2015's caching in review

Hello!

It has been a while since my last post. I had begun to take a different attitude towards this blog - I thought there was no point posting about older cache loops since the majority of people have already completed them. I've been finding these older ones over the last couple of months. I thought it was more worthwhile reviewing newer caches on here.

Last week I realised I was wrong! There are almost 3 million caches in the world, and no one is anywhere near to finding all of them. A cacher may stumble across this blog who has never been anywhere near these supposedly old series', but wants to know if they're worth completing. So, rest-assured that in 2016 I will be blogging a lot more after caching.

Some of you may recognise a pattern here. New Year's Eve. "In review". Cache of the Year. Yep, it's time for my annual post reviewing my caching throughout the year - what I achieved, what I failed miserably at and what I hope to gain from Geocaching next year.

A good place to start is by looking at the goal I set myself earlier this year:

"This year I hope to get to 2,000 finds; it'd be nice to find than 522 caches (my current record) throughout the year. However, I will be concentrating on QUALITY caches, as I hope to truly rediscover what I have loved about Geocaching. Along the way, I'll be trying to beat previous stats records, as well as hopefully filling in more of my D/T grid. Most of all, I hope to have even more time to go caching this year. I also hope to place a new series, my first in three years."

Well, I have certainly achieved many of these things. I found my 2000th cache back in July. It was a fantastic walk along a beautiful stretch of coastal footpath and I couldn't have picked a better cache given the fact that I was in the area at the time and rapidly approaching the milestone. As I wrote in a blog post at the time, I had hoped to find a cache called Montserrat for my 2000th. This is the oldest cache in Spain, on a mountain of the same name. Unfortunately I didn't even find it when holidaying in Spain a month later - maybe next year - maybe I can get a move on and make it my 3000th! Despite this, I am still glad that I got to find a quality cache for the occasion!

The view from my 2000th, Start Point

It feels like 2015's caching was all about the summer. I found almost 100 caches the week I found my 2000th, and I beat my most in a month throughout August, setting 159 as my new record. I had a great time walking the final two loops of the GMS series in the Chilterns (see 2012 post), caching on Dartmoor and completing what I consider to be my favourite series of the year, TRotAM (see #1).

But there were also some great walks during the winter months, such as the Great Cotswold Walk which I wrote quite a bit about on this blog earlier this year. All these great trips helped me notch up more cache finds to finally beat my 2012 record of 522 for a calendar year - this year I found 576! So, my goal has been achieved in that I have beaten some previous stat records. I haven't been so successful in terms of filling in more of my D/T grid. I had trips to the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia planned to fill in some rare squares but these never happened. However, I filled in 9 spaces in my grid, the most I've filled in since 2010. I hope to complete a lot more of my grid next year as one of my main goals.

Views along the TRotAM series - Mam Tor ridge

I also said that I wanted to place my first series in three years. This hasn't happened. I walked the route way back in MAY but never got round to placing the caches - I guess I was concentrating on finding this year more than hiding. However, I've got everything in place to set the series next year - as long as someone doesn't beat me to it - fingers crossed! I reckon that I will wait until June/July as it's a good walk for the summer. Watch this space!

Finally, I recall that a year ago today I said that I hoped to "rediscover Geocaching". Have I? Of course I have! Every year I update my Cache of the Year Bookmark List, and this year the title goes to TWW - The Worcestershire Whopper! - it is a fantastic, quality cache which I will remember for some time. Not far behind it are Santa Margarida (GCQ9C4), When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney (GC6738V) and the caches I found whilst visiting Imber last week, GC434WG and GCKCJV. Obviously I didn't find all the "gems" I had wanted to this year with several trips not materialising, but there's always next year. I have rediscovered Geocaching - every cache I've found this year has oozed quality in one way or another, and none have been found simply for the numbers. I hope you too have played the game in the way you most enjoy it - whether you prefer quality, quantity or a bit of both.

So, in summary, next year I hope to find more great caches, possibly beat my best in one year again and fill in more of my D/T grid. 3000 would be nice, but I know it's going to be a busy year, and you've got to be realistic - I'll try though!

Keep your eye out for washknight's Interrogation questions soon - he sent them to me several months ago and I've been meaning to post my answers - it'll happen, I haven't forgotten.

All I have left to say is Happy New Year. Thanks to all of you who have been a part of my Geocaching in 2015, it has been my best caching year yet. It was an honour to be elected onto the GAGB committee last month, thanks to all of you who voted for me. I'm joint webmaster, and I look forward to helping out in other ways as well over the next year.

Bring on 2016 with even more quality walks and caches

Griff Grof