Soles in the Sky, Eyes on the Wire

In the still-dark hours before the rest of the world stirs, Dylan Edgmon is already up, lacing his boots by 3:30 a.m., coffee in hand, mind already on the day ahead. Some days, it’s a 69,000-volt line humming overhead. Other days, it’s a callout in the wake of a storm, where silence, ruin, and tangled wire meet him at the edge of disaster.

Dylan never quite knows what the day will hold. And that’s part of why he shows up.

Raised in a blue-collar family in California, Dylan learned early the value of hard work you can see and feel at the end of the day. His father ran heavy equipment while Dylan worked the land, raising cattle, wrenching on diesel engines, cutting his teeth in agriculture before chasing a new future out east. When he landed in Oklahoma in his early 20s, it didn’t take long for power lines to find him.

Today, Dylan’s a journeyman lineman, one of the few trained to work on energized lines, from neighborhood connections to massive 345,000-volt transmission systems. He builds and maintains the arteries that keep the country running, literally one pole at a time. Whether it’s gloving live wire or rebuilding after a hurricane, the stakes are sky-high, and so is the pressure.

“Our first mistake,” he says, “could be our last.” And yet, he climbs.

What keeps Dylan going isn’t just adrenaline or the paycheck, though the rewards are real, it’s the bond with his crew. In a world that’s anything but predictable, trust is the only constant. “Be your brother’s keeper,” they say. And they mean it.

He’s been doing this long enough to prioritize what matters: boots that hold up, gear that doesn’t quit, and the dream of one day being home more. “I'm blessed,” Dylan says. “I've gotten to see all parts of America. I’ve got a trade that’s given me a family, not just by blood, but in the field.”

Like many linemen, Dylan’s boots are an extension of his work ethic. Comfort matters when you’re on your feet all day. Durability matters when you're climbing poles or digging in rock. And support matters when the next job could be across the state or on a mountain line. For him, boots that are easy-on, easy-off have been a game changer: safe, but secure. When he's climbing, steel shanks and electrical hazard protection are a must.

Dylan’s gone through boots in six months flat and walked the tread off more soles than he can count. Because when the job is to keep America powered, there’s no time for gear that can’t keep up.

That’s why he wears what works.

To Dylan, the American Dream isn’t just a phrase—it’s his daily life. He owns his home. He’s built a career with his own hands. He’s journeyed coast to coast, rebuilt after disaster, and carved out a piece of the world for himself and his family.

“If you want to make fifty grand a year and be home every night, you can. If you want to make a million chasing storms, you can. There's no cap. No ceiling. Just how hard you're willing to work,” Dylan says. “Power lines really are the American dream.”

Dylan Edgmon is one of many whose hands keep our country safe and habitable. And the boots he wears? They carry that dream forward…one pole, one mile, one sunrise at a time. These are the Hands of the Homeland.