mexico larger than the Lake Powell one….I’ll insert a picture of it below:

THE BIRTHDAY CALENDAR & FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM also has a tribute to those in the family who have passed on:

Michelle “Pepita,” Celestina, and Julie.

Here are my four grandchildren with us in Texas, all appropiately with color coded pijamas, Lito & Diana’s, James and Rebeca, and Mahana & Calen’s, Ryan and William.

But, sadly, we apparently picked up something quite contagious on the drive down, and so all of us from Utah started getting sick, beginning with me in the picture with my son, Lito.

So we packed up and returned to Utah…..eventually with 100% of us from Utah all getting the upper respiratory congestion, headaches, etc. we first thought to be a new strain of Covid-19, but on being tested that wasn’t it. I didn’t have any fever, except for slightly the first day, but with me it went on for a month, until I finally worked out a routine of supplements & Mucus Relief, that worked permitting me to breath freely with no wheezing for the first time in years, but I came out of it feeling at times like I’ve lost almost completely by balance, and extremely weak– seemingly having lost all the conditioning I had worked so hard at to come back from not being able to walk two years ago.

Coming out of the sickness I sometimes I needed my young GUARDIAN ANGEL all over again, and I’m finding ways to work on keeping my balance without any gadgets, and almost being able to walk a straight line and getting strong again…..

So, now for me back to the STAIRS, but not outside with the cold, rather inside at my Revere Health Clinic that has two floors….

……. but the stairs keep going up to a 3rd floor with locked door where the heating and air conditioning units are….but that gives me 3 flights of stairs, or 52 stairs up and 52 down for each repetition.

And from the 3rd floor looking down. So, as difficult as it has been, I’m still the same old stubborn guy who WON’T GIVE UP….EASILY, but I look forward to warmer weather as doing my exercise outdoor with fresh air and sunlight makes a big difference….

There were a couple of days recently above freezing so I did go outdoors, and my little GUARDIAN ANGEL went with to help me the first time or two. I’ll be outdoors whenever the weather is reasonable. To equal 2 repetitions of the 3 floors of stairs at the clinic I have to do 5 repetitions on the outdoor stairs. I’ve now increased to 10 repetitions or laps I think I called them before. I’m making progress…..and thrilled with my Mickey Mouse efforts…but, CONSIDERING HOW WEAK I FELT JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I FEEL VERY BLESSED TO BE MAKING SUCH RAPID PROGRESS–that’s the way it goes for one who DOESN’T GIVE IN, NOR GIVE UP …… EASILY!

…….but I look forward to again working out in the foothills of Timpanogos, and then back to the wonderment of the HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS and its unending VISIONS OF NATURE seen below in several of my rustic picture frames that I also look forward to making again soon.

THE HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK….

….. is a Guide for adventuring in the Uintas, the 1st chapter is an 89 page guide to do an 856 MILE AUTO-LOOP TOUR OF THE UINTAS that shows them equal to or better than many National Parks.

Then follows 3 chapters that are GUIDES FOR HIKERS & BACKPACKERS–the ONLY BOOK WITH UPDATED INFO–including TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS–of all the trailhead areas–WITH ROUTES, DISTANCES & LABELS —

All of the book is unique as it has springkled throughout the  HISTORY, LEGENDS, the SURVIVAL STORIES OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T MAKE IT & WHY, plus my 8 SURVIVAL STORIES and WHY I’LL BACKPACK NEXT SUMMER IN MY 88th YEAR!  

Plus a detailed……..APPENDIX , that among other things has the Anti-Aging Challenge writing that can GIVE YOU NEW LIFE & 14 page INDEX.  

To get an online copy of this book, some have called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS, send me $20 (don’t be afraid of sending a $20 bill as we aren’t south of the border) along with your email address, and I will immediately email you the link to download the book with my permission to share once with a friend. 

Send to:  Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003

TO AVOID PAYING ME FOR THE ONLINE UINTA BOOK, GET THE PRINTED BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE, BY GOING TO TO THE INFORMATION BELOW THE PICTURES:

JUST THIS WEEK THE FINAL, UPDATED & ENHANCED VERSION of The MAYA BOOK WAS PRINTED FOR ME AT COPYTEC  COSTING ME $153.37, so I can now hold it in my hands and read it to constantly remind me HOW THE LORD BLESSED ME with being an instrument in his hands to do our darndest to help quite a few Mayans to “blossom!”

To download the book to your computer CLICK ON:

 MAYA BOOK 1/31/2023

A lot of very good NEW INFORMATION about the details of the book are included in a description of the MAYA BOOK  on the Guatemalan Foundation website: https://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/ I heartily suggest you go there and read the entire introduction.

You’ll notice in the INTRODUCTION to the BOOK on the website, INSPIRATION I RECEIVED AS TO WHAT I SHOULD DO WITH THE BOOK, which I have now done, on Monday, January 31st….I’ll insert a photo of a portion of that explanation….but go to the website to get the WHOLE STORY!

……….I was CRAZY, “laughed to scorn” as was the“idealistic dreamer”  DON QUIJOTE DE LA MANCHA (or Ammon),  Quijote arming himself and on his gallant steed (1966 Ford F-150), supported by his Squire, Sancho Panza (Maria & later, Maria Elena), “rode into hell”—in our case— “The Siberia of Central America,” FOR A HEAVENLY CAUSE…..to fight for the right and oppose all injustice and save lives with effective solutions!  Eventually it was said we…..

….. “SAVED THOUSANDS, & AIDED MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MAYANS TO GET AN EDUCATION!”   

NOTE: The quote from the Guatemalan Foundation website, mentions Leonard Arrington..LDS CHURCH HISTORIAN, who was the author of the book that was my GUIDE & MANUAL for working among the Mayans for most of my life with the pioneer principles that brought them from poverty & persectuion to PROSPERITY, best insert a picture below…..

