Night Ops

Registered Navigators and Adventurers, plus TLUSA Registered Adults — no exceptions on registration for youth or adults. This is not a Woodlands Trail event — the night navigation, distances, and hours are built for middle school and high school Trailmen.

5D Ranch, 6775 Joee Ln, Navasota, TX 77868. Night Ops has not been held at this property before, so it is new ground for every patrol. Gate instructions and the property map will come with the event packet.

Night Ops is put on by the Houston Area together with the Brazos Valley Area. Lee Lyons, Houston Area Point Man, is leading the event, with Aden Meyer, Houston Area First Officer, and Ted Hamilton, Brazos Valley Point Man. Questions go to Lee, Ted, or any event staff — the fastest route is through your troop's POC in the Signal group.

Yes. Troopmasters add their patrols to the Houston Area patrol roster — linked from the announcement email and the Calendar in Trail Life Connect — and every Trailman and adult signs up individually on Cheddar Up. The full sequence is under How to register.

Each person registers and pays individually on Cheddar Up — each family pays for its own Trailman — and enters their patrol name as they sign up. Adults use the same link and pick the adult option. A patrol's registration is not complete until every member has signed up under that patrol name, so settle the name first.

$25 for a Trailman competing in a patrol. Cadre and adults — volunteers, POCs, and staff — are $20 each. Per the organizers, fees go toward the meals the event provides and the pins and patches.

Four to six, and the organizers recommend sticking with six. Every troop starts with one patrol. If there is still space once every interested troop has a patrol in, the organizers open it up to second patrols — so tell them on the roster how many you would like. If demand exceeds capacity, troops are prioritized by the volunteers they provide and the roles their adults take in running the event.

No priority is guaranteed. The surest way to a patrol entry is to help run the event — take a leadership role in planning and bring more adults than the minimum to staff stations.

Team up. Two troops combining to make a patrol of six is perfectly acceptable — reach out to troops near you first. If you contact the organizers with enough lead time they can also ask other attending troops about merging your Trailmen in, with no guarantees.

One registered adult for each youth participating — six for a full patrol. A parent with two Trailmen in the patrol still counts as one adult, so that troop needs one more. Roughly two cadre count as one adult toward the total. If you truly cannot get there, bring who you can and talk to the event lead; accommodations can be made.

Camping the whole weekend is preferred, but arrivals and departures are left to each troop to manage. Getting on and off the property may be difficult at certain times, so coordinate ahead.

No. No adult accompanies a patrol on the course. Patrols move on their own, tracked by GPS software and in contact with Central Command by two-way radio.

Yes. Registered adults have come in past years just to see how Night Ops is run — to bring it back to their own area or to get their Trailmen excited for next year.

Cadre is offered to Trailmen who have completed Night Ops two or more times, if their troop permits it — check with troop leadership before signing up as cadre. A Trailman who has done it once can ask; the organizers may make provisions. Cadre help with the skills fair, challenge stations, and navigation rather than competing as a patrol. They register on Cheddar Up at the cadre rate, camp and eat with their troop's patrol (or form a cadre patrol of their own), and must have eye protection for moving around the property. A Trailman who has done Night Ops before may still compete — but if a first-timer wants his spot, the organizers ask the veteran to serve as cadre.

Unfortunately not — there are no visitors or observers. Night Ops depends on stealth and a controlled property at night, so every adult on site is a Registered Adult with a job. Talk with your Troopmaster about serving.

Patrols should arrive comfortable with a map and compass — plotting grid coordinates, shooting a bearing, and estimating distance. The organizers recommend the book "Be Expert with Map and Compass," and also knowing the six standard Trail Life knots, some lashings, and your core skills. Time spent on these at troop meetings pays off directly in the standings.

A closely guarded secret. Expect about ten stations, it is competitive, and they may or may not match last year. Trailmen might get wet — though not if it is cold.

Night Ops ends at 3:00 am Sunday sharp — every patrol stops and reports in — followed by cracker barrel and a short night in camp. Plan for a genuinely late night. Drivers heading home Sunday should manage fatigue: line up an alternate driver, build in breaks, and stop if it doesn't feel safe.

Mostly no. Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, and the overnight cracker barrel are provided for everyone. Bring a mess kit — plates and cups are not. Note any food allergies when you register; for some restrictions you may be asked to bring your own substitute. Bring your own Saturday lunch and snacks, and stoves only if you need to cook something extra. The menu: chicken burrito bowls for dinner, and grab-and-go oatmeal, fruit, and granola bars for breakfast. Meals are served by patrol — each patrol is called to the dining fly by radio.

Two porta-potties, for solids. Patrol camp has no electricity. There is a hose near base camp — use it sparingly, and bring the water your troop needs in refillable containers. No disposable water bottles are allowed on the property. There is no dumpster, so pack out every bit of trash.

A cap is a baseball cap or hat with a hard brim — it and the safety glasses are there to protect eyes and faces from thorns and low limbs in the dark. Safety glasses are supplied at check-in if a Trailman doesn't have them. Wooden hiking staffs must be at least 4 feet long and an inch thick, four per patrol. Night vision gear is not allowed.

Travel in a Trail or Travel shirt. During the event, camo and hunting gear are welcome and encouraged. Everyone wears the full troop uniform for flags, worship, and the debrief. Adults wear the TLUSA lanyard with ID, or at least the ID displayed, at all times.

A signed hard-copy TLUSA medical form for every youth and every adult, handed to check-in staff — digital copies are not accepted. Forms are returned at the end of the event. There is no High Adventure form and no property waiver this year. Links to both forms are under What to bring.

Out of 100 points: tent arrangement and organization, camp gadgets (5 points each, up to 10), a posted duty roster, a posted patrol flag, patrol gear properly stored, and overall appearance — with a 15-point deduction for trash on the ground. Camps are inspected during the skills fair, so set up properly the first time.

Usual Trail Life policy. No youth may bring or use a knife unless he is a Navigator or Adventurer and has completed the Woods Tools badge. Any knife should also be approved by his troop, using judgment about risk, safety, and his maturity.

Yes. Worship on Sunday morning is a priority, given what this event takes out of most families' Sunday.

Have your troop's Point of Contact join the event Signal group and the Tuesday 8:00 pm Zoom meetings. The organizers are looking for adults to run stations — volunteer through the Signal group, and your POC will get a link to assign your Registered Adults to stations. Station ideas are welcome too — share yours with the event lead, and be ready to help run it.