{"id":19587,"date":"2013-12-10T21:17:49","date_gmt":"2013-12-11T05:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/?p=19587"},"modified":"2016-02-09T13:05:52","modified_gmt":"2016-02-09T21:05:52","slug":"nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Nightcaching at Sweden&#8217;s largest Mega-Event"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_19595\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19595\" style=\"width: 304px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden4-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19595\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19595 \" alt=\"Sweden4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden41.jpg\" width=\"304\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden41.jpg 304w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden41-281x300.jpg 281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 304px) 100vw, 304px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19595\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrea, representing Geocaching HQ. Photo: Marcus Bengtsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: Geocaching HQ staff are joining geocachers at\u00a0<\/em><em>Mega-Events around the world to celebrate and share the adventure of geocaching. Andrea Hofer <\/em><em>attended Swedens oldest and largest annual Geocaching event &#8211; FUMBLE AFTER DARK 2013.\u00a0<\/em><em>This is Andrea\u2019s account of her trip.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>After attending\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/11\/a-mega-event-in-florida-paradise\/\">Florida Finders Fest<\/a>, I hopped on a plane and made my way to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/geocache\/GC4DX9Y_mega-sweden-fad-2013\" rel=\"nofollow\">Fumble after Dark<\/a> in Sweden, getting a chance to see two different communities back to back! Sweden in November feels much like Seattle in November &#8211; short, drizzly days and long, chilly nights. That\u2019s why Fumble after Dark is so great: 900 participants come together to embrace the long nights and make them into an opportunity for amazing geocaching!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19588\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19588\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden1\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19588\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19588 \" alt=\"Sweden1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden1.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19588\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of Marcus Bengtsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden2-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19593\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19593 alignleft\" alt=\"Sweden2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden21-1.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden21-1.jpg 333w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden21-300x255.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The event was in Sodertalje, a one-hour drive from Stockholm. After my 22 hour travel from Florida, I gratefully settled in at the adorably Ikea-esque Scandic hotel. A few fun facts about driving in Sweden:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You have to keep your Headlights turned on 24\/7 by law.<\/li>\n<li>Traffic lights briefly turn orange after red to warn that green is coming.<\/li>\n<li>In a Peugeot, \u201cA\u201d means \u201cdrive\u201d and when you brake, the motor goes completely silent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The Fumble After Dark event ran from 10 AM to midnight. Noon to 5 was reserved for presentations, which included puzzle cache tips, a fascinating presentation on \u201clost places\u201d (especially Detroit), and cache hiding tips from the Swedish Reviewers. I gave a presentation focusing on what the Geocaching HQ Community Team does and our plans for 2014. I also learned that the majority of the attendees are on Facebook and completed the entire #31in31 August challenge!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19590\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19590\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19590\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19590 \" alt=\"Sweden3\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden3.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden3.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19590\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Swedish reviewers presenting. Photo: Marcus Bengtsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next it was time to load up the night caches\u2019 GPS coordinates (including the 10 lab caches) and head out into the woods for 3-4 hours of spooky excitement celebrating All Souls&#8217; Day.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19597\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19597\" style=\"width: 534px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden6\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19597\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19597 \" alt=\"Sweden6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden6.jpg\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden6.jpg 667w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Sweden6-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19597\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Setting out. Photo: Marcus Bengtsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19598\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19598\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden7\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19598\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19598 \" alt=\"The only light is the one you bring. Photo: Marcus Bengtsson\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden7.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden7.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden7-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19598\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The only light is the one you bring. Photo: Marcus Bengtsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19599\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19599\" style=\"width: 611px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden8\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19599\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19599 \" alt=\"sweden8\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden8-1.jpg\" width=\"611\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden8-1.jpg 611w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden8-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden8-300x297.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A knot-based puzzle off-trail in a forest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19600\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19600\" style=\"width: 534px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/sweden9\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19600\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19600 \" alt=\"sweden9\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden9.jpg\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden9.jpg 667w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2013\/12\/sweden9-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19600\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Climbing to get the find code for one of the Lab caches. Photo: Marcus Bengtsson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It was utterly dark, chilly, off-trail in a forest, muddy, hilly, scary, and exciting, and I was glad to have been invited to tag along with the Swedish Reviewers. Much of the cache terrain was higher than one would see at a similar event in the U.S. and the geocaches were all clever, especially the haunted kindergarten lab cache:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">[youtube=http:\/\/youtu.be\/RIH4E9DhbIw]<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Many thanks to organizer Fredrik Wellener and all the geocachers who helped create this very special experience.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Click <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/107584178@N08\/sets\/72157637356820264\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">here<\/a>\u00a0to see more pictures from Fumble After Dark.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Have you ever gone nightcaching? Share your best experiences with us in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s note: Geocaching HQ staff are joining geocachers at\u00a0Mega-Events around the world to celebrate and share the adventure of geocaching. Andrea Hofer attended Swedens oldest and largest annual Geocaching event &#8211; FUMBLE AFTER DARK 2013.\u00a0This is Andrea\u2019s account of her trip. After attending\u00a0Florida Finders Fest, I hopped on a plane and made my way to\u00a0Fumble&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-19587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/inside-geocaching-hq-podcast","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"20VGw3qor4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/\">Nightcaching at Sweden&#8217;s largest Mega-Event<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/nightcaching-at-swedens-largest-mega-event\/embed\/#?secret=20VGw3qor4\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Nightcaching at Sweden&#8217;s largest Mega-Event&#8221; &#8212; Official Blog\" data-secret=\"20VGw3qor4\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! 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