As explained in my MAYA BOOK, page 346, this incredible book described in our history the God revealed principles of CONVERSION, GATHERING, COOPERATIVISM & EDUCATION among my pioneer ancestors that made them great–and we were applying them at Valparaiso that was studied by a sociologist from the National Electricity Institute in Guatemala, who concluded…..

“THE VALPARAISO CENTER FOR INDIAN DEVELOPMENT IS AN OASIS OF HOPE & JUSTICE FOR THE POOR.”

…..yet strangely later criticized by one modern religious leader, page 318-322 , when I was warned to not use said principles or possibly be destroyed, but….at that time in 1977 when Arrington first contacted me, he had become briefly the CHURCH HISTORIAN for the LDS Church and we became good friends and he wanted to copy all my letter files and do an oral history, but I told him my LIFE HAD TO COME FULL CIRCLE FIRST…..which hasn’t happened yet but I was nonethless moved to take 5 years writing the 68 year history–MY MAYA BOOK. Leonard was the one who began to open up the Church archives some for the first time but sadly didn’t last very long. Now, will my MAYA BOOK be hidden in the archives? You can still get it on your computer clicking on:

MAYA BOOK 1/31/2023

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2 YEARS AGO AFTER A BOTCHED SPINE SURGERY MY RIGHT LEG DIED, and I couldn’t walk with my legs soon loosing all their muscle , and as documented on this website you can see by scrolling way down, and down………I FORCED THAT LEG TO COME ALIVE WITH UNCEASING EFFORTS and soon WITH DIVINE HELP LEARNED TO WALK AGAIN LIKE A BABY, etc., etc.

THEN A MONTH OR TWO AGO MY GOOD LEFT LEG STARTED DYING–but I learned what I had to do to KEEP IT AWAKE and ME MOVING….NOW AGAIN FOR THE WINTER ON THE STAIRS EVERY DAY below the American Fork Fitness Center, and very carefully now HAVE BOTH LEGS FEELING THE SAME and every day–gradually with great caution–INCREASING JUST A LITTLE EVERY WEEK and optomistic about how far the COMEBACK will take me.

The STAIRS face south so any snow melts quickly–making possible doing enough laps every day to keep both legs from dying on me!!

I’M TRULY GRATEFUL FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM MY FAMILY & A FEW REALLY CHOICE FRIENDS like noted on my Facebook page, and quoted on the post BEFORE this one…… they likely never dreamed how important a nice word or two would be to encourage me in my “Impossible Dream” of the High Uintas Project as well as my “Dream….” to persist for half a century giving a helping hand to needy MAYANS…so thanks again to my many Friends!

THE HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK….

….. is a Guide for adventuring in the Uintas, the 1st chapter is an 89 page guide to do an 856 MILE AUTO-LOOP TOUR OF THE UINTAS that shows them equal to or better than many National Parks.

Then follows 3 chapters that are GUIDES FOR HIKERS & BACKPACKERS–the ONLY BOOK WITH UPDATED INFO–including TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS–of all the trailhead areas–WITH ROUTES, DISTANCES & LABELS —

All of the book is unique as it has springkled throughout the  HISTORY, LEGENDS, the SURVIVAL STORIES OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T MAKE IT & WHY, plus my 8 SURVIVAL STORIES and WHY I’LL BACKPACK NEXT SUMMER IN MY 88th YEAR!  

Plus a detailed……..APPENDIX , that among other things has the Anti-Aging Challenge writing that can GIVE YOU NEW LIFE & 14 page INDEX.  

To get an online copy of this book, some have called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS, send me $20 (don’t be afraid of sending a $20 bill as we aren’t south of the border) along with your email address, and I will immediately email you the link to download the book with my permission to share once with a friend. 

Send to:  Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003

TO AVOID PAYING ME FOR THE ONLINE UINTA BOOK, GET THE PRINTED BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE, BY GOING TO TO THE INFORMATION BELOW THE PICTURES:

JUST THIS WEEK THE FINAL, UPDATED & ENHANCED VERSION of The MAYA BOOK WAS PRINTED FOR ME AT COPYTEC  COSTING ME $153.37, so I can now hold it in my hands and read it to constantly remind me HOW THE LORD BLESSED ME with being an instrument in his hands to, as someone said,

“SAVED THOUSANDS & HELPED MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MAYANS GET AN EDUCATION!”

To download the book to your computer CLICK ON:

 MAYA BOOK 9/2022

A lot of very good information about the details of the book are included in a description of the MAYA BOOK  on the Guatemalan Foundation website: https://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/ I heartily suggest you go there and read the entire introduction. Below are the first two pages from the website:

On the website: www.guatemalanfoundation.org there is more interesting information about this unique book.

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NOW WITH THE WINTER…..back to my “STAIRS–FREE EXERCISE MACHINE” every day they’re free of snow–to keep alive and awake my legs, my heart and my mind (& spirit)!

The STAIRS face south so any snow melts quickly–making possible doing enough laps every day to keep both legs from dying on me–and it so far is working cancelling out my left “good leg” from dying as was happening a few weeks ago!

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NOW BACK TO A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND MY POST ABOUT MEETING CHALLENGES ALONG THE PATH OF LIFE……BRINGING IT UP-TO-DATE WITH MY CONFESSIONS………….scroll down to see………….. WHO I RECEIVED HELP FROM

NOW, BACK TO THE PREVIOUS POST….WITH THE DIVINE ADDITION….

……but, SURPRISE, SURPRISE….RAN HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER GLITCH!

A little bit ago on this post I said, “ My good left leg started dying as had the right one, but different as I began feeling pain down the outside of my leg and gradually weakening so I couldn’t lead with it anymore–neither up, nor down and could only trust my previously dead, right leg!” 

Now a few weeks later, and after actually doing my High Uinta “hike” and some big-time hikes up the front of the Timpanogos foothills…..

