The final episode of the 4th season of Epic Trails wrapped up filming earlier this month. This shoot took host Eric Hanson on a sunny Californian adventure through both the wild and urban spaces of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Below is an excerpt from Eric’s blog post about his experience:
“With a unique angle on my normal adventures, I set off for California to explore the wild and adventurous side of their big cities. I’m not normally a city guy, so this would be a bit of a stretch for me. But I’m passionate about getting people outside and exploring their backyards, and as so many people live in the city and can’t feasibly travel long distances to wild places, I welcomed the chance to get a little more creative and see what could be explored and enjoyed close to some major urban areas.
First stop, San Francisco. One of the gems of American cities, San Francisco has plenty of charm. It’s a diverse city with a cultivated food scene, plenty of nightlife, and it’s all impeccably set upon a beautiful headland jutting out into the Pacific Ocean.
Within the hubbub of San Francisco is the Presidio – a tiny National Park site compared to its brothers and sisters around the country. But for the city, it plays a central role. The Presidio makes up about 5% of the city and is actually bigger than Central Park in New York. The Presidio is unlike most National Parks in a couple ways: First, it is managed by both the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust, with funding by a dedicated team at the non-profit organization, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Secondly, it’s within a major city, but it is still home to stunning nature and wildlife and is a sanctuary for all who visit.
The park was once a military complex guarding the Golden Gate (the name of the landscape feature, the infamous bridge came later), the entrance to the Bay. But as the military evolved, they no longer needed this strategic piece of land. It was turned over and became the Presidio, a park for San Francisco.
Old airstrips were torn up and returned to their original ways. Barracks were turned into hotels and restaurants. Battlements became overlooks to enjoy the scenery. And of course, for my interest, trails were built throughout the park.” – Eric Hanson
Click here to read the full article!
About Epic Trails: Epic Trails is an exciting and inspiring adventure travel media series that follows host, Eric Hanson, as he explores the people, places, and adventures surrounding the world’s top hiking destinations. Each 30-minute TV episode airs on Outside TV, 27 regional networks, and internationally through National Geographic Channel—Asia and Extreme Sports Channel across Europe. Episodes of Epic Trails aired over 2,200 times in 2020. Learn more about the series at www.heliconia.ca. Networks interested in carrying Epic Trails are encouraged to reach out to Heliconia’s Vice-President, Brendan Mark, at brendan@helipress.com.
