Year in review – and a look to the next.

[Team Honeybunnies]

Like everyone else has said, excellent topic!

Well, 2008 for us was dominated by the anticipation and arrival of our son Noah. He’s our biggest milestone this year, period. When we haven’t been feeding and diapering he’s been joining us on the trails for some great experiences, and seeing the world reflected in his eyes, and seeing the little gears turn in there are going to trump just about anything else we could possibly have accomplished.

Soooo…

Numbers, numbers, numbers: Yep there have been a lot of them. There’ll be more. Watching that number go up is far less interesting than what we’ve seen while getting there. I’ve even mulled removing our stats from our profile page and replacing it with something about what the caching experience has meant to us.

Our spring vacation was wrapped up in completing the MO DeLorme for the first half, and then the second half took us to the Civil War battlefields at Pea Ridge, AR, Shiloh, TN and Corinth,MS. After those we visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Marie did well on the cave tour at seven months pregnant. We also got to stop at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque in Kansas City. Mmm… burnt ends.

We completed the second half of our trip to trace the path of Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery. This year we picked up at Pompey’s Pillar in eastern Montana and followed the Yellowstone, Missouri, Lochsa and Columbia Rivers to the ocean. Noah got his feet wet in the Pacific for the first time, but was unimpressed. He just turned his head into my chest and fell back asleep. We also got to see Fort Clatsop where the Corps wintered, Cape Disappointment, Haystack Rock, Multnomah Falls. Some oysters were consumed, and washed down with local craft brew.

We did some DeLormes… Missouri, Illinois and Minnesota. I’ll continue to maintain that this is the way to really, really see a state. That’s not just the talk of a deep-ender either. I don’t imagine those will be our last ones either 😉 . Highlights of all those runs include the Superior North Shore, done as a couples weekend with Zuma and WI_Robin, visiting the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, a million little towns along the Mississippi with all their history, the source of the Mississippi, the Ely, MN area, and surviving rain, sleet and snow in pursuit of mad dreams. Zuma and Marc will recall the ice storm we travelled in. Big fun, and it was all gone the next morning.

And on to the resolutions.

We’ve both discussed wanting to try to make more events this year. There are too many friends in the game we just don’t get to see enough, and so many new faces we haven’t met at all.

I’d like to complete our last three slots in the Well-Rounded Cacher. One’s five terrain, two are five difficulty. Piece of cake right…?

Work on some DeLormes… Check.

Welcome Zuma and WI_Robin’s little one into the world. It’s so nice of them to get us a playmate for Noah.

If everything works well, I’d like to blog our vacations here like Trudy and the Beast did with their run down the Mother Road. That was one of the coolest things to pop up on these forums all year and we checked the entries daily. I’ve always liked vacations that follow a theme and this really appealed to me. Maybe some day we’ll be getting our own kicks on Route 66.

Lastly and most importantly, I’d like to continue to show Noah the natural world that keeps us energized. He’ll be his own person some day, but hopefully we’ll give him the right direction.

I hope that more people will post here and share what made the year in caching special for them.

[seldom|seen]

Wow. Reading these accomplishments and goals certainly makes me feel like a weekend warrior compared to the rest of you full-timers!

I’m not into goals and if I was I’d probably forget what they were anyway. I’m more of an impulsive cacher and just do it when I can vs looking ahead and planning adventures, although as the LCG wore on, I did finally decide to make a paper trail AND read previous logs. Now, where did I put my ADHD meds……

That being said, I did manage a few finds and have a little fun playing the game when the opportunities presented. I placed an earthcache in 2008 and hope to place several more this year. I hosted my first event which was well received and very educational. I suppose my biggest accomplishment is topping 100 puzzle cache placements which I know many of you have yet to enjoy. Gives you something to look forward to in 2009. Some other states of being that I found myself in over the course of the year:

Being this close |-| to having Miranda rights read to me while relocating a final on a guywire on a public street corner (watch yourself and don’t linger),

Being this close |–| to catching the all time high scorer of the LCG in 2008 since I spent most of the year 400-500 points behind him,

Being this close |—| to hypothermic shock as I waded across very cold water, bare-foot and knee-deep, several times, to get to a beefy cache,

Being on hiatus, sabbatical, or whatever else you want to call it – my definition of which has many scratching their heads,

Being able to adopt a very special cache and finally getting to log it after 3 trips to the top,

Being able to avoid a swim to find a lost boy scout thanks to some generous ones who weren’t (I really am a terrible swimmer), and getting a number of other caches by overnight kayak on a great fishing weekend,

Being the first to board a submarine that hadn’t been visited in over a year,

Being accompanied by a curly girl to a 5/5 cache and finding the other one was not so, on our wet and wild visit,

Being part of a successful CITO and orchestrating a class on invasive plant identification,

And just being a thorn in the sides of the reviewers and the WGA board who may not always agree with s|s logic, but do appreciate its source and what it brings to the table and to the game.

