Dispatch from Khatadin, Baxter State Park, Maine, June 16, 2004

Bjorn's first dispatch was actually filed from Monson, Maine, on June 22. In his Monson dispatch he did have things to say about his climb up Mt. Katahdin.

This "dispatch" is actually filed by Bjorn's mother, who dropped him off, on June 15, at Khatadin Stream Campground, 8 miles into Baxter State Park up an unpaved dirt road. Even on this slightly rainy dawning day, the wilderness was awesome and beautiful. We got out of the car to watch a snapping turtle cross the road and head for the lake on the road's other side.

I left Bjorn at his lean-to by Katahdin Stream, where he seemed eager to begin to meet the other campers who were staying at this campground. Some might be thru-hikers like himself. And these people he would be most eager to meet.

It is Bjorn's intention to email me photos he takes along the way so that he can share them immediately with his family and friends through this website. At his first stop in Monson, the computer was not up to the downloading task. Bjorn's hoping for better luck in this regard in Caratunk on Saturday. The three pictures above were taken by me when I dropped Bjorn off at Katahdin Stream Campground in Baxter.

We invite you to visit this website again over the weekend, to see if Bjorn has succeeded in filing another dispatch from Caratunk, this time with the photos he has been taking along the way. In fact, we hope you will return to the site many times over the course of the next five months to follow Bjorn's progress along the trail to Georgia! Can you believe that? 2,174 miles on foot!