I'm going to be submitting my first cache soon (a puzzle cache). I've read the "Off-limit (Physical) Caches" section of the guidelines, and I've read people on these forms argue various interpretations of these guidelines. Being new to geocaching, I've only found around 80 caches, so I haven't seen the full diversity of what is possible. I'm trying to come up with concealment ideas, but I'm not sure if they're going to be something the reviewer will approve of.
So, can any of you reviewers out there give me guidance on these following scenarios?
Assume in each of these scenarios that a small slim stainless steel pill holder is being used.
Scenario 1: Can you drill a hole in a stake, place the container in that stake, and simply put the steak into the ground, say, 2 inches deep? What about 5 inches deep? This is a stake that was not previously in that environment, but certainly has no negative impact on that environment (e.g. urban areas).
Scenario 2: Consider a (less than a foot long) 3/4" PVC pipe sealed on one end and with a removable cap on the other. A slim container is attached via chain to that top cap. The pipe is placed in the ground, with only the cap exposed. This requires no digging to find (simply remove cap which pulls out chain). It also does not require digging to create this cache, since after a good rain, you could push it into the ground as you would a stake. It would also be white and use a rounded cap to differentiate it from a sprinkler, and thus, not encourage people to start taking apart sprinklers.
Scenario 3: Let's say you find supporting wooden posts to either side of a young tree. Could you drill a small hole near the top of the support post (near the top, so as not to compromise its strength) and place a slim container in it? These "temporary" support posts remain many years after the tree no longer needs the assistance. I'm trying to get a feel for the guideline "Caches that deface public or private property, whether a natural or man-made object...".
Scenario 4: Instead of modifying the existing support post, can you instead buy your own support post, drill the hole in it at home (where no one will see ya with a cordless power drill), and then add this as an additional post next to the tree?
The fundamental rule of bureaucracy is to not ask permission/clarification of someone who's not authorized to give a "yes". In that spirit, I'm interested in what all of you think, but I'm only interested in getting a "no" from a proper reviewer.
Thanks!
Team Yofa