Trail Mix for July 23: Madera’s Oswaldo Lopez among Badwater hopefuls next week

The AdventureCORPS Badwater 135 Ultramarathon is less than a week away and 97 runners will challenge themselves to one of the most demanding and strenuous races on the planet.

The 135-mile footrace on Tuesday returns to its original course in Death Valley after the 2014 edition held outside the national park.

Starting at Badwater Basin — the lowest point in North America at 280 feet below sea level — and ending at Whitney Portal, 8,360 feet up and the trailhead to Mt. Whitney, runners in the process will cross three mountain ranges for a total elevation gain of 14,600 feet.

The field includes defending champion Harvey Lewis and course record-holder Valmir Nunes of Brazil (2007, 22 hours, 51 minutes, 29 seconds).

Madera’s Oswaldo Lopez, who won in 2011, will race for the seventh time. He’s finished in the top three every year except last year, when he dropped out because of stomach issues after 80 miles.

Runners will take off in three waves Tuesday, starting at 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Some race notes:

• Youngest competitor: Breanna Cornell, 22, Alabama
• Oldest: Jack Denness, 80, United Kingdom
• Field makeup: 68 men, 29 women; 38 rookies, 59 veterans
• Nationalities represented: 23
• Some of runners day jobs: College professor, casino dealer, software engineer, real estate agent, yacht captain, waiter and a Serbian special anti-terrorist forces officer

Study links forest thinning to water increase

Could thinning forests help save water? That’s what a team of researchers is suggesting after studying how water yield changes with various levels of forest thinning.

Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service’s Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center and the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory found that when the leaf area index (LAI) — the ratio of leaves per unit of ground area, which provides a measure of forest productivity and water use — decreases, more water was produced.

However, it wasn’t by much. Findings show that when forest lands were thinned (LAI cut by 20%, 50% and 80%), water yield increased to 3%, 8% and 13%, respectively.

Using the Water Supply Stress Index, researchers simulated water yields based on changes in LAI, temperature, and precipitation across 2,100 U.S. watersheds. Read more on the study here.

Events

Take a ranger-led nighthike through Kings Canyon National Park at 9 p.m. every Thursday.

The moderate hike that takes about one hour to complete and is free with park admission. Meet at the John Muir Lodge and sign up at the front desk. Bring a flashlight and wear sturdy shoes. No children under 8 years of age.

Details: www.sequoiahistory.org

REI will hold a members-only garage sale on Saturday where adventurers can find cheap and discounted gear. The store will hand out numbered wristbands at 4 p.m. with the lottery draw entry starting at 5 p.m. Memberships can be purchased on site for $20. All sales are final.

The REI Outdoor School will host a free 90-minute lesson on how to use a GoPro camera starting at 1 p.m. Sunday. Bring your GoPro fully charged. Space is limited. Register at www.rei.com/fresno.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Trail Mix for July 23: Madera’s Oswaldo Lopez among Badwater hopefuls next week."