…..THAT PAIN HAS RETURNED & GROWN COMING CLOSE TO MAKING ME A CRIPPLE….AGAIN!

With every step the pain now hits me at the lower portion of my TITANIUM HIP–where inserted into the bone as seen below, and then travels travels down to my knee and lower leg and today 10/11 I couldn’t use that leg to step up at the American Fork Amphitheater but could keep it stiff to step down, and had to abandon the stairs and just walk around some with hands on hips straightening my back–NOT ACCEPTING AS MY “NEW NORMAL” THE HUMPED OVER POSITION which my spine surgeon told me at the last visit I

“had to accept as the new normal!“

FOLLOWS A COMMENT OR TWO & MY REPLY ON FACEBOOK when reporting the above:

Maren Topham from Facebook

She first said: “If anyone can figure out how to solve this “glitch” it’s you, my friend. So good to read a post from you. Stay strong! “

MY REPLY TO Maren: WOW…SO GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU. I want all to know you were one of the first to really motivate me in my High Uinta Project….when 16-18 years ago at a clinic in Provo you saw one of my color photographs of Red Castle Peak and told me you thought it was beautiful. You might not remember that, but I will never forget and always be grateful for YOU…one of the most beautiful VISIONS OF NATURE I’VE EVER SEEN. God bless you and your family. Your Trail buddy, Cordell

Maren Topham:  “Oh my goodness, you are the sweetest person in the world! I’m so glad you came into my life all those years ago. You taught me so much about over coming obstacles and keeping a positive attitude and the power of determination! You’ve done wonderful things with your life and your talent with photography and love for nature. So glad I could be a small part in it. “

MY ADDITION TO MY FACEBOOK REPORT:

“I’LL KEEP TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SOLVE THIS NEW GLITCH & DO MY DARNDEST TO NOT ACCEPT BEING A HUNCHED OVER OLD RODEO CLOWN!

“I’ll accept the RODEO CLOWN, nick name given me in Guatemala by Keith Hoops a BYU professor of Agriculture/Animal Husbandry who visited me at Valparaiso and our Dairy, asking me where our alfalfa fields were. I pointed to our lush pasture grass that had 23% protein–as high as alfalfa–with our cows on that grass 365 days a year..

…but since we didn’t have alfalfa and silage–like is used in the U.S., he started calling me a “RODEO CLOWN” which I loved ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK–with profits making possible quickly paying off the large bank loan as well as the mortgage on the plantation. I also laughed lovingly at the Rodeo Clown label when 2 of our cows and a heifer all defeated in a livestock show the Central American Grand Champion of the Jersey Breed!!!

“I still love to be called a “Rodeo Clown,” as well as a crazy old “Modern Don Quijote de la Mancha,” a “Modern Ammon,” and “Little Andy!”

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24 MONTHS AGO, after apparently a botched surgery on my spine, MY RIGHT LEG DIED & I COULDN’T WALK–the muscles in my lower legs disappeared and only bone was left like I was a holocaust victim! I was a bit different than Almanzo in the following story on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, as he got terribly discouraged at first–I NEVER DID even when diagnosed with cancer in 2003, but always was blessed with my “NEVER, NEVER GIVE IN, NOR GIVE UP” attitude. So, I went to work but in my attempts to -–awaken feeling, build muscle again, be able to walk and be independant-–a couple of falls left MY SPINE DANGEROUSLY MISALIGNED AS SEEN BELOW. The titanium appliances were perhaps doing more harm than good.

A FALL COULD LEAVE ME COMPLETELY PARALYZED OR DEAD…..So great caution was advised by my spine surgeon, saying,

 “DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID!” .

My spine surgeon said he could straighten it out but the surgery would take at least 6 hours with possible complications, and no guarantee, he adding something like, “I’ve never done such a surgery on someone your age, but you are healthier than others your age, but I wouldn’t do it unless you were in so much pain you didn’t want to live any longer!”

My decision was to try and live with it, and do my best to adjust, adapt, and strengthen myself.

THE YEAR LONG+ HISTORY of my CHALLENGE FOLLOWS:

AS REPORTED HERE  TIRELESS & PAINFUL HOURS WERE SPENT WITH MY OWN VERSION OF PHYSICAL THERAPY, COUPLED WITH A LOT OF PRAYER-–FOR MONTHS IN BED with isometric exercises, and all kinds of exercises with my legs, helping with my hands the dead leg to begin movement and wake up , then gradually to actual movement inside my tiny mobile home-–learning the “log roll” to sit up, grabbing on all the things close in every direction to sit, to stand, to fix my picnic-like meals, and eventually scoot into my tiny shower room, sit on the toilet and using a flexible shower-head, actually take a shower, then outside onto the porch Jesse had built for me with its down-ramp and railing, then using special canes Jesse got for me, and then a wheel chair my good friend Garth Norman provided to get me to the clinic and then the hospital for an emergency surgery, next a walker my daughter, Mahana, got for me, then using shopping carts as walkers around store parking lots I actually worked up to doing 2-3 miles a day.

I didn’t know what the Lord had in store for me, but I was willing to accept whatever condition he felt best–but DETERMINED TO PUSH MYSELF and LET HIM HELP ME ACHIEVE JUST AS MUCH AS WAS POSSIBLE!

Next, another good friend, Paul Edmunds got for me a nice walker gradually using it going farther and farther from home (American Fork) eventually on the paved jogging/bicycle paths to Highland and Lone Peak High School, then all the way up to half-marathon distance (13.2 miles) to Alpine & back forcing my dead leg to come alive and keep up with the good leg and building muscle again.

