Geocaching Adventure Lab is a new app and platform that allows you to create, play, and share location-based experiences and games. The Adventure Lab app guides players through the process of finding clues, solving puzzles, and completing Adventures one location at a time

See Additional Logging Requirement.

See Project A.P.E.

See YAPIDKA.

See Reviewer.

As The Crow Flies. Point to point distance, irrespective of roads or barriers. Note that it's not a true point-to-point distance, as the distance calculated by a GPS is actually measured following a mathematical model of the curvature of the earth.

These are icons on a cache detail intended to provide helpful information to geocachers who wish to find specific types of caches. These icons represent unique cache characteristics, including size, whether the cache is kid friendly, if it is available 24 hours a day, if you need special equipment and more. Attributes are also a tool to help you filter the types of caches you would like to search for when building a Pocket Query. Learn more about Attributes.

Attempting to determine the whereabouts of a Mystery cache by placing caches of your own in the area. By locating the areas where caches are not allowed, it is believed that the general location of the hidden cache can be determined. This almost never works, as Reviewers will easily notice this behaviour, and take steps to foil the attempt.

See Drunken Bee Dance.

Often used as another word for Nano. In reality, a blinky is a small light, using a button battery and micro LEDs. They are intended to be attached to clothing, or even as earrings. They come with a powerful base magnet, and a similar removable magnet, to allow it to be attached to clothing without the need of puncturing the fabric. The electronics and battery can be removed in order to create a Nano cache with a magnetic base.

See Brakpan Power Series

The Brakpan Power Series is a Power Trail around Brakpan with 171 geocaches on it.

See Travel Bug.

See Caches Along A Route.

A shortened version of the word geocache.

Also known as a CITO.  Cache In Trash Out® is the environmental initiative supported by the geocaching community. The main aim of this program is to clean up and preserve the natural areas that we enjoy while geocaching. These events are gatherings of geocachers that focus on litter clean-up, removal of invasive species, planting trees and vegetation and trail building. Learn more at www.geocaching.com/cito.

When a number of geocachers form a group for the purpose of finding a large number of caches in a relatively short period of time. These are usually fairly easy traditional caches that can be found quickly. Like a Power Trail, it's another way for people to easily increase their Find count.

The geocacher who placed a geocache is referred to as the Cache Owner or CO.

Person who participates in geocaching. Also known as a Geocacher.

Usually a ladder, although portable steps, climbing equipment, the roof of a car and cherry pickers have also been used.

A Premium Member feature that allows you to identify caches along a specific route for quick and easy geocaching. You can choose from routes already created by other geocachers or use Google Earth to build your own unique trip.

See Cacher Elevation Device.

Cache For The Day.  Often used when a geocacher is on a streak of finding at least one cache each day, so every day they find a cache for the day to keep the streak going.

A cache that requires you to fulfil some type of caching challenge before you may search for and log the primary cache. A common challenge is the Alphabet Challenge, which requires that you find at least one cache starting with each letter of the alphabet. There may be other conditions as well, as long as they are related to geocaching.

Beginning April 21, 2015, a one-year moratorium is in effect on all new challenge cache submissions. It does not impact previously published challenge cache listings.

See Member.

See Cache In Trash Out® Event

See Cache Owner.

See Geocachers' Creed.

Cache difficulty/terrain rating shorthand. The difficulty number is always presented first, followed by the terrain rating. Each number can range from 1 to 5 in 0.5 increments. A 1/1 cache is the easiest to find and get to. A terrain rating of 1 indicates that it's handicapped accessible, while a terrain rating of 5 indicates extreme terrain, or that specialized equipment (climbing gear, boat, scuba gear, etc.) is required.

A datum is something used as a basis for calculating and measuring. In the case of GPS, datums are different calculations for determining longitude and latitude for a given location. Currently, Geocaching uses the WGS84 datum for all caches. Many maps still use NAD27, which can cause confusion if your GPS unit is set to NAD27. Always check your GPS to ensure that WGS84 is the datum before entering a cache coordinate into your unit.

See HDDD MM.MMM

Usually used in a note when you can't get to the cache or were not able to look for it.  This could be for a variety of reasons such as muggles in the way preventing a search, the weather becomes a problem, it gets too dark or you do not have the correct equipment like a ladder to get up high.  Not a DNF, which is where you looked and couldn't find it, this means you did not look.

A type of online log on Geocaching.com used by geocachers to state that they did not find a cache.  It is useful for alerting cache owners of potential issues. Cache owners who repeatedly receive Did Not Find logs should check to see that their cache has not been removed.

