Twenty-two years of April 7ths tell a story about expectations versus reality. Spring's supposed to arrive with sunshine and dry trails, but this date prefers chaos.
The pattern starts innocently enough in 2004 with Marcy's photo shoot at Maltby Lakes. Just practice shots, planning, tying up loose ends. Then 2005 explodes with broken spokes, destroyed freehubs, stolen fleece slippers, and the grand finale of Marcy getting her revenge. By 2006, I'm learning to fight back against compromised work, restoring dignity one website banner at a time.
The date keeps testing me. 2007's Fletcher Pass adventure begins with flat car tires and missing blueberry scones. 2008 brings snow forecasts when trails should be clear. 2009's mattress saga reaches peak desperation after three years of floor-sleeping defeats.
2010's mud-caked disaster and 2012's surprise snowstorm reinforce the theme. Even 2013's Pipestone ride trades Boise sunshine for unexpected cold. 2014's scouting trip involves fording streams and avoiding "dragon poop mines," while 2016's FatPacking adventure gets the Element stuck four miles out.
Then come the bigger tests. 2020's pandemic restrictions, 2021's insurance nightmare, and 2024's COVID recovery prove April 7th saves its best chaos for when you least expect it.
But here's what twenty-two years teach you about this date... it rewards showing up anyway. Last year's Sheep Mountain summit before sunset? That's April 7th finally admitting maybe, just maybe, persistence pays off. Or maybe it's just gathering strength for next year's surprise.