The
printed MML Passport is no longer available. However, you may
download a copy from the MML website
here.
The
trail consists of 11 MML Districts (regions).
The MML Geocache Trail project will launch January 1, 2009 with 78
participating cities and towns. A trackable geo coin will be given
to the first 500 geocachers as an incentive for locating at least 2
municipal caches in each of the 11 districts. To be eligible for
the coin, geocachers must pick up a Passport at any of the
designated county visitor centers. Geocachers must use the stamp in
the cache on their Passports and write down the cache code word
listed in each cache. After at least two municipal caches in each
district are discovered, geocachers may return to one of the county
visitor centers and have their Passports validated to receive their
collectable coin.
For a complete list of participating visitor centers visit the MML
web site at http://www.mdmunicipal.org/mmlhome/index.cfm or MGS web
site at www.mdgps.org.
The beautiful Middletown Valley stretches from the Catoctin
Mountains on the east to South Mountain on the west, and between
the Pennsylvania border to the north to the Potomac River and
Virginia to the south. Middletown, Maryland, was founded in 1767
and is said to be named either for its position midway between
South Mountain and the Catoctin Mountains or its central location
between the larger Maryland cities of Frederick and Hagerstown.
Middletown is steeped in American history -- from the mid-1600’s
and Colonial settlements to the new millennium and high-tech
biological engineering; Middletown contributes at every turn of the
page. A young Lieutenant George Washington surveyed the South
Mountain area and commented that the Middletown Valley was one of
the most beautiful places he had ever seen (it is undocumented,
however, whether or not he actually slept here). The Revolutionary
and Civil Wars passed through Middletown along Main Street, the Old
National Pike, turning the homes and churches into headquarters and
hospitals.
Today Middletown boasts a delicate balance of old and new.
Instead of a Mayor, the town leader is a Burgess. Some of the
buildings were built in the 1700s and 1800s. There are large
Victorian homes as well as the typical cookie-cutter subdivisions
that dot the edge of the Washington D.C. commuter exurbs.
Middletown continues to develop from a settlement of farmers and
ranchers, tradesmen and craftsmen, businessmen and clergymen --
without losing its agricultural roots. The brisk winter chill
contrasts markedly with balmy summer nights, but the weather is
never boring. Middletown prides itself at retaining small-town
charm and ideals in an era of growth. From the stately Victorian
homes and skyward-reaching church steeples to the rustic dairy
farms and modern housing developments, residents find that home is
a refuge where they can truly unwind, relax, and enjoy life as it
used to be...and continues to be.
The cache you seek is a regular size lock-n-lock. Remember to
stamp your Passport and write the secret word in the appropriate
place.
Middletown Thanks You for Visiting
Thanks to DaisyChain and FBS67 for helping with this
hide!
Thanks to the Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting
with this project!