The Difficulty rating is shown on the cache listing. 

There is a geocache rating system to help you understand how difficult a cache is to find, which you can find at http://www.clayjar.com/gcrs/.

The guidelines for the Difficulty ratings are:

Easy. In plain sight or can be found in a few minutes of searching.

 Average. The average cache hunter would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunt.

Challenging. An experienced cache hunter will find this challenging, and it could take up a good portion of an afternoon.

 Difficult. A real challenge for the experienced cache hunter - may require special skills or knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days / trips to complete.

Extreme. A serious mental or physical challenge. Requires specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment to find cache.

See Did Not Attempt.

An acronym used by geocachers to state that they did not find a cache.  See Did Not Find.

Including the letters DPM in a cache log was a once-secret way to indicate the cache was of low quality. DPM is an abbreviation for "des palourdes mortes", which is French for "the dead clams". The entire French phrase is "Les longs sanglots des palourdes mortes blessent mon coeur avec un languor monotone pendant qu'ils dansent à minuit", which translates to "The long sobs of the dead clams wound my heart with a monotonous languor as they dance at midnight". The idea was to include this phrase in a cache log to clue in others that the cache was of low quality. Rarely actually used, as the meaning of DPM quickly spread throughout the geocaching community, and its secrecy was lost.

The movements of a geocacher, whilst trying to pinpoint Ground Zero, and ending up chasing the directional arrow first in one direction and then another, has been termed the Drunken Bee Dance.

Dankie Vir Die Skat. The Afrikaans equivalent of TFTC.

An EarthCache is a special geological location people can visit to learn about a unique feature of the Earth. EarthCache pages include a set of educational notes along with coordinates. Visitors to EarthCaches can see how our planet has been shaped by geological processes, how we manage its resources and how scientists gather evidence. Typically, to log an EarthCache, you will have to provide answers to questions by observing the geological location. For more information about EarthCaches, visit http://www.earthcache.org/.

An Event Cache is a gathering of local geocachers or geocaching organizations. The Event Cache page specifies a time for the event and provides coordinates to its location. After the event has ended, it is archived.

There is more information about Event Caches in South Africa here

Favourite Points are earned only by Premium Members at the rate of 1 Favourite Point per 10 finds.

They can then allocate these favourite points to geocaches that they find that stand out for some reason (like an awesome container, challenging puzzle or wonderful experience to find).

You can also search for nearby caches with lots of favourite points.

See Geocaching International Film Festival.

First To Find is written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds to denote being the first to find a new geocache.  Usually abbreviated as FTF.

A Challenge Cache that requires the geocacher to find and log one of each combination of the Terrain and Difficulty ratings, a total of 81 caches, in order to complete the challenge. Sometimes called a Fizzy Square.

See Full Log To Follow.

See The Force.

See Favourite Point.

See First To Find.

Used by a geocacher who is logging geocaches as they are found in the field.  This means that they will edit or update their brief initial log at a later stage with more details.  Often abbreviated as FLTF.

In South Africa, GPS also stands for Gauteng Power Series, the first Power Trail in South Africa.  The GPS trail is a 170km route around Gauteng with about 680 geocaches on it.  Read more about it in our Power Trail article.

Could refer to Geocoin or GC Code

A unique identifier associated with every geocache listing. The GC Code starts with the letters GC and is followed by other alphanumeric characters.  See GCXXXX for details on the numbering system.

The term Geo-Art refers to a series of caches that form fun and recognizable shapes when viewed on our maps at a certain zoom level. It's fun to progress "through the shape" as you find one cache after another in the series. Look at Groundspeak's Help Centre for some examples. We also have an article on South African Geo-Art on this website.

Someone whom you enjoy going geocaching with.

A container hidden that includes, at a minimum, a logbook for geocachers to sign.

Person who participates in geocaching.

A voluntary set of guiding principles that describes how geocachers should, in general, act. It was developed by 60 geocachers in open forums to orient new players to the ethos of the caching community and to guide experienced players in questionable situations. You can find the Geocachers' Creed at www.geocreed.info.

The creed has also featured in our newsletter of September 2017 and April 2016.

Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache (container) somewhere in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache hidden at that location.

The word Geocaching refers to GEO for geography, and to CACHING, the process of hiding a cache. A cache is a hiding place for concealing and preserving provisions or valuables.

You pronounce it geo-cashing.  The dictionary defined pronunciation is jēōˌkaSHiNG

A competition run by Groundspeak where geocachers were encouraged to submit short (1 to 4 minute) videos that tell the geocaching story.

