The Find Your Chesapeake GeoTour
Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary
The Chesapeake Bay, the great rivers that feed it, and the vast landscapes surrounding them are at the center of our nation’s story. More than 2,600 miles of designated water trails, 55 units of the National Park System, and scores of state parks, local parks, and wildlife refuges are found within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Each takes part in conserving special places for visitors, residents, and future generations. The Chesapeake Bay region is filled with rich history and heritage, opportunities for education and science, and beautiful scenery suitable for explorers of all ages. Join us in discovering the Chesapeake region when you “Find Your Chesapeake” and take advantage of our beautiful treasure.
The Find Your Chesapeake (FYC) GeoTour launched June 9, 2018 with over 60 caches within Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania. and Delaware. A trackable geocoin will be awarded to the first 400 geocachers, while supplies last, for locating at least 20 FYC caches. To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must download a passport from the Find Your Chesapeake GeoTour website. Geocachers must find and log at least 20 finds, record the code word from each cache on their passport. After discovering the 20 required caches, geocachers may have their passports validated via mail at the National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Office located at 410 Severn Ave, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403. Please refer to the passport for complete validation instructions.
Participating in the FYC GeoTour is fun and we hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for logging your find on this cache once you find the container.
During the peak of the season, more than 5,000 geese may be present here. Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary is the wintering ground for several thousand Canada geese, the largest concentration on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Only about 100 geese stay year-round and feed on corn, millet and other crops grown for them, supplementing their diet of marsh and aquatic plants that flourish in the ponds along the Patuxent River.
The Geocache
This geocache is a true letterbox. Please follow the directions below to find the final cache. There are reference points listed on the cache page to help you along the way.
- Park at the given Parking coordinates.
- From there, walk West about 500 feet until you see a "No Horses" sign. This is the Poplar Springs Trail Head.
- Go North along the footpath, and at the "Y" in the trail, take the left path. As you walk, look for the "prize-winning" poplar tree, which will be on your right.
- Walk about 1/4 mile until you get to a wooden foot bridge.
- Cross the bridge, climb the steps and take a seat.
- While sitting on the bench catch your breath, think about what someone might have done to a tree when they were young, in love, but careless with a pocket knife.
- After catching your breath, continue your walk along the path for approximately 130 feet, looking to your left.
- Hint: S+K.
Thanks to QUE3NBE3 and BlurryFac3 for helping with this hide.
Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary is open from sunrise to sunset. No biking or horseback riding is allowed. Dogs are allowed on the premises. Please leave the stamp and stamp pad in the cache, they are not trade items. The stamp for this letterbox symbolizes the park motto.