Here’s to 2009, may your s|s finds be many and more importantly, may they be memorable!

[Lostby7]

Last year was great. I visited some amazing places with my kids and met some fine folks along the way….what would I do without Geocaching?

Goals for the new year?

Well I have been sitting at 1,960 finds for the past 6 weeks. I guess I’m in a slump (one of a few I’ve experienced this past year). Originally I was sure I’d hit 2,000 before the waters froze and now I’m thinking it just may take me until spring to grab those last 40. But who knows I have been known to hit 40 in a day from time to time…but alas my heart just isn’t in it lately.

I think my goals for 2009 are:
1. Hit # 2,000 with a 5 / 5 if possible.
2. Cache in 2 or 3 new states.
3. Visit 10 new EarthCaches.
4. Cache along at least 2 bike (power) trails hopefully camping along the way.
4. Finish the year with 2,300 finds.

I do love the numbers; I mostly cache alone so the more numbers I can rack up the more time I have likely spent with my own thoughts….for good or bad. My multiple state, EC, and bike trail goals are ones I will likely share with my family; those will be the most rewarding and memorable finds, the ones I began caching for in the first place.

But first and foremost my goal is to be healthy enough for another year so I can get out and enjoy nature, hunt down some plastic and perhaps get in 500 or so miles on my bike.

[Ray]

@marc_54140 wrote:

For a minute there I thought it was going to be a Trudy and the Beast review!

Well, Ray, want to predict anything for 2009?

Wow it took me a while to get things going again after my computer took a holiday [died].

Actually, I have given up on the predictions since the growth of geocaching has exceeded my wildest dreams. Now, I stand back and watch in absolute amazement. It seems like yesterday (New Years day 2003) when WZBT03 became the 300th Wisconsin geocacher and we had a whopping 600 geocaches in the state. Things were quite a bit different then. Today’s neophytes never saw the clever stories on cache pages by jthorson or sbukowski. They never saw cache pages that included a little midi tune such as Miata was so well known for; or the clever cache containers like “Jingle Bell Rock” or the caches of BJbest or badlatitude. I wish that we could take today’s cachers back to enjoy some of those early experiences. Today, I still enjoy the hunt and the huge selection of caches to choose from; and the host of new friends we meet at every event. Some of the novelty may have been lost, but the excitement still consumes us.

[thepharmgirl]

When I started writing this list, it was hard to believe that these memories were all from this past year!

2008 Highlights: (The Short List)

Reaching #1000 at SSSS
Attending my first Event and GeoCampout
Everything about my trip to Door County (except getting hopelessly lost at one cache)
Finding the Lord of the Cache Trilogy by myself through rough terrain
Obsession with Puzzle Caches in Appleton, Kenosha, Madison, Mount Vernon
Dragging Jeremy to caches he probably didn’t want to solve or go.
Mild FTF Fever
Placing my first caches
West Bend Cache Ba$h
Meeting PharmTeam (namesake geoparents? 😆 ) and many other caching teams

2009 Goals: Location, Location, Location

Complete Wisconsin County Challenge (and maybe DeLorme?)
Cache out of State
Cache out of Country? (Santo Domingo)
Get that stupid Evil Monkey in Kewaskum. (I really hate climbing trees!)
Terrain/Difficulty Blackout Bingo?? (Lots of 4.5 and 5s left)

[seldom|seen]

@Trudy & the beast wrote:

Today’s neophytes never saw the clever stories on cache pages by jthorson or sbukowski. They never saw cache pages that included a little midi tune such as Miata was so well known for; or the clever cache containers like “Jingle Bell Rock” or the caches of BJbest or badlatitude. I wish that we could take today’s cachers back to enjoy some of those early experiences.

There are still creative caches out there for the neophytes to find and great cache stories to go with them. I can think of a few with “jingles” and historical audio files etc. I think you need to solve some valley puzzles, Trudy.

[seldom|seen]

@Lostby7 wrote:

Originally I was sure I’d hit 2,000 before the waters froze and now I’m thinking it just may take me until spring to grab those last 40.

I think my goals for 2009 are:
1. Hit # 2,000 with a 5 / 5 if possible.

Hey Lostby, I know where you can grab a pair of 5/5’s for your milestone on water that never freezes…

[Lostby7]

@seldom|seen wrote:

@Lostby7 wrote:

Originally I was sure I’d hit 2,000 before the waters froze and now I’m thinking it just may take me until spring to grab those last 40.