It was on those long “walks” that travelers called 911 that had the police offer to save “an old guy with a walker on the highway!” I thanked them, but insisted on getting home by myself, and twice beautiful young women attempted  “love kidnappings” which I bravely resisted with a smile telling them “thanks a million, but I’m doing great!” I apparently DIDN’T LOOK GREAT, but gradually got better as I repeated those long “hikes” with my walker, THEN ON TO THE NEXT STEP….with DIVINE HELP–LEARNING TO WALK LIKE A BABY with no aids….except a HEAVENLY ONE WHO WOULD TAKE ME BY THE HAND!

.……at the parks on on grass to provide soft landings learning to walk again like a baby–but I can’t brag about doing it on my own, as I had the divine help of one of my Guardian Angels! He also helped me learn how to fall like a baby does to not break anything, and how to get up on my feet without help of any earthly gadgets.

Another of those–years before in the MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA– I came to believe was my GUARDIAN ANGEL–our beautiful MICHELLE “PEPITA” — story told in my MAYA BOOK, pages 293-294

NOW BACK TO THE PRESENT: I then headed for the hills using trekking poles, so the FOOTHILLS OF MT. TIMPANOGOS became my FREE “EXERCISE MACHINE” up Grove Canyon, and hikes along the foothills every other day–doing a mile, then two, and three and always….

…. SHARING WITH ALL OF YOU the magnificent & inspiring

“VISIONS OF NATURE” ….

…..you can all see scrolling down, and down and down some more! All of this in hopes of being able to BACKPACK IN THE UINTAS AGAIN….actually dreaming of doing at least a mile at high altitude on rocky trails & maybe even an overnighter!

I would use a tiny day pack weighing only 5 lbs. but mainly I got special waist packs, the large one on my behind a “lumbar waist pack” as I couldn’t put any significant weight on my spine.

SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE UP TO BALD MT. PASS–by the way along the way I learned to drive again my car, first using exclusively my good left leg.

NOTE: The first time my car disappeared my boys, Jesse and Nephi were shocked and when I returned THEY CONFISCATED MY KEYS!

I finally did a test drive and showed them I could do it safely. Of course I’m now back to driving normally.

BUT AT HIGH ALTITUDE I HAD TO SEE HOW MY BODY WOULD REACT TO HIGH ALTITUDE–that as I got older in my High Uinta Project became a problem, and as previously reported I RAN INTO TROUBLE WITH EVEN A SHORT WALK AT 10,700 ft. HAVING ME QUICKLY OUT OF BREATH, ALONG WITH DANGEROUSLY ERRATIC BLOOD PRESSURE–sometimes TOO LOW (93/55 with 120/80 as normal), sometimes HIGH. Below 95 is experienced “with people who are dying!” 

I also was shocked when it seemed like my good left leg started dying as had the right one, but different: The right one just lost all feeling as though it wasn’t there; the left one just a couple of weeks ago began feeling pain down the outside of my leg and gradually weakening so I couldn’t lead with it anymore–neither up, nor down and could only trust my previously dead, right leg! So, I had to back off and do some special work to…..

….. keep ALIVE & AWAKE BOTH LEGS!

I finally figured I could do it–carefully, my way.

So, as my last report stated on Monday, September 5th:

“LITTLE ANDY HAS DISAPPEARED!“

Only to reappear back in civilization on Wednesday, September 7th with the story in this photo/essay having MADE IT TO FEHR LAKE!

But, the following was necessary to adjust to the altitude. Once at 10,769 ft. Bald Mt. Pass, I parked and without doing any exercise, stayed there the night sleeping in my car to aclimatize before any hiking. My oximeter first showed my oxygen in my blood a little low–in the 80’s. For 24 hours I had been taking Diamox to help my body adjust, and continued that the next day. The next morning my vitals were all OK. So I prepared my hike to Fehr Lake with about 20 lbs. of equipment, fishing gear, food and water in my waist packs. But down the trail a bit I didn’t feel good, and found that my blood pressure was low….not as dangerously low as the last attempt, but I just felt that the load I wasn’t accustomed to, coupled with the altitude, was perhaps just too much, so I wisely returned to the car, yet determined to get to Fehr Lake. I rested a bit and prepared to just make it a day-hike with only emergency items, fishing gear and food for the day.

I headed for Fehr Lake again, and this time felt much better, made it through the rocky area with large steps down–that had stopped me last year, and got to the lake-bowed my head with a prayer of gratitude to the Lord, had my picnic lunch, did a little fishing, but as mentioned previously my balance was mostly lost in all of this ordeal over the last 3 years, and in rocky, uneven terrain always needed at least 1 trekking pole. Spin fishing was a problem as I had to use both hands to hold the rod and operate the spinning reel, and didn’t have a 3rd hand to steady me with the trekking pole, so every time I would begin reeling in my lure I would begin losing my balance–NOT GOOD ON THE EDGE OF A LAKE! I could only continue finding a rock to sit on near the water. 

Balance is a big part of my problem and would make wading and fishing a stream, like my beloved Beaverhead River in Montana–IMPOSSIBLE…even STUPID!

After a little succes I finally headed for the Trailhead, and was in the middle of–for me–the dangerous rocky area with big steps up, when two elderly ladies passed me, and stopped to talk. One of them recognized me when I mentioned doing my Uinta Project after returning from living in Guatemala for 35 years, remembering especially I had a lot of children and asked how many? I replied with a smile,

“Only 15, but some were adopted!”

At the early October Family Reunion at Lake Powell, the family figured out that I have 84 grandchildren and great grandchildren…..so far!

NOTE: If she meant my Central House Family in Guatemala–there would eventually be over the years around 300 who called me “PAPA!”

NOTE: At the end of this post is a FREE link to my book a….A FIFTY YEAR “IMPOSSIBLE DREAM” AMONG THE MAYA that explains all of the above.

I made it back to the trailhead fine, learning I could easily do more-–GIVING ME AMPLE TIME TO ACCLIMATIZE, monitor my vitals carefully, and WITH THE LORD’S HELP do a lot better with some of the lessons learned.

