Looking back on 2020
Our original vacation plans were canceled, the usual Midwest GeoBash trip disappeared from the calendar, and an ordinary day outside became something to appreciate a little more. That was the background to my geocaching in 2020.
There were still good reasons to go looking: a replacement family vacation, a road trip with friends, creative caches and a young GeoDog beginning to appear in the photographs. By the end of the year, my account had added 2,476 credits. The memories behind them are the part I want to keep.
The Year Began with Familiar Company
January still had the familiar rhythm of events and searches with friends. At CITO in the Blustery Burbs 2020 (GC8G665), I joined bapierson, LEGOexplorer, cluehunter, CanisMinor and SemperFidelis for a January cleanup. There was ice cream later at Warm Up - In The Blustery Burbs 2020 (GC8FFXG). Apparently, the month on the calendar was no reason to leave ice cream off the agenda.
The winter photographs preserve more of that company out in the woods. Later, when the pandemic disrupted so many plans, geocaching continued to give me a reason to get outdoors, explore and spend time away from crowds.
A Family Vacation Put Together in a Week
We had planned to visit the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Instead, bapierson, LEGOexplorer and I put together a replacement trip to South Dakota in about a week. It was somewhere we could drive, and it gave us an opportunity to get away together.
The June 10–15 trip took us through the Badlands and Black Hills, with stops including Devils Tower in Wyoming and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial (GC7B844) Virtual. On the Notch Trail in the Badlands, all three of us climbed the log ladder. That photograph is a very good reminder that the replacement itinerary had plenty going for it.
We stayed above ground at Wind Cave because cave tours were unavailable. Roberts Prairie Dog Town became one of the family stops I especially enjoyed. There were changed plans and closures to work around, but there were also places worth seeing and time together that I am glad we had.
July Gave the GPS a Workout
On July 3, CanisMinor, djpd1023 and I were out on Indiana back roads, with finds including Shelter In Place - Painting Bird Houses (GC8Q4GE). Later in the month, the same three of us headed toward Kansas and Nebraska for a five-day road trip.
CanisMinor’s logs remember setting a goal of 1,000 finds for July after our Midwest GeoBash plans were canceled. The GeoArt searches gave us plenty to work on: 99 Problems and Wagons West in Kansas, then Girls Rule, Boys Drool, The Hand and The Dirt in Nebraska.
The Hand included "The Hand" Geo-Art 260 (GC7HR27). The Dirt added challenge requirements to the searches. When I reached a container but did not yet qualify, I recorded a note. Signing the log and earning the right to claim the challenge were separate parts of that experience.
July finished with 1,349 regular geocaching credits and 55 Adventure Lab locations, for 1,404 combined. It was comfortably my busiest month. The road trip was a large part of that activity, though it was not the whole month.
Adventure Labs Added More to Explore
I completed 186 Adventure Lab locations during 2020. Those are individual locations within Adventures, rather than 186 separate Adventures. They gave me another way to explore places and follow stories through the landscape.
The experience leading to With All My Heart Lab Bonus (The Final Chapter) (GC8N0C8) was a particular highlight. My log praises the storytelling, locations and creative bonus puzzle, and calls it my favorite cache of the Kansas–Nebraska trip. Both companions were just as impressed.
The same trip also supplied a much simpler favorite memory: relaxing at the Okoboji waterfront and having a drink with the boys after visiting Okoboji East (GCJB66) and Okoboji West (GCJB6J). There was room in the adventure for both an elaborate story and an enjoyable pause by the water.
A New Set of Opinions About Search Time
Cache began appearing in the outing logs too. At 16th Annual Plush Horse Ice Cream Social (GC8XER6) on August 15, bapierson and Cache joined me for International Geocaching Day. Ice cream had survived the changes to the year’s plans rather well.
On Labor Day, the three of us took a short trip down the DuPage River, finding caches including 24-FYB7 (GC8HRP2). My logs remember finding some and missing others, with the GeoDog having a considerable say in when and how long we searched. Apparently, there was a new member of the trip-planning department.
By the Numbers
The year added 2,290 regular geocaching credits and 186 Adventure Lab locations: 2,476 combined, across 77 active days. Regular finds reached nine states. My running total at the end of 2020 stood at 17,691.
Combined regular geocaching credits and individual Adventure Lab locations.
View the data
| Month | Regular | Adventure Lab locations | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 141 | 10 | 151 |
| February | 115 | 0 | 115 |
| March | 73 | 10 | 83 |
| April | 56 | 0 | 56 |
| May | 115 | 15 | 130 |
| June | 298 | 7 | 305 |
| July | 1,349 | 55 | 1,404 |
| August | 14 | 20 | 34 |
| September | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| October | 63 | 15 | 78 |
| November | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| December | 40 | 44 | 84 |
| Total | 2,290 | 186 | 2,476 |
Includes 186 individual Adventure Lab locations alongside the regular geocache types.
View the data
| Type | Credits |
|---|---|
| Mystery | 1,251 |
| Traditional | 884 |
| Adventure Lab locations | 186 |
| Letterbox Hybrid | 41 |
| Multi-cache | 34 |
| EarthCache | 27 |
| Virtual | 25 |
| Wherigo | 17 |
| Event | 5 |
| Webcam | 5 |
| Cache In Trash Out | 1 |
| Total | 2,476 |
The state chart covers regular geocaches. Adventure Lab locations are included in the monthly and type charts.
View the data
| State | Regular credits |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 918 |
| Nebraska | 774 |
| Kansas | 258 |
| Indiana | 242 |
| South Dakota | 55 |
| Iowa | 28 |
| Wyoming | 10 |
| Missouri | 4 |
| Minnesota | 1 |
| Total | 2,290 |
The Parts I Will Remember
The figures show an unusually busy July and a year in which Mystery Caches played a large role. They also leave plenty out: the family climbing the Notch Trail ladder, the work behind a memorable Adventure Lab, a drink with friends beside the marina, and a dog with strong opinions about how long a search should last.
Geocaching gave me things to plan and places to explore during a disruptive year. We changed the vacation, found another summer road trip to enjoy, and kept making memories along the way.
I would have been happy to skip quite a few things about 2020. Those outings are among the parts I am glad to keep.
Field Notes
- Year: 2020
- Total credits: 2,476 = 2,290 regular geocaching credits + 186 individual Adventure Lab locations
- Active days, including Adventure Labs: 77
- Regular geocaching states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming
- Busiest month: July, with 1,349 regular credits + 55 Adventure Lab locations = 1,404
- Running total at year-end: 17,691
- Sources: original logs, Geocaching.com and Project-GC; state chart covers regular geocaches
- Photographs: Steven Pierson
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