“Tales from Toklat”
Trevor Washko
Toklat, an Aspen legend for 70 years, is the home of the Mace family, the root of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and the cornerstone of the Castle Creek Valley. It has evolved as a rustic wilderness lodge, a world-class dog sledding kennel, a natural food restaurant, a handcrafted art gallery, and today – as ACES’ Catto Center at Toklat – a wilderness retreat centered on our personal and cultural relationship with the natural world.
Washko’s ongoing journey began in the summer of 1996, when he made his first sojourn to the upper Castle Creek Valley and to Toklat at Ashcroft as an ACES Naturalist. The following year, he took up residence with the Mace family above their hanging table for what was to be a three-month pilot project to serve as ACES’ Stuart Mace Naturalist-in-Residence.
Since then, Trevor has slept more nights, done more dishes, shoveled more snow, and eaten more 3R Bars at Toklat than anyone not named Mace. Yet, in the process, he has discovered that his experience of deeply dwelling there has been mirrored with many others. Toklat has been a wide source of inspiration, feeding the minds, the bodies, and the spirits of generations at its trademark hanging tables and around its council fire.
Informed by the legacy of Stuart Mace and set against a backdrop of lively imagery, Trevor’s presentation will be a sharing of writings, reflections, stories, and insights intended to bring his audience closer to understanding his two most frequently asked questions: What is this place? What does Toklat mean?
What is Potbelly Perspectives?
ACES’ Potbelly Perspectives speaker series features Aspen locals and visitors who share their exciting accounts of world travel and adventure through images and stories.
From January through March, this speaker series takes place every Wednesday evening at 7PM at Hallam Lake, providing an opportunity for community-building and story-telling that engages Aspen locals and visitors alike. Tea, donated by Two Leaves Tea Company, beer donated by Breckenridge Brewery, and Paradise Bakery cookies are offered.