 Geocaching is a fast-growing worldwide phenomenon, and increasing exponentially in popularity with every passing year. One reason this game has caught on so well is the feeling of community it instills in the people who take part.
When someone finds a geocache, they will most often sign a log left in the cache. This is to let the owner know who found the cache recently. The finder (cacher) will also log onto geocaching.com and make quick notes on the cache page.
Here are a few popular geocaching acronyms that cachers use:
TFTH: "Thanks For The Hide:" When a hide was extra special, people will leave this in the log book.
TFTC: "Thanks For The Cache" the only difference between this and TFTH is that the cache must be good.
TNLN: "Took Nothing Left Nothing" Usually noncommittal geocachers use this term to prove they found the cache, but chose not to take anything out of it. This could be because they had nothing to replace it with. It is proper geocaching etiquette to always sign the log, so you can show others that you were there.
SL: "Signed Log" Every geocache item should have a paper log near it and geocachers will sign the log to show they found it. Cachers typically sign their geocaching.com username instead of their real name which further frustrates the Muggles (see below).
BYOP: "Bring Your Own Pencil" is pretty self-explanatory, but if you sign a log you should use a water-insoluble ink pen since it won't be erased as easily.
CITO: "Cash In Trash Out" on your way to find the geocache, pick up trash and clean up the area. There are thousands of geocaching events held under the name CITO.
DNF: "Did Not Find" It's quite common for cachers to not find a percentage of caches sought. Which is why it's a good idea to check the D/T before heading out.
D/T: "Difficulty and Terrain" Scales of 1 to 5 for each, one being the easiest.
FTF: "First To Find" First geocacher that finds the cache can post this in their log and receives special bragging rights.
GPSr: "Global Position Satellite Receiver" Slang for a GPS device.
GZ: "Ground Zero" The location where the cache is hidden, does not necessarily mean on the ground since many caches are hidden above or below the ground.
SWAG: "Stuff We All Get" is the cache items at a specific location find.
And, hey, when geocaching, watch out for Muggles! These are other people going about their regular business when you are out geocaching. GPS City has a huge selection of geocaching swag and containers for you to make your perfect cache!
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