The councilor tells me that one of my graduation requirements is doing a paper on what job I would like to have once I graduate.
At this age I have no idea, all I care about is sucking up the last precious weeks of having the freedoms of an adult and the responsibilities of a child. It’s not an environment conducive to long term planning.
The only job I’m interested in is becoming head trail builder at Whistler Bike Park. I say “head” trail builder because it sounds more ambitious than regular trail builder.
At that time mountain biking was developing at a rapid pace, ski hills were opening up lift accessed bike parks to give their winter theme some more summer jam. For the first time, building bike trails could be your job.
My middle aged cookie-baking councilor hadn't been reading up on the big things happening at resort bike parks so my ideas drew a condescending "mmm hmmmm" from the people whose jobs were* driven by the school system's drive to send every student, no matter what their strength, to university.
They had it all wrong.
Every year my forest firefighting crew does trail work for the Smithers Mountain Bike Association. For two to four weeks we go out and shape berms and dig jumps and clear trail.
The work would be tedious if it were done in small numbers, but with 20 people a lot can get done in just four or five hours of work; and nothing beats the feeling of walking down a new section of trail you've just cleared.
You can smell the fresh dirt and you know that those first few passes are going to be mountain biking's equivalent of powder skiing for whoever gets to ride them.
*I say "were" because I think the system has changed quite a bit in the last decade.
Aaron Williams is available to speak at your high school about how cool he was.