Members of Walk the Lake pose at Miramar Lake in Scripps Ranch. The group has been meeting the first Sunday of every month to walk, share and build community. (courtesy photo)
Group formed to Walk the Lake
A local group started to work toward building more community in Scripps Ranch with meetups, exercise and a little coffee.
Walk the Lake was founded by Scripps Ranch resident Shelby Morgan at the beginning of the year as a way to support individuals who have a passion for their health and their community.
Before the COVID-19 crisis, the group was meeting at Miramar Lake the first Sunday morning of the month. Morgan provided coffee for those interested in a little boost or warmth for their walk. Locals were encouraged to join for as much of the five-mile walk as they could both in time commitment and physical ability.
“I really wanted to build a community within Scripps Ranch that supports those who have a passion or inspiration for health. And, I thought this would be one of the ways to build that community,” Morgan said.
She initially started the group by posting it on the Scripps Ranch Information Exchange page on Facebook and on her own personal social media accounts. Morgan also invited other residents she knew including Melissa Culver. Morgan and Culver knew one another through high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout classes at the Scripps Ranch Swim and Racquet Club.
“As you can imagine, HIIT training doesn’t allow for us mom friends to really get a chance to socialize with one another. The seconds we do have in class we are usually trying to catch our breath,” Culver said.
Culver said that while she was initially hesitant to join because of other commitments and time constraints in her schedule, she was glad she carved out the time to join.
“I’ve attended both meet ups and have had such a great time getting to meet new faces and seeing familiar ones. It’s fascinating how much we have in common with people we barely met, and even better – it’s people from within our community,” Culver said.
Mostly women attended the Walk at the Lake meetups, but Morgan said she is hoping that more men from the community will join as well. She said that during the walk, the participants are able to decompress about their week with one another as well as learn through advice on everything from nail salon recommendations to kids after-school programs.
“This group is serving its purpose in the sense that it’s getting us like-minded individuals out, moving our bodies … But, it’s also giving us a chance to build authentic and genuine relationships and friendships,” Morgan said.
For more information and to connect with Morgan about Walk the Lake and possible future events, visit her page on Facebook: bit.ly/2Q4khFz or on Instagram: @shelbymsd.