Night Ops — Event Packet

Night Ops is a teen-level event. Trailmen must be registered Navigators or Adventurers to participate — there is no Woodlands Trail program at this campout. Registered adult leaders attend to staff stations, drive, and supervise camp.

Patrols compete against each other across a property full of challenge stations. Everything below is how Night Ops has been run in past years — the new site may shift some details, but this is the shape of the event.

• Compete as a patrol: Patrols name themselves, nominate a First Officer, and build a patrol flag and yell. You camp, cook, navigate, and score as a unit — patrols stay together the entire night.
• Plot your own map: First Officers receive a property map and grid coordinates for the mission stations. Your patrol plots them, then Central Command checks the map for accuracy before you are cleared to deploy.
• Run your course: Each patrol is assigned a course — Alpha, Bravo, Yankee, or Zulu — and works its mission stations in sequence. You choose the route; the order is fixed. Coded glow sticks confirm you have found the right station.
• Move in stealth: Light and sound discipline at all times. You may cross paths with other patrols — do not engage. Predator patrols roam the property for the sole purpose of detecting you, and they assess penalties.
• Work the challenge: Each station has a time limit — typically 10 to 20 minutes. The station lead explains the challenge and how points are awarded, and their decision is final.
• Report and exfil: After your last station, radio Central Command for instructions — you will either navigate back to base camp or hold for transport. When the cut-off hits, every patrol stops and reports in.

Points come from the whole weekend, not just the night itself. Station scores are ranked patrol against patrol, then tallied for the overall standings.

• ›Accuracy of the patrol's plotted map
• ›Stealth — light and sound discipline in the field
• ›Challenge station performance: speed, accuracy, skills, and teamwork
• ›Patrol camp set-up and inspection
• ›Presentation of the patrol flag and yell
• ›Compliance with gear requirements, patrol guidance, and safety rules

DRAFT — shaped from previous years and adjusted to this year's noon-to-noon window. The final schedule comes with the event packet.

The event packet will carry the official list of mandatory items, and they are checked at check-in. No Trailman or adult participates without them. Use this as a planning guide.

1. Talk with your Troopmaster — Trailmen attend with their troop, organized into patrols.
2. Build your patrols and pick a First Officer for each one.
3. Register your patrols when registration opens, before the deadline.
4. Bring completed hard-copy medical forms and any site waiver to check-in.

Registration — coming soon. Registration is not open yet. Troops register by patrol — watch this page and region communications for the opening date, fees, and the event packet.

Fill this in before you arrive — patrol identity is scored.

• Who can come? Registered Navigators and Adventurers, plus registered adult leaders. This is not a Woodlands Trail event — the night navigation, distances, and hours are built for teens.
• Is registration open? Not yet. This page is early information so troops can put the date on the calendar and start building patrols. Fees, the registration link, and the event packet will be posted here when they are ready.
• Do we need to know orienteering already? Patrols should arrive comfortable with a map and compass — plotting grid coordinates, shooting a bearing, and estimating distance. That is the core skill the competition tests, and time spent on it at troop meetings pays off directly in the standings.
• How late are the Trailmen out? Night Ops has historically run from nightfall until roughly 2:30 am, followed by cracker barrel and a short night in camp. Plan for a genuinely late night and a tired drive home Sunday.
• What does a patrol need that a troop might not already own? Compasses for map work, a charged battery bank for the tracking phone, and red-lens or covered lights for every Trailman. Those three are worth sorting out early.
• Where exactly is it? The event is in Anderson, Texas. The exact property, gate instructions, and map will be published here and in the event packet once the site is confirmed.
• Can parents come and watch? Night Ops depends on stealth and a controlled property at night, so adults on site attend as registered leaders with a role — staffing stations, driving, or supervising camp. Talk with your Troopmaster about serving.