January–December 2025 · Year in Review
In 2024, I stopped at 3,999 finds. In 2025, I finally got the extra smiley. It only took another year.
I finished with 4,000 finds and at least one find on all 365 days. It was geocaching’s 25th anniversary, my sixteenth year playing, and the year I got to pick a Hidden Mickey to mark 30,000. July had almost half the year’s finds. Some of my favorite days were a lot quieter than July.
From an icy overlook to a Hidden Mickey
In January, bapierson, Cache, and I climbed to Eagle Cliff Overlook (GC9P6DX) at Starved Rock. There was ice on the stairs and a few bald eagles across the Illinois River. We came home with four finds. The one I remember best gave us a good excuse to stand at the railing and watch the trees across the water.
My May work trip took us to Anaheim, where we found time after work for Disneyland and a few caches. On May 23, I chose Disneyland’s Largest Hidden Mickey (GC892TD) as my honorary 30,000th find. We had lunch at Céntrico before heading to the airport. It was a better way to celebrate than watching a number turn over on a screen. The milestone Field Note.
July kept me busy
There were 1,979 finds in July, including 1,264 Adventure Lab locations. Project-GC puts July 5 at 689 finds and July 24 at 911. The first of those was the day of the Penny Farthings Community Celebration (GCATNR2). I’d spent several outings on the Geo-Art the year before. This time I got to meet up with friends and thank the people who turned a whole lot of dots into a bicycle. The free food helped, too.
Later in the month, we were back at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio, for Midwest GeoBash 2025 (GCARXXX). On July 24, my logs include the Opening Ceremony (GCARXXF), Wabash Trail Clean Up (GCARXXM), and Ice Cream Party (GCATMXY). On the main event day, bapierson and I were out with LEGOhead. The fairgrounds were buzzing, it was hot, and I still had plenty of people I wanted to catch up with.
| Month | Total | Adventure Lab | Other¹ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 149 | 142 | 7 |
| Feb | 149 | 103 | 46 |
| Mar | 389 | 346 | 43 |
| Apr | 158 | 87 | 71 |
| May | 230 | 207 | 23 |
| Jun | 101 | 92 | 9 |
| Jul | 1,979 | 1,264 | 715 |
| Aug | 96 | 1 | 95 |
| Sep | 70 | 15 | 55 |
| Oct | 106 | 30 | 76 |
| Nov | 303 | 3 | 300 |
| Dec | 270 | 205 | 65 |
| Total | 4,000 | 2,495 | 1,505 |
¹ Other includes geocache finds and event attendances. Adventure Lab figures count individual locations.
Twenty-five years and one stubborn bit of arithmetic
In October, bapierson and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Door County. At Baileys Harbor, we walked the boardwalk at The Ridges and saw the range lights. Mariners could line up the two lights to steer into the harbor. I had my own alignment problem at Baileys Harbor Ridges on the “Quiet Side” (GCKJJ0). The puzzle arithmetic took me a few tries before I got it sorted out.
The big July days explain how I got to 4,000. A quiet walk with bapierson explains why I was happy to make time for a cache in October. I’m glad I got both kinds of days.
What was in those 4,000 finds?
The total includes 2,495 Adventure Lab locations, 1,480 geocache finds, and 25 event attendances. The two charts below break out the 1,505 geocache finds and event attendances by type and listing location. The Locationless find is shown separately from the states.
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Mystery | 604 |
| Wherigo | 396 |
| Traditional | 374 |
| Multi-Cache | 47 |
| Letterbox Hybrid | 24 |
| Virtual | 19 |
| EarthCache | 15 |
| Event | 12 |
| Community Celebration Event | 9 |
| CITO | 2 |
| Block Party | 2 |
| Locationless | 1 |
| Total | 1,505 |
| Location | Count |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 972 |
| Indiana | 200 |
| Ohio | 130 |
| Michigan | 124 |
| Wisconsin | 63 |
| California | 13 |
| Missouri | 2 |
| Locationless | 1 |
| Total | 1,505 |
Field Notes
- 4,000 finds in 2025, including 2,495 Adventure Lab locations and 25 event attendances.
- Busiest month: July, with 1,979 finds. Project-GC profile statistics.
- Honorary 30,000th: Disneyland’s Largest Hidden Mickey (GC892TD), May 23.
- October anniversary outing: Baileys Harbor Ridges on the “Quiet Side” (GCKJJ0). bapierson’s log · The Ridges Sanctuary.
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