Twenty-two years ago, Tyler Hamilton rode through a fractured collarbone to win a stage of the Tour de France, calling it "beyond my wildest dreams" in that dry, no-fuss way of his (Tyler Hamilton). It's fitting company for this date, because if July 23rd has a theme across the years, it's pushing through discomfort to find something worth remembering.
Some years that discomfort was physical, like snapped derailleurs and skidded-out descents on the Sam Braxton trails during a Missoula group ride (TNR: Patte Canyon), or a dark, cussing-worthy turnaround on a stormy ride out to Georgetown Lake (Storm). Other times it was quieter: a morning of wildflowers and dead camera batteries at camp (Blog From Camp Day 2), a lonely remote workday spent missing someone (Remote perspective), or a wandering walk through Livingston just to learn the lay of the land (Wondering Around Livingston, Livingston Quickie).
There's community in the mix too. A raffle bike sold to help a fellow rider heal (Jenny McCune Raffle), a Squatch-hunting video link left cryptically behind (Lily Lake Squatch Sightings), a poem contrasting last winter's snow with this summer's scorching gravel (Contrast Adventures). And most recently, a reluctant rainy-day walk through a sculpture park that turned, as these things often do, into real joy (Warrior in the Woods).
Whether it's a mountain stage, a mountain bike trail, or a damp island trail, this date keeps teaching the same lesson: show up anyway, and the good part usually finds you.