I think my goals for 2009 are:
1. Hit # 2,000 with a 5 / 5 if possible.

Hey Lostby, I know where you can grab a pair of 5/5’s for your milestone on water that never freezes…

I have a local cache in mind….I spoke to it’s owner last night. He has been watching my finds sit at 1960……several months ago he said he’d help me in my attempt at his underwater cache for my 2,000th. I’m fairly sure this area, being close to a dam, does not freeze but to be honest I’m not positive. I will have to drive out and see for myself….39 more finds, an unfrozen access point and a drysuit and I’m on it. Otherwise I will have to “settle” for getting #2,000 at a local EC. But who knows, I might get hit by a truck tomorrow and never make it to my goal. 😕

@thepharmgirl wrote:

When I started writing this list, it was hard to believe that these memories were all from this past year!

2008 Highlights: (The Short List)

Reaching #1000 at SSSS
Attending my first Event and GeoCampout
Everything about my trip to Door County (except getting hopelessly lost at one cache)
Finding the Lord of the Cache Trilogy by myself through rough terrain
Obsession with Puzzle Caches in Appleton, Kenosha, Madison, Mount Vernon
Dragging Jeremy to caches he probably didn’t want to solve or go.
Mild FTF Fever
Placing my first caches
West Bend Cache Ba$h
Meeting PharmTeam (namesake geoparents? 😆 ) and many other caching teams

You forgot one:
Kicking A$$ at Chocolate Fest 😈

[thepharmgirl]

@Lostby7 wrote:

You forgot one:
Kicking A$$ at Chocolate Fest 😈

Oh yeah! How could I forget???! 😀

[seldom|seen]

@Lostby7 wrote:

I have a local cache in mind….I spoke to it’s owner last night. He has been watching my finds sit at 1960……several months ago he said he’d help me in my attempt at his underwater cache for my 2,000th. I’m fairly sure this area, being close to a dam, does not freeze but to be honest I’m not positive. I will have to drive out and see for myself….39 more finds, an unfrozen access point and a drysuit and I’m on it. Otherwise I will have to “settle” for getting #2,000 at a local EC. But who knows, I might get hit by a truck tomorrow and never make it to my goal. 😕

I’d love to tag along on that one! I tried to get the FTF on it last year and was told that there was no diving allowed and was forced to leave by a over zealous security person. Hours later, someone tagged the FTF. That stung like you wouldn’t believe. Let me know when you go and if you want some company…

There, now I have a goal for 2009!

[RSplash40]

@seldom|seen wrote:

@Lostby7 wrote:

I have a local cache in mind….I spoke to it’s owner last night. He has been watching my finds sit at 1960……several months ago he said he’d help me in my attempt at his underwater cache for my 2,000th. I’m fairly sure this area, being close to a dam, does not freeze but to be honest I’m not positive. I will have to drive out and see for myself….39 more finds, an unfrozen access point and a drysuit and I’m on it. Otherwise I will have to “settle” for getting #2,000 at a local EC. But who knows, I might get hit by a truck tomorrow and never make it to my goal. 😕

I’d love to tag along on that one! I tried to get the FTF on it last year and was told that there was no diving allowed and was forced to leave by a over zealous security person. Hours later, someone tagged the FTF. That stung like you wouldn’t believe. Let me know when you go and if you want some company…

There, now I have a goal for 2009!

Now this should be interesting, let me know when the date is, I too had aspirations of the ftf on it…

[LightningBugs Mum]

@RSplash40 wrote:

@seldom|seen wrote:

@Lostby7 wrote:

I have a local cache in mind….I spoke to it’s owner last night. He has been watching my finds sit at 1960……several months ago he said he’d help me in my attempt at his underwater cache for my 2,000th. I’m fairly sure this area, being close to a dam, does not freeze but to be honest I’m not positive. I will have to drive out and see for myself….39 more finds, an unfrozen access point and a drysuit and I’m on it. Otherwise I will have to “settle” for getting #2,000 at a local EC. But who knows, I might get hit by a truck tomorrow and never make it to my goal. 😕

I’d love to tag along on that one! I tried to get the FTF on it last year and was told that there was no diving allowed and was forced to leave by a over zealous security person. Hours later, someone tagged the FTF. That stung like you wouldn’t believe. Let me know when you go and if you want some company…

There, now I have a goal for 2009!

Now this should be interesting, let me know when the date is, I too had aspirations of the ftf on it…

Perhaps we should get a group together and make a day of it.

[Author]

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