Laughing Trails Podcast Transcription:
Chautauqua Park
Megan Cutter:
Welcome to Laughing Trails podcast, where adventure meets the absurdity and mischief of a life well-
lived. Our intention is to break barriers and rattle the tree of possibilities, to explore what beauty might
open up when we dare to live outside the box. While we also share accessibility tidbits about our
adventures.
Remember, we are only two voices in a greater community. Therefore, we are only responsible for our
own adventures. We are not responsible for yours. So have what you need on the trail.
This episode is sponsored by Barton Cutter Coaching. If you are looking to discover your path or even
blaze your own trail, I love blazing trails, in this wild world, reach out to Barton directly at bartoncutter.com
to learn more.
If you laugh along the way, please subscribe and write a review. It will help our voices be more visible in
the world. And yes, today, I do have a cold, so pardon my voice. Hopefully, we’ll keep things going today.
Barton Cutter:
If they can’t understand you, there’s no way they’ll understand me. So, have no worries, that will be fine.
[laughter]
Megan Cutter:
Today, we wanted to talk about one of our most favorite places that we go to, Chautauqua, which is in
Boulder County.
Barton Cutter:
Let’s back up. Give you a heads up that every episode, we’ll start with that because they’re all our favorite
places.
Megan Cutter:
[robust laughter]
That is very true. They are all of our favorite places.
Barton Cutter:
However, this journey is one of our favorites. So, there’s so much here from multiple paths with varying
levels of challenge to beautiful views, to a park, to great coffee shops and a really awesome restaurant.
We’re going to get into all of that, but this really is a favorite of ours though. Even though they all are.
Megan Cutter:
The trails at Chautauqua are about a mile up and back, and there are three main trails that we take to go
up to the Flatirons.
Barton Cutter:
So, the middle one is probably the most obvious and easy. Easily traversable in terms of actual terrain,
because it’s paved most of the way, although it does get steep the higher you are.
Megan Cutter:
There’s also the most traffic along the main route that’s in the center.
Barton Cutter:
Yeah. And, if you’re like me, this could be fun. If you like to freak people out by barreling down. But it
doesn’t have to be scary, although you will want brakes for that.
Megan Cutter:
And Barton’s been, you’ve been in your power chair most of the time that we’ve gone there. We have
seen others there in manual chairs and has typically taken at least two or three people, either pushing up
or making sure you’re not going too fast on the way down.
Barton Cutter:
Yeah, I think the one lady we saw in a manual had three people around her to helping guide and pushing
and serve as emergency break.
Megan Cutter:
There’s also a trail up to the left, which goes along… Barton’s telling me I’m going way too fast.
[laughter]
Barton Cutter:
Wait, before we get there, because the first time I did this, it was December-ish and it had iced the day
before. And a lot of it had melted, but I could get up to a point where the sun had not yet hit that part of
the trail, because we were there in the morning. And, there was still a significant layer of ice on the paved
paths this made driving really interested. Especially when you are already a couple of hundred feet above
the base of the trail.
Megan Cutter:
[laughter]
I think I remember you sliding back like you’re in an ice-skating rink. That was pretty fun to watch, but at
the same time, I was like, Whoa..
[laughter]
Barton Cutter:
It was fun to watch because I was able to stop. I don’t think you would have called it fun.
Megan Cutter:
Yea.
[laughter]
Barton Cutter:
[laughter]
I kept going.
Megan Cutter:
Yeah. It really is… The gravel is really compact gravel, so it’s not concrete, but more like, really compact.
So there could be puddles of mud that we went into and navigated around both by wheels and by foot.
Barton Cutter:
Um. I think you were talking about a different path because that part is paved up there.
Megan Cutter:
It’s paved up till that point where you curve around a bit.
Barton Cutter:
Okay. I haven’t been beyond that yet. So that’s our next weekend adventure.
Megan Cutter:
And then there are two other trails that go up the sides as well. We’ve been up all three. The one to the
left is pretty straight. And then there are horizontal paths between them, which sometimes there could be
a wooden plank or stair to navigate the ground.
Barton Cutter:
Yeah. Those connective trails, I haven’t found very accessible, but that doesn’t stop me, though. When
you call them accessible.
