Just like cell phone texting, geocaching enthusiasts have developed a set of abbreviations to minimize the amount space and time required when signing logs or logging a geocache online.
Here are some of the most popular terms you will see in geocache descriptions and logs
- BYOP – Bring your own pen/pencil. Some caches are just to small for the cache owner to include these so they will note it in the cache description as a reminder. Of course you should always remember to take along a pencil or pen (with waterproof ink) just in case.
- Cache – Geocache
- Cacher – Geocacher
- Caching – Geocaching
- CITO – Cache In, Trash Out. Most geocachers practice this and a lot of geocaching club even sponsor CITO outings. Help protect the environment and the hobby by practicing this yourself
- Coin – Geocoin
- DNF – Did Not Find
- FTF – First To Find – the first person to find a new cache
- Geocache – a container hidden that includes at the very minimum, a logbook for geocachers to sign
- Geocaching – a worldwide treasure hunt game. Geocachers can place a geocache, pinpoint its location using a GPS and then share the geocache’s description and location online
- GeoCoin – a special coin placed in geocaches. Geocachers can buy custom made coins and place them in their caches. Many geocoins are trackable (see the definition below) and intended to travel around the world. However some are intended as collectibles and are highly sought after
- GPSR – Global Positioning System Receiver – this is actually the correct term for the GPS we all use
- Ground Zero – the immediate area around a cache
- GZ – abbreviation for Ground Zero
- Hints – some cache owners will leave encrypted hints in the cache description for people that are having a hard time locating a cache. If this is the case they cache seeker can spend a few minutes decrypting the hint to get some extra help
- Hitchhiker – an item that is placed in a cache, and has instructions to travel to other caches. Sometimes they have logbooks attached so you can log their travels
- Left – when a geocacher leaves something in a cache they might note this in the log. Ex: left deck of cards (you may also see L-deck of cards)
- Log – Log Book (or log sheet)
- Muggle – Non-geocacher (this is derived from the Harry Potter series where non-magicians are called ‘muggles’) Muggles have been know to take or destroy geocaches so always try to avoid revealing cache locations to muggles!
- Multi – Multi Cache – geocaches that require more than one set of coordinates to reach the the final cache destination
- PnG (P&G) – Park and Grab these are geocaches that are located close to a parking area and can be obtained quickly
- Sig Item – Signature Item - many geocachers have personalized items that they leave in caches. A few examples include pencils, dog tags, business cards, and poker chips
- SL: Signed Log – used when the geocacher visited the cache and signed its logbook
- Spoiler- a picture showing the cache location or an entry into your log online
- STF – Second To Find
- Swag – Stuff we all get, items left in a geocache for trading
- TB – Travel bug, a trackable (see the definition below) item left in geocaches and meant to travel from one cache to another
- TFTC – Thanks For The Cache
- TFTH – Thanks For The Hide, a variation on TFTC
- TNLN – Took Nothing Left Nothing
- Took – when a geocacher takes something from a cache they might note this in the log. Ex: took key chain (you may also see T-keychain) One of the rules of geocaching is: if you take something, leave something, if you have nothing to trade just sign the log and leave
- Trackable – items left in geocaches that can be tracked online, trackables like Geocoins and Travel Bugs have individual serial numbers so the owner and fellow geocachers can track their travels. If you find and take a trackable make sure that you can move it to another cache within a reasonable amount of time, if you can’t then leave it in the cache for another geocacher to find
- Travel Bug Hotel – these are special caches that are designed just for travel bugs. Many time they are located close to major airports so that the travel bug has a better chance of moving around the word