SO, FOR ME THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR MY 88th YEAR–I’ve just got to keep moving & keep awake BOTH legs as well as the rest of me–physically and spiritually!

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I WOULD BE EMBARRASSED WITH ACKNOWLEDGING SUCH A SMALL GOAL IN THE HIGH UINTAS, but all things considered I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR HAVING BEEN ABLE TO BEAR THE PAIN & THE DIFFICULTY OF REACHING THIS FIRST SMALL GOAL…...and it will keep me moving, exercising through the fall, winter and spring–doing innumerable miles and doing my best to keep my legs awake and get stronger--to interestingly be hopefully capable of doing a few miles in the Uintas, but more importantly all the time be mentally, physically and spiritually awake and capable of meeting greater goals more in keeping with what I came to believe was my overall purpose in this world….

….SAVING LIVES!

NOTE: Several who bought the book have emailed me thanking me for “saving their lives,” plus a Forest Service officer told me a couple of summers ago that 4 had been saved that summer by using the SPOT TRACKER I used and recommended!

Since publishing the book only one hiker/backpacker has died in the High Uintas….and he was one WHO DIDN’T GET MY BOOK!

SO, GET THE BOOK & SAVE YOUR LIFE or that of A LOVED ONE!

“BIRDS FLY OVER THE RAINBOW, WHY OH WHY CAN’T I?”

“CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN, FORD EVERY STREAM, FOLLOW EVERY RAINBOW…..TILL YOU FIND YOUR DREAM!”

“A DREAM THAT WILL NEED ALL THE LOVE YOU CAN GIVE….

…..EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE, FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE!”

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THE STORY OF MY LIFE ….FOLLOWING EVERY RAINBOW….SEEKING MY DREAM ……ATTEMPTING MY BEST TO “SAVE LIVES” IS TOLD IN MY TWO BOOKS.

The story of my first 80+ years, THE “IMPOSSIBLE DREAM” IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MAYA, an online book 568 pages long with over 1,200 color photos, you can download free clicking on the link below the photo of the printed version. “FREE” as I told the ladies, “….because it in part tells my religious history and I don’t believe in making money off of religion–not even a ‘modest living allowance!’” The ladies heartedly agreed!

JUST THIS WEEK–09/19/22–THE FINAL, UPDATED & ENHANCED VERSION, WAS PRINTED FOR ME AT COPYTEC (info below) COSTING ME $153.37, so I can now hold it in my hands and read it to constantly remind me HOW THE LORD BLESSED ME with being an instrument in his hands to, as someone said,

“SAVED THOUSANDS & HELPED MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MAYANS GET AN EDUCATION!”

To download the book to your computer CLICK ON:

 MAYA BOOK 9/2022

A lot of very good information about the details of the book are included in a description of the MAYA BOOK  on the Guatemalan Foundation website: https://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/ I heartily suggest you go there and read the entire introduction.

NOTE: There is no promotion of any kind asking for donations as I retired the Foundation on its GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY on August 19, 2017— 50+ years doing my darndest!

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Then overlapping the last 18+ of those 80+ years–my life story is completed with THE HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS BOOK—which I’m told has saved lives & will continue to do so as more and more of you get the book following the information below the picture.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR (me): “I’m really enjoying now reading my book again, and I must say that IT IS PRETTY DARN GOOD, so far outdoing in every aspect any other book about the Uintas.”

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WITH EXTENSIVE PUBLISHING EXPERIENCE WILLING TO PROMOTE THIS BOOK & GET RICH? IT SHOULD BE IN EVERY LIBRARY IN THE U.S. & IN THE HANDS OF EVERY OUTDOOR LOVER, but I haven’t known how to promote it properly & now getting too old to do it justice. I WOULD ALMOST GIVE IT TO SOMEONE WHO COULD DO IT RIGHT! LET ME KNOW.

The 730 page digital book is a Guide for adventuring in the Uintas, but also with HISTORY, LEGENDS, the SURVIVAL STORIES OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T MAKE IT & WHY, plus my 8 SURVIVAL STORIES and WHY I’LL BACKPACK THIS SUMMER IN MY 87th YEAR, plus a detailed APPENDIX (that among other things has the Anti-Aging Challenge writing), & 14 page INDEX, as well as TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS–of all the trailhead areas–WITH ROUTES, DISTANCES & LABELS — to get an online copy of this book, some have called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS, send me $20 (don’t be afraid of sending a $20 bill as we aren’t south of the border) along with your email address, and I will immediately email you the link to download the book with my permission to share once with a friend. 

Send to: 

Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003

To get a printed version like you see above, get the online book, then put it on  a thumb drive and take to your favorite printer. Office Max will do it, but ask them to lighten up the pictures as the one they did for me had the pictures too dark.  

To get a printed version like you see above, get the online book, then put it on  a thumb drive and take to your favorite printer. Office Max will do it, but ask them to lighten up the pictures as the one they did for me had the pictures too dark.  

By far my favorite printer is 

COPYTEC,

185 West 200 South,

Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062

Telephone: 801-785-3680

THEY HAVE IN THEIR COMPUTER THE UPDATED FINISHED VERSIONS OF BOTH BOOKS & ARE AUTHORIZED BY ME TO PRINT BOOKS FOR ANY OF YOU, SO YOU CAN CALL THEM ON THE PHONE, MAKE YOUR ORDER, AND GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO TO PAY, INCLUDING ANY SHIPPING COST, or pick up yourself if you are in the area.

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HERE COMES THE NEW INSERT INTO WHAT WAS TO POSSIBLY BE MY LAST POST THIS SEASON…..BUT, all of a sudden–MY STORY– was on one of my favorite TV series--so wholesome, pure, entertaining, and so inspiring–so I’ve been watching an episode almost every evening, (9 seasons are available)

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE,

The Ingall’s house with Mary, Laura (“Half-pint”), and Carrie, was to eventually grow adding Grace, Albert, James and Cassandra–something like our CENTRAL HOUSE FAMILY in Guatemala grew, and grew, and grew some more!