Watch the 2019 finalists.
Watch the 2018 finalists.
Watch the 2017 finalists.
Watch the 2016 finalists.
Watch the 2015 finalists.

Geocide is a term used to describe a situation where a geocacher:

• disables or archives all of their geocache hides, or
• becomes inactive, or
• deletes their geocaching.com account.

Geocide is often accompanied by the geocacher posting dramatic archive logs or forum exit statements as they head out of the hobby.

A Geocoin works similarly to a Travel Bug in that they are trackable and can travel the world, picking up stories from geocache to geocache. Geocoins are often created as signature items by geocachers and can also be used as collectibles.

When you injure yourself whilst geocaching.

See Muggle.

See Muggled.

That silent intuition that tells your subconscious where the cache is located, geosense is usually developed by experience and finding many geocaches.

See Geocaching International Film Festival.

See Geocachers of South Africa.

See Gauteng Power Series

See GPX.

A GPS receiver. The r refers to receiver, to differentiate the unit from the entire GPS system. The GPS system is comprised of three parts: The Space Segment, which is comprised of the orbiting satellites (SVs); the Control Segment, which are the ground-based monitoring facilities; and the User Segment, the actual receivers.

In practice, most geocachers just say GPS when they refer to their GPS receiver.

A cache database file format which stands for GPS eXchange Format. Files in the GPX format are available only to Premium Members. This format contains virtually all the information available on a cache page, plus the last 5 logs made to the cache, as well as any logs the person requesting the file may have made to the cache. GPX files can be requested from a cache page, or via Pocket Queries. See also LOC.

The word "grandfathered" means to grant a special exception. More clearly, to "grandfather" something is to allow certain situations to exist based on an older rule (this is the "grandfather clause") even though a new rule is in place now.

For example, geocache types like Virtual Geocaches and Webcams are no longer accepted as new listings today, but those that already exist remain as grandfathered geocaches as long as they continue to be maintained by their owners.

Other grandfathered caches are where a geocache was placed prior to the date when a Guideline was issued or updated, then the geocache is likely to be grandfathered and allowed to stand as is.

The point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the cache location. At Ground Zero, you are zero metres away from your destination.

Groundspeak® is the company that was founded as a means to help further develop and manage the Geocaching.com website. They are responsible for geocaching.com and have also created forums to communicate with the community of geocachers. Groundspeak® has created other GPS-related websites, such as Waymarking.com and Wherigo.com.

GSAK stands for Geocaching Swiss Army Knife.  It is an all in one Geocaching and waypoint management tool that runs on Windows.  Many geocachers use GSAK to manage their geocaching database.

The rules for cache placement.  The full guidelines are documented on the geocaching.com website here

See Ground Zero.

This is the format for coordinates used for geocaching, and is a standard format used on GPS receivers.

H is the Hemisphere
DDD are the Degrees
MM.MMM are the Minutes in decimal format.

In South Africa, example coordinates (in fact the published coordinates for the first African Mega Event) will look something like S25° 46.550 E028° 10.700 as South Africa is in the Southern and  Eastern Hemispheres.

It is critical that the format be correct, otherwise you will not be able to find geocaches and geocachers will be unable to find your cache!  You can convert coordinates to other formats on the cache listing.

See Helped to Hide.

An Icon is a picture that represents a particular cache type. There is a unique icon for each of the different cache types.

Icons available in South Africa include:

Traditional Geocache

Mystery or Puzzle Cache

Multi-Cache

EarthCache

Letterbox Hybrid Cache

Event Cache

Cache In Trash Out® Event (CITO)

Mega-Event Cache

Wherigo™ Cache

Lab Cache

Virtual Cache

Other Icons found around the world include:

Giga-Event Cache

Geocaching HQ Geocache

GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

Webcam Cache

Project A.P.E. Cache

10 Years! Event Cache

Locationless (Reverse) Cache

See Geocaching International Film Festival.

A Lab Geocache is an experimental and extremely rare geocache type. These geocaches are a way for Groundspeak to innovate and test—often at the molecular-level—new ideas to make geocaching even better. By finding a Lab Geocache, you’re helping shape the future of geocaching.

See Groundspeak Lackey.

Large is a cache size listed on a cache listing, and is usually 20L or larger. Examples are a large bucket or large box.

Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting that uses clues instead of coordinates. In some cases, the letterbox owner has made their container both a Letterbox and a geocache and posted its coordinates on Geocaching.com. These types of geocaches will contain a stamp that is meant to remain in the box and is used by Letterboxers to record their visit.

Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting using clues instead of coordinates. To read more about letterboxing, visit Letterboxing North America.

A cache database file format. The LOC format is available to all members. Only the most basic cache information is included in a LOC file. LOC files can be requested from a cache page, a Pocket Query (for Premium Members), or from a search list. See also GPX.

A Locationless Cache, also called a Reverse Cache, could be considered the opposite of a Traditional Cache. Instead of finding a hidden container, you locate a specific object and log its coordinates. Locationless Caches have evolved into Waymarking.

Lock & Lock (also seen as L&L or Lock 'n Lock or Locknlock) is a type of container that uses four snaps on the lid to create a seal. While used colloquially by geocachers, Lock & Lock is actually a specific brand of this kind of container.

See Additional Logging Requirement.

Another term for cache Pirates.

A Mega-Event cache is an Event Cache that is attended by 500+ people. Mega-Events offer geocachers a day of planned activities. There are often several days of additional activities surrounding a Mega-Event. These large events attract geocachers from all over the world and are often held annually.

Technically, anyone with a Geocaching.com account is a member. But the term Member usually refers to those with a paid Premium Membership. Premium Members can have more caches on their watchlist, can run Pocket Queries, and have access to caches that have been designated for Premium Members only (see MOC). Members who subscribed during the first year that subscriptions were available, are designated Charter Members. Other than the name, there is no difference between a Premium and Charter membership.

Micro is a cache size listed on a cache listing, and is usually less than 100ml. Examples include a 35 mm film canister or a tiny storage box typically containing only a logbook or a logsheet. A Nano cache is a common sub-type of a micro cache that is less than 10ml and can only hold a small logsheet.

Members Only Cache. A Members Only Cache is one that's reserved for Premium Members (see Member). MOC caches are designated with this icon . Only Premium Members can display a MOC cache page, and consequently, only Premium Members can log a MOC.

A Muggle is a non-geocacher. Based on Muggle from the Harry Potter series, which is a non-magical person. Usually this term is used after a non-geocacher looks puzzled after befriending a geocacher searching for a geocache, or when a non-geocacher accidentally finds a geocache. Geomuggles are mostly harmless.

The discovery of a geocache by a non-geocacher (also known as GeoMuggled). Although non-geocachers are encouraged to play along should they come across a geocache, when someone refers to a geocache as having been muggled, it almost always means it was stolen or vandalized.

A Multi-Cache involves two or more locations, with the final location being a physical container with a logbook inside. There are many variations, but typically once you’re at the first stage, you will receive a clue to the whereabouts of the second stage. The second stage will have a clue for the third, and so on. An offset cache (where you go to a location and get hints to the actual cache) is considered a Multi-Cache.

Also commonly called a Puzzle Cache. The "catch-all" of geocache types, this type may involve complicated puzzles that you will first need to solve to determine the correct coordinates. Mystery/Puzzle Caches often become the staging ground for new and unique geocaches that do not fit in another category.

Stands for North American Datum 1927. The precursor to WGS84. Many maps still use the NAD27 datum, so always check before using a GPS unit with a map.

An unofficial cache size. A Nano cache is usually considerably smaller than the typical micro. One popular container is approximately the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil. They usually have a magnetic base to keep them in place. A Nano container is sometimes referred to as a Blinky.

The dictionary defines newbie as an inexperienced newcomer to a particular activity. In geocaching terms it refers to someone new to the game who is still learning how it all works.

See Newbie

See Original Can of Beans.

A type of Multi-Cache. An Offset Cache is where you go to a location and get hints to the actual cache location.

Obvious Pile Of Rocks. A common telltale sign of a hidden cache.

One of the items placed in the very first geocache (actually called a stash at the time). The can, which was never traded for, was later recovered. It has been made into a Travel Bug, and occasionally makes appearances at various geocaching get-togethers.  Visit the O.C.B.© Trackable page.

Other is a cache size listed on a cache listing, and may mean that it is an unusual or customised container, giving away the size spoils the hunt, or simply that the container is a Nano.  You can usually get a better idea of the container type and size from reading the cache description.

See Park And Grab

See Phone A Friend.

An easy-to-find cache that you can get very close to by car. Sometimes written as P&G or P-n-G or PNG.

More commonly known as PAF. Usually done in the field, via cell phone. This may take one of two forms. If the geocacher is hunting a cache without the cache page information, he or she may call someone who will look up the cache page and relay the description and hint. In other cases, the geocacher may phone someone who has already found the cache, in hopes of getting additional information about its location.

