Abbreviations 101

[Update 1/19/09: added GZ]

[Update: for all you folks arriving from Google, this is Geocaching Abbreviations 101]

I actually got surprised yesterday.  Somebody asked me what “LPC” meant and I actually started laughing.  Thank goodness I was reading an e-mail, but then I thought to look up the questioner and discovered this was a 5-Find cacher.

Then I felt like a douche.  If you’re out there- I was in the same boat, too.  Because really, most of the jargon you take for granted was brand new to you too on day one.  Heck, I didn’t know what TOTT meant until mid 2007, but I had a good guess and it really just didn’t affect my caching experience.  So when I was told it was more of an “eh, that’s neat”.

But I know some of you are dying to get the definitive Geocaching language handbook, so here goes.  What I will do is start the post off and keep it alive with your comments and feedback- refreshing as we go, adding and removing as we need.  If I need to upgrade this to its own page, I will, but I will catalog the notes here and see what is the interest level.

  • ALR: Additional Logging Requirement.  Previously used to enforce “special” find logging rules, such as “must show picture of self with cache container in hand to log as found”.  These are no longer allowed.
  • FTF: First to Find.  Something dougandsuzy have their own log stamp for
  • GZ: Ground Zero.  The “Spot” where the Geocache is located, or where you think it is located.
  • LPC: Light Post Cache.  A hide technique that is clever the first 30 times you see it, up under the skirt of a utility lamp post.
  • POI: Point(s) of Interest.  Your GPS probably calls all waypoints “points of interest”, like the one in my car does.  Usually this is a waypoint with a user flag on it, like “hotel” or “school”.
  • SL: Signed Log
  • TNLN: Took Nothing, Left Nothing
  • TOTT: Tool(s) of the Trade.  All the junk you bring with you to cache successfully.  Usually refers to something specific needed for a cache retrieval.

It’s a short start, but something tells me it will grow.  😉

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