Megan Cutter:
[laughter]
There is a point at the top, around the top, where you are able to get into the Flatirons or pass that go up
to the Flat Irons that are not wheelchair accessible. So there has been at least one time I have been
without you and navigated to see what those paths were like. Most of them had rocks or small boulders in
the path, so you would want to be able to step around them or navigate around the boulders. The trails
can get a little bit narrow up at the top as well.
Barton Cutter:
Yea. This path on the left that you’re talking about is honestly my personal favorite, the first, the first two-
thirds of it is not as steep as the middle path. So it does go up as high as the middle, or maybe even
higher. After the first two-thirds, which is a half of a mile to three-fourths of a mile, there is a really big
switchback that is easy to navigate in a powerchair. And then there are a couple other switchbacks that I
find very easy to navigate. And my favorite part of this trail is probably at the switchback, because you get
to look down over the entire park. And there’s also a wonderful view of Boulder from there.
Megan Cutter:
I love as you’re talking, what I’m noticing, and I really love, is how we experience the paths differently and
notice different things along the way, or the surface may feel different to each of us. That’s a really
interesting point that we can be along the same trail and have really different experiences.
Barton Cutter:
What did you experience on that same path?
Megan Cutter:
I’ll talk a bit because it was that same left-hand trail. The time when I went to Chautauqua without you,
and it was just me, I went up the middle path that felt more steeper and came down the left side. And, it
was a really powerful experience because it was in the spring, probably about a year ago. I heard
hummingbirds before I saw them. And, to me, that’s the most memorable part about being on that path
and the experience that is so visceral and tangible. Some of that was because I had been wearing my
hearing aids for about four or five months, a little while to get adjusted to them. But to experience sound
in that particular way of something I’ve never really heard before, and knowing what it was before I
actually saw the hummingbirds around me, that was just the coolest experience. You’ve talked about the
trails and the different directions, and for me, there’s this whole sensory experience going on when I’m on
the trail.
Barton Cutter:
I remember how excited you were after that, you told me all that experience. I love how much you’re, the
shift in the auditory experience added so much to your own private adventure.
Megan Cutter:
Yeah, I wouldn’t have ever expected that. It’s pretty phenomenal. So, since we’ve been talking about the
trails, we have taken a lot of our family to Chautauqua in different forms and in different places. So, I want
to hear more about your experience with that.
Barton Cutter:
So, some context before I get into that. My family is very big on hiking. They, they’re from Boston,
originally. And even though we’ve all kind of moved away, we all often go up to the White Mountains of
New Hampshire for reunions. Almost every year, I’ve been going out there since I was born. While I love it
there, I’ve never really been able to hike. There aren’t many accessible trails there, and the couple that
we have found are often a mile or less and are flat and don’t have any real elevation to them. Before any
of our family came out here, I remember being on a hike when you were, and saying, you know, I feel
more like a Cutter here than I ever have been in my life because I can finally get out and get into the
mountains and have some real hikes that get us to some beautiful views and some real elevation. So, all
that said, I was really excited to have some of my family come out to visit so that we could all go hiking,
and I wouldn’t have you sit behind and wonder how their experience was up in the mountains.
So, I guess it was about a month and a half ago, my cousin was out here for a conference, and he stayed
with us for a few days after his conference was over. We got to take him up to Chautauqua, and I believe
we took him out on this path. And we got up beyond this set of switchbacks that we’ve been talking about
and I turned to him and said, “Man, you don’t know how log I’ve waited to be able to do this with you.”
He laughed and said, “Yeah, it is pretty awesome.”
And we kept hiking. But as a person who loves mountains and loves the White Mountains in particular, it’s
a bizarre experience to realize how much more at home I feel here, simply because I can do an activity
that is so ingrained in my family’s DNA.
Megan Cutter:
I really love that, that you were able to experience that with your cousin and be walking and adventuring
together. It wouldn’t be a hike without some unpredictability. It had been snowing earlier in the week. We
did navigate the trails a little bit differently. I do remember now you were in your manual for that one
because of the slush and the snow. We did get a bit up into elevation to be able to turn around and really
see the skyline, which was just beautiful.
