Best parking is at the Cherry Hill Road parking lots indicated by the parking waypoints. You can then follow the main bike path and a side spur most of the way to the cache.
Late in the afternoon of September 24, 2001, less than two weeks after the 9-11 attacks on Washington and New York, a storm system roared through the Washington DC area spawning seven tornados. The most powerful storm was an F4 in rural Virginia, but the most destructive and lethal storm was an F3 which tore through populous northern Prince George’s County and the southeastern tip of Howard County.
The tornado first touched down near Hyattsville and then proceeded north across the campus of the University of Maryland. As it crossed University Boulevard, the system had multiple vortices and was carrying powerful winds. One of these vortices threw a car over a large building and across the highway, resulting in the deaths of the two women inside. The storm continued north through Beltsville and then proceeded into Laurel, leaving damage in its wake that would total over $50 billion.
The area where this cache is planted took a direct, levelling hit. The low trees and budding forest all have regrown in the ten years since the storm. To get a full perspective of what the area looked like immediately afterwards, proceed to the waypoint. The hardwood swamps which were devastated by the tornado have yet to recover and the impact is still clearly visible. Immediately after the storm, the entire area resembled what the swamps still look like today
The image on the stamp is loosely based on an iconic photo from this storm system showing a tornado roaring past the Washington Monument on the National Mall in DC.
Note:The FTF noted the coordinates were off by about 30 feet. Comments on the coordinate accuracy and any suggested corrections are welcome!
Please be sure to close the box up tightly and re-hide at least as well as you found it.