About
My love of the outdoors was developed over the years I spent in the Boy Scouts. I worked for several summers at Scout Camp, earned the
rank of Eagle, and then stayed in the program for 16 years as an Assistant Scoutmaster.
I served for 3 years as the President of the Outing Club at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I got my first taste of
international travel as a student of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) on their Semester in Kenya. We hiked and camped
for 3 weeks on Mount Kenya, went on safari in the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru, hiked in small groups through the backcountry, and
spent some time on the coast studying marine biology. I was hooked on travel and on Africa!
That ended up being the first of 7 major expeditions to Africa. So far, I have spent about 20 months on the continent.
I also went on to do 5 more NOLS courses in various parts of North America.
On the top of Point Lenana (16,355 ft / 4,985 M), the third highest summit of Mount Kenya, at dawn. We bivouacked here on my course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) January 1981.
This was also during my NOLS semester in Kenya in February 1981. We were on our small group hike (unarmed) through the wilds of the Nguruman Escarpment. The 6 of us made a great team. It was one of the best hikes of my life.
Snorkeling and exploring a porcupine fish up close off the Baja Peninsula in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico in 1984. Photo by Sue Berch.
This was on my trans-Africa expedition in 1986. Here I am covered up to attempt to keep out the sand from entering every orifice. This was taken in Algeria, in the Sahara Desert. Photo by Pete Minall.
On this expedition, we took 3 weeks to cross the Sahara Desert. We camped at the base of this sand dune, a few hundred feet below. This place in the middle of nowhere is called Tiguentourine, Algeria, and is only a few miles from the Libyan border. Photo by Debbie Halliday.
Some of my travel mates on a trans-Africa expedition in 1986. I'm on the far right in the front row. This was in our camp in Bangui, Central African Republic.
A few of us spent a week on a cargo boat on the Zaire (Congo) River. It was about 3 days of waiting, then 4 days of travel. I am holding manioc, a tasteless staple that is mixed with other food to get its flavor.
A cleaned-up and better-fed Eric poses at the Cape of Good Hope, Land's End at the southern tip of Africa. It took me 6 months to get here from Morocco, working my way down the continent first with the expedition, and then traveling independently. It took another month to return to Nairobi to finish the trip, for a total of 16 countries in 7 months. Photo by Debbie Halliday.
Here I am by my sea kayak in the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden in the summer of 1987.
On the summit of the Breithorn in the Swiss Alps in 1987. Photo by Edgar Walsh.
With my good friend and frequent travel buddy, Roy Feinzig. We visited the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt towards the end of a 7-month adventure in 1989.
In the summer of 1990, my brother Kit and I did a whirlwind trip across the US. We had a great time in the amazing parks of Utah and Arizona. Here we are at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
With my friend Dan Schwaar on his boat on the River Thames enroute to the Royal Henley Regatta in 1991. Photo by Vicky Wessman.
On a foot safari photographing elephants in 1991, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. Photo by Vicky Wessman.
Here I am in 1991 on my second trip to Victoria Falls. Photo by Vicky Wessman.
Still on the same 2-month trip to southern Africa in 1991with my sister Vicky. This is in Blyderivierspoort Canyon in South Africa. Photo by Vicky Wessman.
In the summer of 1993 I did a 2-month trip to Ecuador with my sister Vicky. We are pictured here taking a break as we trekked the Ingapirca Trail.
The last week of our Ecuador trip in 1993 was spent in the Galapagos Islands. We were on a small boat with only 8 passengers. It was an awesome experience!
On a break in camp with Roy during a 2-month safari in 2002. Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo by Anderson Yang.
A little later on the same safari in 2002 with wildlife artist Anderson Yang in camp in Quiver Tree Rest Camp, Keetmanshoop, Namibia.
In 2003 I was part of a canoe expedition on the Horton River in Canada's Northwest Territories. We paddled 400 miles to finish at the Arctic Ocean. That's me in the blue shirt.
Captured doing my regular swim workout, this time in a beautiful pool in the Dominican Republic in 2010. Photo by Johnny Araujo.
In April of 2012 I had the opportunity to travel to Andalucía, in southern Spain, with my mother, Jane. One of the highlights of the trip was to visit with my niece, Kate, who was studying in Seville for the semester. Here are the 3 of us in the Plaza de España, built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.
Hard at work photographing the exciting architecture around Marina Bay, Singapore in February 2014. Photo by Kam Kayhan.
In January of 2016 I joined my friend Minh, a Vietnamese photographer, for a fantastic week in the Mekong delta region of Vietnam that he had arranged for us. Each day had us in a different location with a photo shoot organized by a friend of his. It was a great way to get off the beaten path. I am pictured here in a boat as we jump in to the fray at the floating market at Phung Hiep. Photo by Doan Duc Minh.
I took this selfie at my campsite along the East Branch of the Penobscot River in Medway, Maine in October 2020. It was my rest day after my hike on Mount Katahdin and before I explored Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
In January and February 2023 I had an opportunity to go diving in the spectacular area of Raja Ampat, located in West Papua, Indonesia. This photo was taken during a break in the diving, at the Love Lagoon.
This was also taken in Raja Ampat at a cleaning station for giant manta rays. It was my first time diving with rays and it was awesome. Photo by my dive buddy, Porter.
Chilling out in South Camp with some of our neighbors, Nxai Pans National Park, Botswana in July 2023. Photo by Sam Atwell.
Posing for a portrait with our trusty Toyota HiLux truck camper in Kabul Island, Botswana. I loved that truck! Photo by Sam Atwell.
Here I am on the Chobe River in Botswana in July 2023 testing a new lens. Verdict: I liked it! Photo by Sam Atwell.
In October 2023 I finally made it to Greece, where my mother's family is from. I was photographing the sunset at the stunning site of Meteora. This photo was taken by my cousin, Randy Scourtis.
Relaxing in camp at one of our coolest campsites, just outside Patagonia, Arizona in February 2024. This photo was taken by my wife, Myo Myo Wessman.