Barton Cutter:
You know what you reminded me of? My cousin did not bring his hiking boots. I texted him before he
came and asked him to bring them, and he laughed when he got here because he was like, “I really
thought I wouldn’t need him. And halfway up the mountain in have melted snow, we wouldn’t been a real
benefit.
Megan Cutter:
It really would have been. I think I learned that my first winter here was, hiking boots was an absolute
must, especially in the winter or the spring, because after the winter melt, everything is muddy, at least for
a couple of weeks. So a little bit about the Chautauqua area in particular is that there’s so much history
there. So it’s been really neat to learn more about the historical context as it was a community that was
established in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s as an educational and retreat community that really focused
on learning, having places to rest, and have a retreat area especially out in nature. So many…
Barton Cutter:
And wasn’t it originated somewhere in the outstate, New York?
Megan Cutter:
Yeah.
Barton Cutter:
… In this other camp out there?
Megan Cutter:
Yes. So it did originate in New York, and there are several Chautauqua’s all around the country. So to
have one in Boulders, really, it just takes you back in time to walk by little retreat houses or houses that
were built in the 1900’s, or seeing people try to restore the houses now that many of them need some
work and restoration.
Barton Cutter:
You are bringing up one of my favorite part about the place, which is the main lodge to where the
restaurant is. Again, it feels very similar to me to some of the huts in the White Mountains. This lodge is a
beautiful old Victorian with this awesome wrap around porch, and beautiful views. We eat lunch or dinner
there every time we go for a hike there. In fact, I remember this year, we had been lamenting some of the
traditions that we had back in North Carolina, we weren’t able to translate to out here for the holidays.
Megan Cutter:
Having a glass in front of a fire was a standard tradition in North Carolina because we had a standard
built chimney, a wood fire chimney. And many of the houses or apartments just aren’t built in the same
way because of the wildfires out here and the conditions out here.
Barton Cutter:
Yeah. So we really missed that, but this year we ended up having Christmas Eve dinner at the lodge in
front of a beautiful fire, and it just filled my heart in so many ways.
Megan Cutter:
And I really felt the holiday spirit come alive as well.
Barton Cutter:
Yea. Why are the parts of Chautauqua speak to you when we are thinking about it?
Megan Cutter:
Well, at the base, there is a large field, and often we’ll take our Husky, Tundra out to Chautauqua and let
her run around the field. It’s a place that we’ve just put a blanket down and had a picnic or have picked
coffee up at the general store and are able to really spend the morning relaxing and letting her run
around.
Barton Cutter:
Guys, the views are exquisite! They’re just impossible to [fathom]. You’re looking straight up at the Flat
Irons They’re gorgeous. There’s some brilliant red rocks that come straight out like spires. It’s just
phenomenal. It makes me happy!
[giggle]
Megan Cutter:
I think what’s so incredible is to realize this is so close to where we live. It’s pretty incredible to get these
views and to feel so open in places that just take a few minutes’ drive to get there.
Barton Cutter:
I get why the area has grown so much. There’s no way I’m leaving it anytime soon.
Ginny Morefield [ASL interpretor]
Barton, did you say that you get why something?
Barton Cutter:
I get why the area has grown so much. I’m not leaving any time soon.
Megan Cutter:
What else speaks to you with Chautauqua?
Barton Cutter:
Hmm. I think that trail on the left, there, is really my favorite part of the park. Next time, we will talk about
Flagstaff Mountain, which is right beside the park. There’s some awesome trails on that, too, but we’ll get
soon.
Megan Cutter:
Something just popped into my head. The trail on the right is a little flatter at the beginning. It goes around
the base and then goes up. I know we had to stop at one point and turn around. That’s our mojo is to go
as far as we can and then flip around and backtrack or find another way to go. But this last time we went
in your new power chair, there were these.. that they had just put dirt down around some wooden planks.
So you had these nice, really dirt hills, like a bike park. To watch you go over those dirt hills was like, you
were just having a blast.
