Eric Hanson is the host of Epic Trails, a TV show. Eric is an avid hiker and backpacker. He shares his knowledge of hiking gear, tips and techniques on BackpackingTV, a popular YouTube Channel.

Eric Hanson’s Background Before the Hiking TV show called Epic Trails

I don't know how many other people have felt this, but when I was in college I had this long nagging feeling that my life was supposed to be different.

I didn't feel like graduating college and getting a job as some sort of business professional was the right fit for me. As graduation neared, I felt an impending doom about the choices that lay ahead. Instead of taking the job in finance, or some management position, I decided to travel and volunteer my time for a non-profit service organization. I did a program called The World Race, which sounds like it's own TV show. But it was a missions program that sent young people to work, volunteer, and serve all over the world, one month per country for a year.

The experience completely derailed my life. And I mean that in the best possible way. That year, I spent time in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Thailand, Cambodia, and China. Being in those countries exposed me to an alternative way of life. After having grown up in an affluent part of the US, that was extremely eye-opening. The traditional American course of life for a business-degree-wielding college grad no longer felt attractive.

Wilderness Therapy Guide

I took a job in Utah as a wilderness therapy guide. I had greatly missed the American West, with its mountains, deserts, and canyons. I needed therapy just as much as the young adults who were sent to the program.

Wilderness therapy is a strange job. I worked with young adults and adolescents who needed help in life—often they struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. But there were many other reasons why there were out in the desert, far from civilization, getting therapy.

I spent roughly three years as a guide. It was, and still is, one of the most rewarding and transformational jobs I've ever had. And I'm deeply thankful that I ended up out there. My time in the wilderness set up every good thing that was about to follow.

I knew my time guiding would be temporary. I loved it for several years, but I wasn't planning on having it be my life-long career. I was more interested in photography and writing. I believed I could use my time as a guide to help launch me into the career I hoped I could develop. For those three years, I photographed the amazing landscapes of Utah, as well as photographed people being badass in those landscapes.

Flash Flood Video Recounting Our Survival

During my time as a wilderness therapy guide, I began to dabble in outdoor film. I began working on a documentary about big wall climbing and canyoneering in Zion National Park.

During filming for this documentary, my party of four nearly died. We got caught in a flash flood. Because of the weather, it was stupid of us to be in the canyon that day. I learned a big lesson on risk taking in the wilderness. But I was also emboldened in a way. As I was stuck in that flash flood, confronting the very real possibility we were all going to die, I knew I was doing the thing I loved. I was pursuing the life I wanted. And I was content with that. When it ended up that we did NOT die, I worked even harder towards my goals.

I developed a relationship with Backpacker Magazine and became a gear tester for them. I got to take boots, backpacks, jackets, and all sorts of outdoor gear into the field with me and then write about it. I had made a video for Backpacker Magazine that ultimately landed me the Epic Trails TV Show. Backpacker Magazine rebroadcast the video to their audience. And some random Canadian named Ken Whiting happened to see it. Turns out, Canadian Ken is a TV producer of Outdoor Adventures. Over the next few years, we worked on developing that show and getting it off the ground. But a TV show does not pop up overnight. It took years of getting sponsorship and network agreements in place.

Backpacking and Hiking Through South America

I knew it was time to quit my job as a Wilderness Therapy Guide. I launched the documentary, Rock of Refuge, right around the time I quit work, and bought a one-way ticket to Ecuador. I had saved up some money and I wanted to travel South America as a part of my launch into freelancing.

I enjoyed my time hiking the Ausungate Circuit, Peru. My goal was to do something unique that might generate some attention, while also forcing me to shoot and write in beautiful and interesting places every day. For the next seven months, I traveled down the length of the Andes, trekking, hiking, camping, and photographing as much as I could. It was an amazing experience. And it really helped to develop my skills as a photographer, as I was shooting all the time.

Hiking Patagonia and Getting Offered The Dream Job

After six weeks of being almost entirely alone in Patagonia, I felt like it was time to return to US and have a social life again.

I picked Arizona as the place I wanted to make my new home. I had sold almost everything I owned before flying to South America. So I drove what few possessions I had left, mostly camping gear and photography equipment, and resettled at 7,000 feet of pristine, mountain air.

For the next two years, I worked as a freelancer in Flagstaff. I sold little articles to magazines, photos to brands, and an occasional video or two. The money was extremely thin in those years. But I knew I was pursuing what I wanted. Plus, I felt I could always just go live in the forest if I could no longer afford rent. Luckily, it didn't come to that (but it almost did). As finally, I got a call from the TV production company. We were going to Jordan to film the pilot episode of Epic Trails.

Hard Work Coming to Fruition – The Pilot of Epic Trails!

Six months after the pilot episode, the Epic Trails aired on Outside TV, and we got the official green light to go make a season of the show. We went to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, and Peru to film the first season.

The last five years has been a whirlwind. I learned a lot. I had never worked in television before. So I was learning on the job. Since then, we've continued to film all over the world. As of this moment, we're nearly done filming Season Five of Epic Trails. And it appears as though this will be my job for the foreseeable future. It is, of course, my dream job, so thanks for reading and watching. And the prospect of a future full of travel, incredible destinations, and making creative and interesting television, sounds pretty good to me.

Follow my trips and gear reviews on BackpackingTV: https://www.youtube.com/user/BackpackingTV