Got out and ran part of the "middle" section of Nolans on Monday with Kendrick. Going from Missouri Gulch to North Cottonwood was a fun line (Belford, Oxford, Harvard, Columbia), and the drop down into Pine Creek was really quite easy. We nailed the descent, had hardly any bushwacking, found a part of the river to cross that didn't require getting your feet wet, and then found a perfect line up to the North Ridge of Harvard. All in all I think it took us just under two hours from summit to summit. My quick notes - drop off Oxford towards the southwest, generally following the ridge but then angling down into the valley staying on the grassy tundra. When you get to the hanging valley with the willows, go around the west side of them, find a game trail that traverses southwest and when that trail begins to climb, drop almost straight down through the trees. This takes you through the cliff section without really having to deal with them. When you hit Pine Creek, cut straight across, and climb up through the forest staying on the granite slabs until reaching the northeastern side of the north ridge. From here, go straight up on a really steep grassy slope that takes you directly to the ridge above most of the cliffs and talus. From there it is a easy climb on the ridge to the summit. We did this section in ~7:30 at a fairly slow/mellow pace.
Top of Belford looking at Harvard
Top of Oxford looking at Harvard again
We went straight through the woods here, and went up the grassy slope in the center of the photo, angling right and hitting the ridge right above the cliffs in the middle/right side of the photo
Columbia from the summit of Harvard
Harvard getting pounded with rain
Summit of Columbia looking at Yale
A big contrags to Jared Campbell and Luke Nelson on their Idaho 12ers FKT. Looks like a fun time, and a line that does not seem to involve too much pre-work before an attempt. Of course, Jared makes everything look easy! 28:14 for the total time.
One of the races that I've thought would be cool to run is Fat Dog 120. This is a new video from this years race. With it now being a Hardrock qualifier, it seems to be filling very fast, and some have suggested that it will have a lottery in a year or two. Time to get after it - just gotta figure a way to get up to BC.
New article on myostatin and muscle fatigue. Research has shown that blocking myostatin results in the growth of extra large muscles, which has been of interest to body builders and people in the livestock industry for several years. Now, in this article, the authors have found that myostatin "endows skeletal muscle with high oxidative capacity and low fatigability, thus regulating the delicate balance between muscle mass, muscle force, energy metabolism, and endurance capacity." So, will there be research into making more myostatin in humans for endurance sports? Another form of EPO I guess that will be coming in future years.
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