United States 1988

First time on a plane. Nearly didn’t make it as my passport went missing in the post when I sent it off for my work visa for America. I was based in the Berkshires in Massachusetts at a Summer Camp called Camp Becket. I was a trip guide and with my fellow trip guiders, we took groups of young kids on 3 or 4 day hiking trips, 4 day Canoe trips and day trips potholing (or “splunking” as the Americans called it). The hiking took place in the Green mountains and the White Mountains in Vermont, including Mt Greylock, the highest in Massachusetts. The photos show a hiking trip to the Green mountains, my view from the YMCA in New York on the night I arrived, as well as the Empire State Building which we sneaked up without paying. There is also a couple of photos from a day trip to Boston. Plenty of jumping from Bridges on the canoe trips as you can see from the photos, as well as lots of mud on the potholing trips. There’s a nice group shot at the top of Mt Greylock, as well as evening mealtime at a campsite on a canoe trip. The photo at Camp Becket of us in our silly trousers is the official Camp Becket trip guide photo and the other canoe photo is with the guides from Chimney Corners camp. And finally, the union Jack photo is me compering the final night performance where all the counsellors and staff put on a show for the kids.