A short-lived phenomenon where rogue geocachers would steal caches, and then either:

• destroy the cache;
• hold it for ransom; or
• move it to another location, leaving only a note behind with the new location.

A number of minor variations were also used. A late attempt was made by some pirates to legitimize the activity, by making it an opt-in, non-destructive activity. But by that time, pirates had generated so much ill-will among mainstream geocachers (which still exists) that they were drummed out of the sport.

Similar to Muggled, a plundered cache is one that has been stolen or vandalized. However, there is a slight difference in meaning. Saying a cache has been plundered leaves open the possibility that the act was not done by accidental finders. See also Pirates.

Premium Members Only, see MOC (Members Only Cache).

See Park And Grab

See Power Trail.

A path with a large number of easy traditional caches placed every 160m. Like a Cache Machine, it's another way for people to easily increase their Find count.

The largest Power Trails in South Africa are:
• the Gauteng Power Series(GPS)
• the Swartland Power Series (SPS)
• the Brakpan Power Series (BPS)

See Pocket Query.

A micro container resembling a wide test-tube, made of transparent plastic, with a screw-on cap. Preforms are actually the blanks which are heated and blown into a form to create soda bottles. They are very durable and waterproof, making them a good choice for a micro-size cache container.

See Member.

A promotional tie-in with 20th Century Fox, to publicize their remake of the movie Planet of the Apes. A number of caches were set up around the world, stocked with promotional items from the movie. A few of these caches still exist, and now function as Traditional caches. For the curious, A.P.E. stood for Alternative Primate Evolution.

See Mystery Cache.

Regular is a cache size listed on a cache listing, and is usually 1L or larger, but less than 20L. Examples are a plastic container or ammo can about the size of a shoebox.

See Locationless Cache.

Hints for geocaches are encrypted using a simple format where each of the letters are rotated 13 characters up or down in the alphabet.

Signal is the official mascot of Geocaching.com. Designed by artist Koko, Signal is a frog with a GPS antenna on its head.

Signal was created in the early days of Geocaching.com as a way to represent the combination of technology and nature. Since then, Signal has become beloved by the geocaching community and appears on geocaching-related gear, trackables—and even in-person at some Mega-Events.

Small is a cache size listed on a cache listing, and is usually 100ml or larger, but less than 1L. Examples are a sandwich-sized plastic container or similar.

The Smiley face is used with a Found It log on the cache listing.  Many geocachers regard finding a geocache as adding another smiley, and will say that they got their smiley when they found another geocache.

A false account used in a forum or chat-room account in order to hide the true owner's identity. It is a common Internet term, and is not specific to geocaching.

A spoiler is information that can give details away and ruin the experience of something. For example, telling someone the end of a movie before they see it. In geocaching, a spoiler gives away details of a cache location and can ruin the experience of the find.

A spoiler could be an on-line log entry or a photo attached to an on-line log that gives away the location of a cache, or may in some other way spoil the caching experience for others (such as posts on social media).

See Swartland Power Series

The Swartland Power Series is a Power Trail along a 40km odd route in the Western Cape following the Old Malmesbury Road from the N7 with around 170 geocaches on it.

See TFTC.

See TFTH.

See Travel Bug.

See Travel Bug Prison.

See Travel Bug Prison.

The Terrain rating is shown on the cache listing.

There is a geocache rating system to help you understand how difficult a cache is to get to, which you can find at http://www.clayjar.com/gcrs/.

The guidelines for the Terrain ratings are:

Handicapped accessible. (Terrain is likely to be paved, is relatively flat, and less than a 1/2 mile hike is required.)

Suitable for small children. (Terrain is generally along marked trails, there are no steep elevation changes or heavy overgrowth. Less than a 2 mile hike required.)

Not suitable for small children. (The average adult or older child should be OK depending on physical condition. Terrain is likely off-trail. May have one or more of the following: some overgrowth, some steep elevation changes, or more than a 2 mile hike.)

Experienced outdoor enthusiasts only. (Terrain is probably off-trail. Will have one or more of the following: very heavy overgrowth, very steep elevation (requiring use of hands), or more than a 10 mile hike. May require an overnight stay.)

Requires specialized equipment and knowledge or experience, (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc.) or is otherwise extremely difficult.

Thanks For The Cache. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds.

The use of TFTC on its own as a log is often debated. One side of the debate finds this rude, particularly with geocaches that require more work to find. The idea is that if a geocacher spent time putting together a cache for the finder's benefit, the finder owes it to the hider to take a few minutes to say a little more than TFTC.