Season 8, Episodes 17 & 18 tells sort of a similar LIFE & DEATH CONFRONTATION I FACED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, entitled: “DAYS OF SUNSHINE, DAYS OF SHADOW,” that I have shared in an email to my High Uinta & other friends with some detail below…but just a little as I hope I’m enticing you to look for it on Amazon Prime, or YouTubetv, etc……maybe even enhancing your lives by starting with Season 1 and go all the way to Season 9 with the wonderful Director and lead actor, Michael Landon, who plays Charles Ingalls. It is a pioneer kind of series, actually taken from the diary and books written by Charles & Caroline Ingall’s daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, one of the stars in the inspirational segment I review below with a series of pictures & just a little caption info to lead to the next image.

24 MONTHS AGO, after apparently a botched surgery on my spine, MY RIGHT LEG DIED & I COULDN’T WALK–the muscles in my lower legs disappeared and only bone was left like I was a holocaust victim! I was a bit different than Almanzo in the above story, as he got terribly discouraged at first–I NEVER DID, but always was blessed with my “NEVER, NEVER GIVE IN, NOR GIVE UP” attitude. So, I went to work but in my attempts to –awaken feeling, build muscle again, be able to walk and be independant–a couple of falls left MY SPINE DANGEROUSLY MISALIGNED AS SEEN BELOW. The titanium appliances were perhaps doing more harm than good. A FALL COULD LEAVE ME COMPLETELY PARALYZED OR DEAD…..So great caution was advised by my spine surgeon, saying, “DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID!” .

****************

LITTLE ANDY HAS DISAPPEARED!

FROM HIS FACEBOOK PAGE:

AFTER THE HOLIDAY RUSH TO THE COOL OF THE MOUNTAINS>>>look for me to NOT ACCEPT “GIVING UP…” and DISAPPEAR FOR A FEW DAYS.–to then all of a sudden report here & on my website that I followed the suggestions in my HIGH UINTA MTS. BOOK to manage HIGH ALTITUDE SICKNES & made the COMEBACK DOING AN ACTUAL OVERNIGHT BACKPACK

TO HELP FIND HIM….and TO AVOID YOU DISAPPEARING TO NEVER BE FOUND, GET THE BOOK!

The 730 page digital book is a Guide for adventuring in the Uintas, but also with HISTORY, LEGENDS, the SURVIVAL STORIES OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T MAKE IT & WHY, plus my 8 SURVIVAL STORIES and WHY I’LL BACKPACK THIS SUMMER IN MY 87th YEAR, plus a detailed APPENDIX (among other things has the Anti-Aging Challenge writing), & 14 page INDEX, as well as TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS WITH ROUTES, DISTANCES & LABELS — to get an online copy of this book, some have called THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS, send me $20 (don’t be afraid of sending a $20 bill as we aren’t south of the border) along with your email address, and I will immediately email you the link to download the book with my permission to share once with a friend. 

Send to: 

Cordell Andersen, 444 Elm St., American Fork, Utah 84003

To get a printed version like you see above, get the online book, then put it on  a thumb drive and take to your favorite printer. Office Max will do it, but ask them to lighten up the pictures as the one they did for me had the pictures too dark.  By far my favorite printer is COPYTEC, 185 West 200 South, Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062

Telephone: 801-785-3680

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SPECIAL ALERT ( Today-8/25-Including follow-up the day after this with a DEATH ALERT!): Last week I was to finally do a 2-3 day backpack into an area beginning with a steep 500 ft. climb up….less than 1/2 mile, then level for a ways….to Scout Lake, followed by another steep 500 ft. climb up 1 mile to my objective Lofty Lake. But, all of a sudden my foothill hikes got complicated and SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME, AS MY “GOOD” LEFT LEG STARTED WEAKENING AND GOING DEAD AS HAD HAPPENED 2 YEARS AGO WITH MY RIGHT LEG DYING WITH ZERO STRENGTH and over 2 months my lower leg muscles disappeared!

WITH THIS NEW ALERT, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT to THROW IN THE TOWEL!

But, DIDN’T GIVE UP, NOR GIVE IN, so began carefully experimenting–but now reversing with step-ups leading with my previously dead leg, and with gradually increased exercise, and a lot of prayer. By last Sunday I felt life coming back into my left leg, and by Monday, August 22nd felt both legs the same with about 50-75% normalcy. I became determined to yet do a backpack THIS SUMMER, but not the one with steep climbs, rather what I attempted and failed at last summer–a 1/2 mile hike to Fehr Lake--which hike hurt me then, but, I now feel confident with my renewed awakening in my left leg, that I can do the Fehr Lake hike safely, and believing the previous plan with steep climbs, up, and then down, could have been deadly for me.

So I’m leaving now, August 24th to drive up the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, and when I get to the Fehr Lake Trailhead, if oxygen level in blood is good, as well as blood pressure, and I still feel 50-75% strength and aliveness in both legs, will likely this afternoon make it and camp out for one night at Fehr Lake, eat a nice trout for my dinner, and return tomorrow–HAVING MADE YET ANOTHER COMEBACK, WITH GREAT HOPES FOR THE FUTURE IN MY 88th YEAR! If there are ominous signs, indicating a problem with high altitude, or heart problems……..yes, still being sort of dumb, but NOT STUPID….I will just return home or sleep the night in my car and return tomorrow….

For you tough backpackers, this MUST SOUND LIKE A JOKE…RIGHT? But, for me…who couldn’t even walk, with a dead right leg 20 months ago, THIS COULD BE A SUPREME ACHIEVEMENT….and HOPEFULLY A NEW BEGINNING FOR AN OLD GUY ACCUSED OF BEING EITHER, A MODERN DON QUIJOTE DE LA MANCHA, or for the Mormon community, A MODERN AMMON……..to move towards my 90’s!

