Interview with Theo Fowler
by Rachel Spatz Bidstrup
This past August, I had the pleasure of paddling across True’s Pond in South Montville, Maine to meet the 2025 BSP Calendar cover photographer, Theo Fowler. We met on the north shore of Camp NEOFA, where Theo was about to attend the annual Maine Fiddle Camp. Theo is the youngest photographer ever to get the cover of the BSP calendar! He was only 14 when he took the picture of the Great Basin and is now heading into his sophomore year of high school. I live in the same small community in mid-coast Maine as Theo and have had the pleasure of watching him grow up. From a young age, Theo has always stood out as an exceptional human being. He is an astute and active observer of all things with a quick-fire intellect that far exceeds his age.
When I asked Theo to describe his relationship to the Park, Theo didn’t miss a beat and said, “It’s engraved in the family tradition!” He has many fond memories of hiking with his Aunt Liz and other family members on favorite trails around Traveler Mountain, South Branch Pond, and Chimney Pond, and he has summited Katahdin at least 7 times so far. Not yet this year, but hey, “the year is not over yet!” On the early July 2023 hike in which he captured the Great Basin shrouded in mist, he went up Cathedral to Baxter Peak, took the Knife Edge across, and came down the new Dudley Trail. He regrets that he did not have his SLR on hand for the shot but the high res, ultra-wide lens on his phone did the trick. Theo noted that this picture only captured a small portion of what one experiences when present to take in this and other scenes in the Park.
Theo’s family has deep roots in the Baxter region, starting when his great-great-great-great grandparents settled on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. Theo’s grandparents live at the foot of North Twin Lake, in close proximity to the Park, and he will continue to forge that family tradition for his generation. Thank you, Theo, for submitting this beautiful shot and for taking the time to visit with me and share a little bit about how much Baxter State Park means to you!
