(PUEBLO, Colo.) — Big news in Pueblo, this years St. Nick Pepper Hunt rock has been found! The community wide holiday tradition has taken on many different forms over the years, but it first started in the early 70's. It's a scavenger hunt, filled with clues to find a hidden rock with a pepper painted onto it, and the person who finds it gets a prize. This years prize is valued at more than $25,000 in cash and items. The rock was found just off the beaten path in Pueblo, on a 'no outlet' road, nestled into a ditch, and covered in weeds. Pueblo native and Army Veteran Christopher Cash found the pepper rock this year, with the help of his friends, family, and their scavenger hunt group-chat called "rock talk." "It meant everything to me and my friends who have been looking for our entire lives," said Cash. "The immediate thing that came to my mind was, 'I'm splitting this with my friends', because I wouldn't have been in the right spot without Adam, or Jared, or Jason, or any of the guys in our 'rock talk' group." He's been looking for it ever since he was a little kid searching with his dad, and he was finally able to find it with his four sons. "Me and my little boys were talking about it this morning. They're saying, 'look how many people are in Pueblo, just everywhere. All of them are looking for it.' It's weird to be the one to actually bend down and pick it up," said Cash. He estimates he and his crew spent about 40 hours looking for it over the course of a week. "Before I could even get it to my face, my friend Jared saw the green underneath the rock and he was started screaming," said Cash. "So I looked at it and I was like, 'Wow.' It's just such an exciting moment. I just said, 'Call my wife.' That's when he started swinging me around. I think I tore muscles in my back from my friends picking me up and swinging me around so hard." He says the prize money and items are life changing, but the caretaker of the scavenger hunt, Nick Donovan, says it's all about creating memories. "I had so much fun doing it when I was young. It was before I could even drive," said Donovan. "It's just a fun thing and it's great to be a part of it because it is such a family thing and it is such a Pueblo tradition. It's fun to be able to keep that alive." If your business or organization would like to be involved in next year's hunt, you can reach out to the Chamber of Commerce. Businesses can get involved by contributing to the prizes, or by serving as a location for extra clues. Cash said he'll use the cash to pay something off. He also wants to take his kids fishing a lot more in the next year.