Barton Cutter:
Yeah, I, I really appreciate it because there used to be stairs there. But I imagine that the rangers were
just trying to replenish the reas around the steps with some dirt to make up for erosion, but there was
enough fresh dirt packed deeply and tightly enouh that I was able to I do a bit of off-roading and pop over
these steps given the right angles and what not, probably not what the manufacturer of my wheelchair
had in mind, but they don’t have to know.
Megan Cutter:
And you had a blast.
Barton Cutter:
Yea.
Megan Cutter:
As we wrap up our time talking about Chautauqua, there are a few logistics. Parking can be a challenge
there because it’s such a popular place.
Barton Cutter:
And there are only a couple of accessible spots.
Megan Cutter:
They’re not in the main parking lot. You have to go around the curve, and there are a couple of parking
spots right at that corner. Then when you go down to the dining hall, the Chautauqua Dining Hall, there
are a couple of places right in front of the dining hall as well.
Barton Cutter:
But you want to get there super early. There have been several times where we’ve gone there before
9:00, and we’re already gone.
Megan Cutter:
We like going early in the morning, having a morning hike, and then having breakfast at the dining hall.
That’s our favorite.
Barton Cutter:
By the way, their brunch menu is awesome.
Megan Cutter:
[laughter]
Yes, it is. I agree with that. In our next adventure, we’ll go around Flagstaff, which is a mountain behind
Chautauqua. There’s several stops along the way.
Barton Cutter:
More on that soon.
Megan Cutter:
More on that soon. For the post-ramble, which is on my side, we hope our adventures today have stirred
your own hunger for life, whether laughter, tears, joy, or in community with others. We want to share our
deep appreciation to Ginny Morefield for ASL interpretation on video, Shane Dittmar for music, and for
video descriptions today, we have Barton Cutter, who is a white male wearing a, how would you say off-
white?
Barton Cutter:
Beige turtleneck.
Megan Cutter:
Beige turtleneck. Thank you for the color correction there. Beige turtleneck sweater. You are in a power
wheelchair, and behind Barton, there is a… he’s in our living room, so there are white walls behind him.
And I have not seen Tundra poke out today. She found a place to nap.
Barton Cutter:
I saw her once.
Megan Cutter:
And I am Megan Cutter, a white female. And I always miss something with you, Barton. I’m so sorry. So
I’ll go back to you because we have to talk about your salt and pepper hair with very high brow and bright
blue eyes. Did I miss anything else? Did I cover our bases?
Barton Cutter:
I think we’re good. If you guys who rely on these want more, let us know what kind of information to add.
on this.
Megan Cutter:
Absolutely. I try to fit everything in, but you can obviously tell I’ll miss a few things, so I’ll obviously go
back. I am Megan Cutter, a white female with brown hair and brown eyes, and I am wearing glasses
today. I have hearing aids with decorated sort of white spiral today. Behind me is my office, which has
bookcases filled with books and a painting with woods and a sun. Then we have Ginny Morefield, who is
a white female who is wearing a black top, glasses, has red hair and brown eyes. You can find more of
our creative explorations at laughingtrails.com. Subscribe to our Patreon for bloopers. For this one, we’ll
probably put some video out on our, our time at Chautauqua. I do have video of going over those dirt
bumps, as well as a lot of really beautiful pictures. We’ll work on putting those up on our Patreon site. We
have on-site video and creative treats. Our inclusive format is…
Barton Cutter:
The address for that is…
Megan Cutter:
And we do have a Patreon.
Barton Cutter:
The address is…
Megan Cutter:
I don’t have the address for a Patreon listed on our…my script.
Barton Cutter:
Patreon.com/laughingtrails Myleasure. Love you, too.
Megan Cutter:
Thank you. Our inclusive formats include podcast, video with ASL interpretation, and a written
transcription. A special thank you for today’s sponsor, Barton Cutter Coaching at bartoncutter.com.
Limited editing as we’re still figuring things out, and why would you edit life out anyway? We’re partners,
and obviously, one of us is going to miss something that the other will add. Thanks so much, and see
next time.
Barton Cutter:
Bye.
Laughing Trails
Website: https://laughingtrails.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LaughingTrails
ASL Interpretation: Ginny Morefield
Podcast Music: Shane Dittmar https://www.shanedittmar.com/