TODAY, August 25th, WITH A SPECIAL REPORT FOR AN OLD GUY ……. WHO FOR AT LEAST TODAY FEELS LIKE THAT “OLD GUY” AFTER MY ATTEMPT YESTERDAY IN THE UINTAS!

I made it to the Trailhead, just a mile past Bald Mountain Pass, but not feeling 100% with a little headache, nonetheless got ready for the short hike, but first checked my oxygen blood level, which wasn’t too bad, but in the upper 80’s, but Blood Pressure a bit LOW, and I didn’t feel too good, so tested myself with a short 1/8 mile hike without waist packs, and returned to the car and was out of breath, felt a bit dizzy and too tired for such a short hike.

My Oximeter still showed my oxygen level slightly low, but my BP cuff reading SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME! It read: 93/55 I hate to fail–being sort of DUMB…..

…but NOT STUPID, so got the car going, and headed for home before the dizziness got the worst of me!

I’ll admit I had to rest once along the way, but made it home and got my laptop going to the internet and researched LOW BLOOD PRESSURE….which REALLY SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME, BUT HAD ME FEELING VERY GRATEFUL!

A reply to one question was: “Overall, older adults with a blood pressure reading of 90/60 mm Hg or lower is considered too low (hypotension).

“Excessively low blood pressure may cause dizziness or FAINTING and increase the risk of FALLS!

“When an individual is APPROACHING DEATH, the systolic blood pressure will typically drop below 95!”

Mine was 93 so for this time it was good that I chickened out and headed for lower country, rather than stubbornly heading down the “Mickey Mouse” trail to Fehr Lake!

What does all of this mean for my future? Might be that I will put on hold for a time QUIXOTICALLY fighting off those pesky wind-mills, or temporarily flick onto safety my Colt .45 Defender and have on hold for now AMMONICALLY attempting to eliminate all the law breakers!

IF YOU DON’T HEAR FROM ME FOR A WHILE, CHECK THE OBITUARIES FOR A REFRESHINGLY HUMOUROUS……OF COURSE LONG…..but WORTHWHILE FINAL FAREWELL!

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FOLLOWS THE PREVIOUS POST WHICH IS PATRIOTICALLY ALWAYS WORTH LOOKING AT AGAIN AS WELL AS HAVING YOUR BREATH TAKEN AWAY BY “GRACE & THE KING’S PEAK TRAIL,” and ALWAYS THE WONDERFUL…….

“VISIONS OF NATURE!“

OUR WONDERFUL GROVE CANYON….in the foothills of MT. TIMPANOGOS, FOR JULY 4th!

Interestingly I met on the trail President Evanson and his wife, from Canada, who are the Leaders of the OREM/UTAH LDS MISSION.

I goofed in my COMEBACK from not being able to walk 18 months ago, by pushing myself too quickly and peaked months before my hoped for BACKPACK TO THE GRANDADDIES in mid-June, so I had backed off, and…..SURPRISE, SURPRISE….I LOST MY CONDITIONING! It’s lost so quickly for an old 86 year old, and then so hard to get it back.

SO I FAILED AT MY MID-JUNE BACKPACK…..but am determined to do my best to get it done in mid-August. SO–in spite of the heat– WENT TO WORK AGAIN–3 to 4 times a week– GRADUALLY DOING HARDER, AND LONGER HIKES….BUT PLANNING IT OUT SO I’LL PEAK MID-AUGUST AND HOPE TO MEET MY GOAL. So here I am doing as I love to do–SHARE THE WONDERS OF THE TRAIL WITH MY FRIENDS!

SO THIS IS STILL MY HOPE & MY DREAM!

I’ll admit that as I sort of started new with short hikes, and then stretch them out a bit….IT WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN REALLY HARD..AGAIN…….so much so that I almost decided it was just too much for me to handle, and came close to another FOREST GUMP MOMENT! “I’m tired and I think I’ll go home now!” ……..but I kept at it and there has been noticeable progress.

INSPIRATION FROM WHAT I CALL “VISIONS OF NATURE” ALWAYS HELPS ME A LOT!

I gradually got higher and higher. Usually every other day, and rather than my noontime, or afternoon hikes, got smart and usually did it by 9:00 AM, or earlier.

…….and becoming more realistic with my goal of actually doing a 2-3 day backpack or two in the Uintas, and worked on getting the weight I would carry down to under 20 lbs. I decided I would have to sacrifice my BELOVED NIKON camera and incredible lenses: 14-400 mm. zoom lens, as well as my Fish-eye lens , but rather using my iPhone, I worked on piling up rocks and setting it pointed towards where I’d be and put it on video, then edit to save the shots I needed, like this one.

My tech savvy boys, Jesse and Nephi, reminded me about Google, and Amazon, and so a very lightweight piece of equipment was acquired real cheap, along with a tiny remote.

I was gradually getting higher and higher up where I had got to before.

…..and finally got back up to the VALLEY VIEW SPOT, which I’ve now done 3 Saturdays in a row, and each time taken a different route back down to be building strength and stamina, and eventually get to the point where I can do it and ENJOY IT, RATHER THAN IT BEING PURE TORTURE, which it was the first time of the 3. I’ve got to get to where a hike into the GRANDADDIES is enjoyable, and even inspiring!

The first of the 3 hikes to the VALLEY VIEW SPOT, I came back down following the trail. For the 2nd time I looked north as we see in this photo, but …….

……..I went down to photograph an earthquake detection site, you see below.

From here I sort of went straight down the mountain, but pretty soon it got real steep and dangerous for me, so had to switch-back over to where it was a little safer, but it was a tough hike for me that had my muscles really sore for the next few days.

