La Jolla Rotarians to hike for Coast Walk Trail repair

La Jolla’s five Rotary Clubs are coming together for a fundraising hike for Friends of Coast Walk Trail, and some spots are available for the public to join them.

The hike, offered in two sessions to groups of limited sizes, will be held at 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Sign-ups are due by Friday, Oct. 16. Admission is $50.

Participants will receive a mask, a water bottle, coupons from local businesses and a self-guided trail map complete with notes about the repairs that proceeds from the event will help fund.

Coast Walk Trail lies between Coast Walk (a short street west of Torrey Pines Road between Prospect Place and Amalfi Street) and Goldfish Point, including a walking path and bridge. For the past four years, Friends of Coast Walk Trail has worked with the city of San Diego to secure a right-of-entry permit to privately raise funds for and make repairs to the trail.

“We have had great success (and beyond expectation) with the trail repairs this past spring,” FOCWT President Brenda Fake told the La Jolla Light, including removing invasive plants by the parking area in the 1500 block of Coast Walk and taking out invasive plants and replacing vegetation at another area of the trail, fronting 1593 Coast Walk.

Now, FOCWT is fundraising to repair one of the slopes alongside the trail that was “washed out” during rains, Fake said.

“If we can get the funds raised by the end of November, I am hoping we have a nice Christmas gift back to the community,” she said.

Enter the Rotary Clubs.

“The Rotary four-way test is something that Rotarians use in many situations,” said La Jolla Rotary Club community services chairman Wade Aschbrenner. “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? The Coast Walk event passes the test and is a great way to get outdoors during the pandemic and provide service and build friendships. We think it is an excellent opportunity for the clubs to collaborate and improve the community.”

Mark Powell, a past president of La Jolla Sunrise Rotary, said the Sunrise club “was recently made aware of the urgent need for erosion repairs to the historical Coast Walk Trail. The erosion repairs are time-critical and must be completed before the winter storms or there is a big risk that the erosion problem will [worsen] to the point that the Coast Walk Trail is not safe. In addition ... we believe the event will bring new business into La Jolla, especially important in the current COVID business environment.”

In addition to the funds raised by Rotarians in the hike, Rotary District 5340 — which covers all of San Diego County — will contribute a matching grant.

When the slope repair is funded, FOCWT will look toward its other projects, including stabilizing another slope that has eroded, replacing some trees, fixing the fencing near the Goldfish Point entrance and resurfacing the trail.

“When I started raising the money to fix the trail, there were like 15 things that needed to be done besides the trail being resurfaced,” Fake said. “We got almost all of them done, but a few projects became cost-prohibitive, so this is the start to really raising some money.”

Those who cannot attend the fundraising hike but would like to donate may contribute at givsum.com/opportunities/walk-for-the-trail-22426b883.

To learn more, visit friendsofcoastwalk.org. ◆