Cache Across Maryland 2016
The Maryland Geocaching Society and the National Park Service welcome you to the 2016 edition of Cache Across Maryland! In commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service, the MGS and the NPS have joined together in presenting CAM 2016 in ten National Park locations throughout the state of Maryland. From the mountains of Western Maryland to the Atlantic Ocean, Cache Across Maryland 2016 will demonstrate that Maryland truly is “America in Miniature”.
This is one of ten geocaches placed in National Parks for Cache Across Maryland 2016. Each geocache contains a code which you will use to determine the location of the CAM 2016 Picnic to be held on May 14th. The code can be found on the inside wall of the cache container and on the inside front cover of the logbook. Don't forget to record this code! Any geocacher who has completed all ten CAM geocaches and attends the CAM Picnic on May 14th will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Cache Across Maryland 2016 Geocoin. We hope you enjoy a very special CAM 2016!
Catoctin Mountain Park
Welcome to Catoctin Mountain Park and the Blue Blazes Whiskey Trail. This trail follows the banks of Blue Blazes Run to the site of the Thurmont area’s most famous whiskey still.
Conversion of rye and corn into liquor probably began in Frederick County with the harvest of the first crop somewhere around 1734. Until Congress passed the 1791 Excise Tax, many farms had their own stills. For the next 128 years, it was legal to own a still - provided you paid the tax. Not until the adoption in 1919 of the Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution was possession of a still an offense.
The problem with the 1791 Excise Tax was that it took the profit out of making liquor. For mountain people, the liquor concentration of rye and corn was the most practical way to get crops to market - while a horse could haul four bushels of corn, converted to whiskey that horse could haul 24 bushels. So rather than pay the tax they went underground, operating by the light of the moon.
The Blue Blazes Whiskey Still was a large, illegal commercial distillery during the 1920s Prohibition era. Here the operators had the essentials: clean water, plenty of firewood, and nearby supplies of corn.
On July 31, 1929, Deputy Sheriff Clyde L. Hauver was fatally wounded in a raid on the Blue Blazes Still. It was a large commercial “steamer” still operation. More than 25,000 gallons of mash were found in 13 vats of 2,000 gallon capacity each. Police eventually tracked down several suspects, and some moonshiners were convicted in connection with the murder after several days of conflicting testimony. Tales of a double-crossing informant, a love triangle, arson, and other rumors spread throughout central Maryland. What exactly happened remains a mystery.
Today another still sits on the banks of Distillery Run. It’s quite different than the set up found in 1929. The new Blue Blazes Still is more typical of the smaller moonshine stills of an earlier day. And today, visitors are welcome, not challenged.
The Geocache
This geocache is not located at the listed coordinates. The listed coordinates take you to parking, and a waypoint has been provided for the Blue Blazes trailhead. To find the cache, you will need to collect information as you walk the trail to the newer still.
- SIGN 1:
N39° 38.093, W077° 27.046
A = the number of different type of nymphs that could be hidden under rocks on the stream bed
- SIGN 2:
N39° 38.118, W077° 27.049
B = the number of alien species
- SIGN 3:
N39° 38.166, W077° 26.995
C = the number of moonshiners convicted in the murder of Deputy Sheriff Clyde Hauver, minus 2
- SIGN 4:
N39° 38.279, W077° 26.983
D = the number of vats found during the 1929 raid (from the sign), divided by 2
- WHISKEY STILL & SIGN:
N39° 38.287, W077° 26.975
E = worm plus thump barrel
- FINAL:
The geocache is located at N39° 38.ABC, W077° 26.DDE
The checksum of ABCDE is 22.
The geocache container is a camo'd lock & lock as of 5/19/21 (previously a green plastic ammo can).
Catoctin Mountain Park is open daily from dawn until dusk. The Visitor Center is open daily from 10am–5pm, except on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Admission is free to Catoctin Mountain Park. Seasonal park road closures will not affect access to the CAM cache.
This cache is placed on National Park land with permission from the National Park Service. Be very mindful of your activities and park rules so we can maintain a presence here, and follow these simple guidelines:
- No digging, removing or moving of logs, rocks, or other materials, or disturbing vegetation.
- Do not feed or harm any wildlife.
- Do not enter the stream area or whiskey still exhibit.
- The MGS and NPS will be monitoring our impact and visitor use of the area.
This area is protected by federal laws and is policed on a regular basis. Park Rangers, including Law Enforcement, are aware of the placement of this cache.
The National Park Service recommends that you stop in to obtain a park map and sign the visitor’s log book. You can also learn about the local charcoal and iron industries by visiting the nearby Charcoal Trail. Check conditions with the Park Service, as the road to parking and trailhead may be closed in winter.
Several campgrounds, cabins and picnic areas are nearby within the park, as well as in the adjacent Cunningham Falls State Park. Reservations for camping and cabins are required – check with the appropriate park service for availability.
The Maryland Geocaching Society extends its thanks to the National Park Service for participating in Cache Across Maryland 2016 and for allowing us to partake in its centennial celebrations. Geocaches may only be placed on National Park Property at the direction of National Park Service staff.