YOU’LL NEVER KNOW HOW WONDERFUL IT WAS TO ACTUALLY HAVE MUSCLES BACK TO GET SORE, as 18 months ago the muscles had disappeared and I had no strength!

On my 3rd hike to the VALLEY VIEW SPOT, I decided to head north and got on a trail that climbed up higher and eventually got me back down to the trail you see below where I had made a bunch of hikes, and where I had seen my first SEGO LILY, Utah’s State Flower.

NOW IT’S TIME FOR OUR TOUR OF THE HIGH UINTA MOUNTAINS, North Slope, moving on from our last tour to the Red Castle area, we come to one of the most used trails in the High Uintas–THE HENRY’S FORK TRAIL, “GATEWAY TO KINGS PEAK!”

YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE MY BOOK. I’ve been sharing the book in sort of outline style, hoping it would awaken your interest in getting the BOOK, and all the information I’m purposely not sharing in these posts, like the details of the SURVIVAL stories, all kinds of WONDERFUL BACKPACKING OPTIONS FOR EACH TRAILHEAD, the TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS with trails I have added, with labels and distances, and up-to-date information on the lakes, etc. At the end of this post I’ll insert again the photo below and add all the information you’ll need to get an online copy, and how you can also get it printed yourself to hold in your hands and read as I’m doing again now myself–and just have to add…….

…..IT’S PRETTY DARNED GOOD–NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT!

My SURVIVAL ADVENTURE ended with my life SAVED. IT’S DETAILS HAVE SAVED OTHER’S PEOPLE’S LIVES TOO!

THE HENRY’S FORK BASIN.

It was late in the season, 2004, and I was camped just under Anderson Pass & KINGS PEAK! I was limping as had had an emergency surgery on my “motorcycle knee” just 30 days before.

My camp, up where the yellow arrow is pointing, was way above me as I had taken a day hike down to U-75 where I had caught huge brook trout. Mt. Jedediah I have named is above the lake. But on that hike I became deathly sick, and somehow had to make it back up to my camp to survive. My book tells the details of how I made it back, then laid there for two days waiting for the emergency antibiotic to begin taking affect. Snow was on its way……so I had to get out of there soon!

After two days, I made it to Anderson Pass to get this picture, and the next day had to move towards the Trailhead, 16 miles to the north.

I had to move carefully so as to not work up a sweat and let the sickness know it had a great chance to take me down for the count. I made it down to the meadows below Kings Peak and there tripped, but caught myself to prevent falling, but sprained my ankle–so I was all of a sudden doing what I sometimes did to finish the International Half Marathon in Coban, Guatemala:

“LIMPING WITH BOTH LEGS, and DRAGGING ONE BEHIND ME!”

But I made it 8 miles to the Dollar Lake area and camped. Using my satellite phone I called to let the family know where I was and that I would make it out the 8 miles the next day.

But, little did I know the greatest danger would come that night when I had a heart attack and experienced one of the great miracles of my life, as explained in detail in the book. It took me all day, but I did make it to the Trailhead, and on to Ft. Bridger staying in a motel for needed rest.

The BOOK in this Henry’s Fork section has the ASTOUNDING STORY of 11 year old GRACE Hirschi we see here leaving her father, Jake, in her dust as she zeroes in on KINGS PEAK.

The amazing and inspiring story of JAKE HIRSCHI’S FAMILY: GRACE, ISAAC, and 7 year old NORA is told in several sections of the book. Just that alone is worth the purchase price!

The Henry’s Fork/Kings Peak Trail takes you up over Gunsight Pass, and to the Highline Trail then up to Anderson Pass and Kings Peak, but the trail can also take you over Trail Rider Pass to this beautiful sight seen below with Lake Atwood in the distance, where my buddy, Ted Packard caught the Utah (unofficial–19.5 inches) record Arctic Grayling in 1962, and in the foreground is seen an alpine basin I have named GEORGE BEARD BASIN, honoring pioneer artist/photographer George Beard. This above timberline alpine basin, rarely visited is more than worth a visit…….

……along with Beard Lake, that is right up on Trail Rider Pass where I caught the (unofficial) Utah record Eastern Brook Trout, you see below on the left, along with one out of U-75.

The very heavy bodied, hook-jawed brookie on the left is estimated to be from 28″ to 30″ long which would have been a Utah State record.

I met this group of youth from Washington on Gunsight Pass. They promised to take for me a picture from South Kings Peak of “LITTLE ANDY LAKE” you see on the right, given my nick name as a youth. It is the highest lake in Utah at 12,307 ft.

I include this topographical map, from the book, to show you the many lakes in the Henry’s Fork Basin, the highest being Cliff Lake we see below in a page shot from the book. The book has detailed information on each of the many lakes.

From the Henry’s Fork Basin, over to the area around Kings Peak, is where I have seen the most Ptarmigan in the High Uintas. Here I ran into a couple of hunters searching for them.

ALL IN ALL A WONDERFUL AREA FOR HIKING, BACKPACKING, EXPLORING, FISHING, PHOTOGRAPHING WILDLIFE, & BEING INSPIRED BY THE LORD’S WONDERFUL VISIONS OF NATURE, WHICH OF COURSE INCLUDE AS MANY MOOSE AS SEEN ANYWHERE IN THE UINTAS.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MY LIFE AMONG THE MAYA: Go to the GUATEMALAN FOUNDATION’S website with the final addition from the movie THE BOURNE LEGACY which REVEALS THE ANSWER TO the……

..MOST IMPORTANT PERPLEXING QUESTION IN MY ENTIRE 50 YEAR MAYA HISTORY::

Check out the VERY LAST VERSION of the BOOK now with

THE “MODERN AMMON’S” LEGACY!

Download free the BOOK about my life among the Mayans.

 If BOURNE is what attracts your curiosity…and it should, it will best be understood after going through the history where you will find it in Section 29, page 464.