Rebuild date announced for Lands End labyrinth

A rock labyrinth at San Francisco's Lands End was destroyed on Aug. 11, 2015. Vandals removed nearly every single rock. A rock labyrinth at San Francisco's Lands End was destroyed on Aug. 11, 2015. Vandals removed nearly every single rock. Photo: @StefStar Photo: @StefStar Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Rebuild date announced for Lands End labyrinth 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

If you rebuild it, they will come.

The caretaker of San Francisco's Lands End labyrinth that was vandalized last week has picked a rebuild date.

Colleen Yerge is inviting anyone who is willing to help carry rocks to gather on the morning of Sept. 13.

The rock labyrinth that's perched on a craggy ledge hanging over the Pacific Ocean was destroyed in the middle of the night on Aug. 11. The rocks that were carefully organized into 11 concentric circles were thrown into the ocean, and now only the outline of the labyrinth remains traced in the dirt.

After the incident, Yerge was overwhelmed with emails and calls from people expressing their love for the place and encouraging her to rebuild.

"People are sharing their stories about what that place means to them," Yerge said in an interview. "It's really so heartwarming. It's touching people in so many ways. It's beyond words."

Yerge was contacted by news stations, school principals, and a landscaping company that offered to donate rocks. Someone wants to DJ on the day of the rebuild and another person hopes to conduct a tea ceremony. There was an offer for an after-party at a nearby house.

"This is my gift to the people of San Francisco," Yerge said. "I was kind of like whatever you want to do. We can have a good time. It is San Francisco after all."

Yerge sent out an Evite for the rebuild and 50 people have already signed up to help.

The labyrinth might be one of San Francisco's best kept secrets. Following its twisting path, you can take in sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge and listen to the crashing waves below. Locals come here in search of serenity and for meditative walks.

"A lot of people, when they're sad or down, they go there, and it fills them up," Yerge said. "It's the most beautiful place ever—just looking out there."

The labyrinth was originally created by Eduardo Aguilera in 2004 and Yerge, who also works as a doula, began helping with upkeep in 2008. (The San Francisco Chronicle produced a video documentary about Yerge's devotion to the labyrinth earlier this year.)

Over the years, the work of art has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, but this year the vandals have been relentless. Yerge rebuilt the labyrinth in January and April, carrying hundreds of pounds of rocks in a traveling backpack from Mile Rock Beach. The damage is far worse this time.

"Normally when it's destroyed, only a quarter of the rocks are removed," Yerge said in an interview. "This time they removed every single rock."

The first time Yerge was confronted by vandalism in 2011 she was devastated, but she has since learned to accept the damage.

"The labyrinth is there as a sign of peace, love and enlightenment for all," shared in statement with the Richmond District Blog. "And especially for those that are suffering so much. So even when it is destroyed after I put over 40 hours of carrying rocks and assembling the piece, I still have compassion for whoever did it."

In the past, the rebuild has taken two or threes days. After the labyrinth was destroyed last spring, only five people showed up to help, but with news of the most recent vandalism spreading across social media this week, she's confident a large crew will allow complete the project in a day.

"I've been telling people that I don't want to focus on the vandalism because that's so negative," Yerge said. "I want to focus on the positive and this is beyond positive because the community has come around this. It's really incredible."

Labyrinth rebuild details: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lands End labyrinth. Bring water, bag lunch, a jacket, a backpack for carrying rocks and a smile.