Steady over time
More from my conversation with Kluane Mountaineering's Dylan Lynch
Welcome to Human Pursuits, the column that features need-to-know names and stories in media and other creative spaces. Today, a case for random jobs, and an outtake from my conversation with Kluane Mountaineering owner Dylan Lynch.
I had more jobs before I turned 25 than most people will have in their lifetime.
I bagged groceries and delivered pizzas, made coffee at Starbucks, and sold clothes at Urban Outfitters. I worked as a mover and a line cook, as a clerk for pharmacies and office supply stores. I spent a winter serving dinner to the elderly, and a summer working highway construction, going so far as to operate a small steam roller in the Northwest Territories.
I was only fired once or twice.
Mostly I applied for jobs I didn’t like, and eventually quit them.
I could still do that then. When I was young and full of potential, confident something better would inevitably come along.
While I didn’t glean much from each job individually, in the aggregate, I have come to appreciate that they offered me a sort of auxiliary education. I learned how to be malleable, and how to apply my limited skillset in a variety of settings. I learned what it feels like to have a job you like, and a job you loathe.
In other words, I learned how to survive.
I was reflecting on this in the days after I met with Dylan – about the flightiness of youth, and how, if you’re lucky, things steady over time.
For him, that meant following in the footsteps of his mentor, Betty, and running Kluane Mountaineering. For me, it’s meant journalism and writing. Exploring Human Pursuits.
Most people may not be able to draw a direct line between that and highway construction, but I can. I can still smell the hot asphalt, and feel the black flies on my skin. I can hear my co-worker on the phone with the mother of his child.
“If all goes well, we should be back Thursday. Friday at the latest.”
To me, it’s clear as day.
ES: When you bought the business from Betty, was there any sort of handover? By which I mean, did she give you some sage wisdom or advice?
DL: She told me, quite early in my working at the shop, that she planned to retire on her 65th birthday.
ES: Wow.
DL: The implication was that this might end unless you want to do something about it. In other words, we had a lot of lead-up. She was able to mentor me for 18 months, at least. And she taught me a ton during that–
ES: Sorry to cut you off, but did she think you were the chosen one? Like, how did this happen?
DL: She worked by herself for 20 years. I think I was the first person who took a job there and started working with her regularly.
ES: Did you just show up one day saying “I want to work here”?
DL: Pretty much. I bought a jacket from her, and she said it would take 8 to 10 weeks to make. It wound up taking 7 months! I was like, surely there is a better way.
One day my friend and I were having lunch near the shop. I had had like three beers. I decided I would go in and tell her “I bet you don't want these jackets to take 7 months anymore.” Like, the optics of that with your customers is not great.
But yes, I went in and asked, “Do you need another set of hands around here?”
ES: Unreal.
DL: In the time that followed she prepared me on production, and how to run the business. She hadn’t changed much of her processes since the 70s. Every single receipt was being handwritten. She was filing her taxes and everything was handwritten.
ES: We gotta get some Quickbooks in here or something!
DL: But yeah I text her three or four times a week. She’s there as a consultant, and she comes into the shop two or three times a month to help out or make her own stuff. She used to give everyone her cellphone number, and she has people texting her asking for repairs. She’ll do it for them.
ES: Betty sounds cool as hell. I love that.
DL: She’s the best. If a customer requests something out of the ordinary she’s the first person I call.
ES: Have you ever had a mentor like that before?
DL: Not really, no. I’ve never kept a job for more than five years. I jumped around a lot. It’s cool to go back and realize how those experiences are helping me now.
I was a woodworker, and built furniture, for example, and it taught me to have an attention to detail that comes in handy. I used to sell cameras and that retail experience has been useful too.
ES: What’s your most random job?
DL: I was a parking enforcement officer. It was my last job before joining Kluane. I hate how much I loved it. It’s the best job ever. You’re getting paid to go for a walk all day. Can you think of a better way to pass your time in the summer? I know every stupid little corner and alleyway downtown. You just walk around!
Sure, you get into arguments all day, but you know that you’re right.
ES: You have the moral authority in every situation.
DL: It’s truly my favourite job ever. Throw your AirPods on. 25,000 steps a day.
Dylan Lynch owns and operates Kluane Mountaineering. He lives in Edmonton. You can read our full conversation HERE.