The other side of the debate is that some geocachers use TFTC because they are logging a find from their phone, with the intention of updating the log at home on a computer. With the ease at which geocachers can now log finds using geocaching apps on their phones, there has been an increase of TFTC logs. Since cache owners receive Log Notifications only from the initial log, and not any subsequent edits, they might overlook updates to that log in such a situation.

It is also often pointed out that if a geocacher finds a geocache that they were unimpressed or even annoyed with, they may have logged it with nothing more than TFTC as a way to avoid saying anything negative.

Thanks For The Find

See Geocachers' Creed.

Thanks For The Geocache. Similar to TFTC.

See Tools Of The Trade.

See The Powers That Be.

A Trackable is a physical geocaching "game piece." You will often find them in geocaches or see them at geocaching events. Each Trackable is etched with a unique code that can be used to log its movements on Geocaching.com as it travels in the real world. Trackables include Travel Bugs and Geocoins.

The Tracking Code (or Tracking Number) is a unique series of letters and numbers used to identify a Trackable. The Tracking Code is normally on the Travel Bug dog tag that is attached to the item, or, in the case of Geocoins, is stamped or etched on the item somewhere (it could even be on the edge of the coin).

Make sure to write this number down before dropping the item in another cache. You will need it to locate and move the Trackable online.

Enter the Tracking Code at http://www.geocaching.com/track/ to log the Trackable or find out more about the Trackable.

See Tracking Code.

This is the original geocache type consisting of, at minimum, a container and a log book or logsheet. Larger containers generally include items for trade. Nano or micro caches are tiny containers that only hold a logsheet. The coordinates listed on the traditional cache page provide the geocache's exact location.

A geocache with the intended purpose of acting as an exchange point for Travel Bugs. These are almost always Regular or Large sized containers.

Unnatural Pile of Rocks. A common telltale sign of a hidden cache.

Unnatural Pile of Sticks. A common telltale sign of a hidden cache.

Unnatural Rock Pile. A common telltale sign of a hidden cache.

Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system. This is an alternative to the standard WGS84. UTM uses grids overlaying specific areas of the Earth's surface and divides the Earth into 60 zones.

A Virtual Cache is about discovering a location rather than a container. The requirements for logging a Virtual Cache vary —- you may be required to answer a question about the location, take a picture, complete a task, etc. In any case, you must visit the coordinates before you can post your log. Although many locations are interesting, a Virtual Cache should be out of the ordinary enough to warrant logging a visit. Virtual Caches are now considered waymarks on Waymarking.com.

WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System, but that doesn't really describe what it is. Garmin has a detailed description on WAAS.

A watchlist is a list of users that are watching a specific Travel Bug or cache. Each user receives a copy of each posted log via email.

These are caches that use existing web cameras placed by individuals or agencies that monitor various areas like parks or business complexes. The idea is to get yourself in front of the camera to log your visit. The challenging part is that you need to call a friend to look up the web site that displays the camera shot. You will need to have them to save the picture in order to log the cache. If you're a tech-head you could save the image yourself by using a wireless modem and a laptop. Webcam caches are now in the Web Camera category on Waymarking.com.

The most current geodetic datum used for GPS is the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84). The significance of WGS84 comes about because GPS receivers rely on WGS84. Geocaching uses the WGS84 datum by default.

You also need to ensure that your GPS is using coordinates in the HDDD MM.MMM format, as this is the standard format used by geocaching.com.

Wherigo™ is a toolset for creating and playing GPS-enabled adventures in the real world. By integrating a Wherigo experience, called a cartridge, with finding a geocache, the geocaching hunt can be an even richer experience. Among other uses, Wherigo allows geocachers to interact with physical and virtual elements such as objects or characters while still finding a physical geocache container. A Wherigo-enabled GPS device is required to play a cartridge. Learn more at Wherigo.com.

World Wide Flash Mobs are a fun and friendly way to promote geocaching around the world. Thousands of geocachers at dozens of coordinated events spanning the globe, gathering at the same time.

Sonny and Sandy of the PodCacher podcast came up with the WWFM idea in 2007 after attending a mega-event. It was meant to be a fun “opposite” of a mega-event: all the cool aspects of a geocaching event, crammed into 15 minutes of excitement. An added dimension is represented by the letters "WW" - World Wide - these events occur across the planet on the same day at (mostly) the same time!

Find out more by visiting the official WWFM site.

See World Wide Flash Mob.