This cache was originally placed for the 2021 Cache Across Maryland (CAM) picnic. The cache is a short hike from the Pickall Area pavilions, a medium length hike from the Old Frederick Rd trailhead, and a longer hike from Drexel Woods Drive. For best results, approach this cache from the trail to the south. The bushwhack is much more difficult from the north! The cache is roughly 150' north of the recommended trail.
Brood X (Brood 10), the Great Eastern Brood, is one of 15 broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the eastern United States. It has the greatest range and concentration of any of the 17-year cicadas. Every 17 years, Brood X cicada nymphs tunnel upwards en masse to emerge from the surface of the ground. The insects then shed their skins on trees and other surfaces, thus becoming adults. The mature cicadas fly, mate, lay eggs in twigs, and then die within several weeks. The combination of the insects' long underground life, their nearly simultaneous emergence from the ground in vast numbers and their short period of adulthood allows the brood to survive even massive predation. (source: Wikipedia)
I've lived in Maryland for my entire life, and the first Brood X emergence I was old enough to remember was 1987. I have more vivid memories of 2004. As I hiked to place these caches, I noticed quite a few cicada holes on and around the trails, but thus far, no actual cicadas. If we're lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view 
), they may show up in time for the CAM picnic!
This cache has been approved by Maryland DNR.