NOTE: 2/20/22 A very temporary container was put in place during CAM. It appears to be the only one that survived and we confirmed its presence as of February 2022. We added some swag and placed an additional bag in it for storing SWAG as the container is not entirely waterprooof.
This is one of ten caches placed for Cache Across Maryland 2021. You must find all ten caches prior to the picnic held on Saturday, May 15, 2021 in order to receive a free Maryland Geocaching Society CAM geocoin.
Make note of the attribute symbol found inside each cache container. You must enter all the symbols into an online decoder in order to print a claim form and receive your geocoin at the picnic. More info on CAM is available here.
SMOKE POINT, HOOPER'S ISLAND
Hoopers Island is a chain of Islands between the Honga River and the Chesapeake Bay. The early residents of what is now known as Hooper's Island were the Yaocomico people. According to some local folklore, the land was purchased from the Yaocomico tribe for five woolen blankets. Hooper's Island is considered the oldest settled area in Dorchester County.
Due to the geographical nature of Hoopers Island, the residents had to be self-sufficient and independent. Once families moved to Hooper's Island, they stayed for generations. According to one source, for 300 years, the population can be traced to just ten families.
Initially Hoopers Island was a farming community with tobacco being a staple crop until the revolutionary war. Eventually the seafood industry came to dominate the Island and still does today where more modern aquaculture like oyster farming is taking hold. Brice and Shirley Phillips who managed his father's seafood packing plant on Hoopers Island had a surplus of crabs one year and opened a crab shack in the small resort town of Ocean City.
Erosion is a serious threat to the island, as it removes an average of 24.19 acres per year. In addition, storm and flood damage along with rising waters had and continue to influence the environment and geography of the islands.
The cache is placed near Smoke Point, one of the narrow strips of land and human built infrastructures that connects upper to middle Hoopers Island. There used to be a bridge between middle and lower Hoopers Island but that was wiped out in 1933 by the same hurricane that created the Inlet at Ocean City. Consider how long this tiny string of islands might survive into the future.
There is an open horizon for viewing both sunrise and sunset.
There should be sufficient parking here but as this area is extremely low lying, be aware of local weather conditions before seeking this cache. Once parked, there is no dedicated trail to the cache but stay close to the road (not on it) to avoid significant bushwhacking.