Into the mountains I go to lose my mind and find my soul: South Mountain CSAUP

Into the mountains I go to lose my mind and find my soul: South Mountain CSAUP

Rewind back to February 2020. YHC has posted three times, each at Da Vinci. The gloom is daunting and getting the best of me. I nearly puke and pass out during my first workout (Heartbreaker Q on 2/22/2020) and the early start times. I’m challenged, curious, but still on the fence about this whole F3 cult community. During coffeeteria at Chick-Fil-A (remember when we could do this?) a strange moniker is mentioned – #CSAUP

CSPAN? Surf’s up? Sippy cup? I’m lost. What is this strange term and foreign acronym? Why are so many acronyms part of the daily F3 experience? Did Flipper really get his name at a CSAUP by tossing himself over a wheelbarrow? Why is Tuck involved in every single F3 CSAUP ever held?

While my mind is still spinning, I am informed about a completely unofficial, yet highly organized trip to the mountains for a run. Free. Only cost is sacrificing to show up, experience discomfort and the risk of failure. I’m hooked.

Looking back over a year ago, CSAUP is what really sealed the deal for me to dive deeper into this eclectic community. It captures to me the essence of what High Impact Men are all about. Understanding that at times we need to push ourselves beyond the daily confines, the comforts of our regular existence to new heights. New places of existence that we can only experience when arms are locked with another accelerating man. 

Gentlemen, I bring you the South Mountain CSAUP. Your opportunity to find a new resilience, a new strength within you. The chance to experience the beauty of creation and be inspired by the Creator. The taste of no-bake cookies, packaged pickles and cool gatorade served up in the back of a pickup truck before ascending for another lap. 

“Into the mountains we go, to lose our minds and find our souls”

What: Hike/Run/Ruck 10/20/30 miles at South Mountains State Park in Connelly Springs (1.5 hours from South Charlotte)

Route: Create your own adventure between 3 different loops (11.7 miles, 10 miles, 9.5 miles – details below) covering a total of ~5900 feet of elevation gain. Each loop starts and ends at the parking lot where someone’s pickup truck will have water and snacks (see below, bring a snack) for refueling before your next loop.

When: Saturday, April 17th. Gates to the park open at 7. We will chat a little, stretch, name any FNG’s and then start running promptly at 0715

Where: South Mountains State Park, High Shoals Parking Area (https://goo.gl/maps/DrA4wHzbuYrRdXE89)

Cutoff: There’s no official cutoff as this is not an official run but the guy with the pickup truck has to leave by 3:00 so if you’re not done by then the snacks/water will be gone. Otherwise, you are responsible for getting yourself home anyway so nothing else changes.

Who: PAX and 2.0’s from wherever. This is going to be a fun day of running/hiking in the mountains with friends both new and old.

Cost: If you haven’t been paying attention, this is unorganized and unofficial and therefore FREE. Please bring a snack to put in the backup of the pickup truck for your friends to try.

Interested? #southmountaincsaup on Slack for friendly banter. Add your name, etc. to this sheet so we can all have an idea of who’s coming: https://rebrand.ly/south_mountain_contact_list

***DISCLAIMER: To be clear, this is not an organized or official run/race/event. If you come, you are on your own and entirely responsible for your own safety and well-being. If you choose to run the same loops in the same order as us, awesome! But, as with all things F3, you are encouraged to modify as necessary to avoid personal injury and overall make good decisions with your life.

The loops/routes will NOT be marked. There will be GPX files available for those with fancy watches as well as printed maps and cue sheets available in some guys truck in the parking lot at South Mountain. Most carriers will have cell service out there so it is highly recommended that you carry your phone with you and common sense thoroughly suggests that you stick with a buddy.

Bottom Line: This is going to be a blast. If you haven’t been to South Mountains State Park before, you are really missing out. We will cover almost all of the trails there, including all the big views overlooking Jacob Fork Gorge, the 80-foot High Shoals waterfall, and the beautiful mountains of Western NC. Make up a route of your own, or just come eat snacks and high five your friends when they stop at the pickup truck.

Tentative Route Maps (to be finalized soon):
Full Route: www.plotaroute.com/route/993852 (31.2 miles / ~5,900 ft elevation gain)
First Loop: www.plotaroute.com/route/993743 (11.7 miles / ~2,100 ft elevation gain)
Second Loop: www.plotaroute.com/route/993851 (9.5 miles / ~1,700 ft elevation gain)
Third Loop: www.plotaroute.com/route/993748 (10 miles / ~2,100 ft elevation gain)