Night Ops: Camp Aiken – Trail Life Weekend 2024

Who can attend:

• Trailmen ages 11+
• Registered Trail Life Adult Members

Cost:

• Youth: $20 per youth,
• Adult: $10 per adult

NEW FOR 2024 – We are placing a limit on the number of Patrols that each troop can bring.

Troop leaders – we are changing up how registration works; please read this message entirely and let me know if you have any questions.

This Loom video is an overview of these changes.

After 20+ years of running Night Ops, we have learned that 30 patrols is the ideal number of patrols for a smooth, well run event. We have attempted in the past to estimate how many attendees we can allow based on the average number of youth per patrol; this has not been working well. So, this year, we are trying something new.

On May 1st, we’ll open the Troop RVSP form which will allow troops to specify how many patrols (max of 3 patrols) they think they can bring. Please see patrol size rules below. Patrol slots are first come, first serve; we will have a wait list.

Accepted troops will have until July 1st to register youth to fill out the patrol slots that they have reserved.

After July 1st, unfilled patrol slots will be reassigned to troops on the waiting list.

Troops will have until August 26th to finalize their roster. We will then invoice troops for the number of attendees (troops still pay by # of attendees, not by patrol) coming.

Patrols size rules:

• You must have a minimum of 4 youths to have your first patrol.
• You must have a minimum of 9 youths to have two patrols
• You must have a minimum of 17 youths to have three patrols.
• The maximum number of youths for 3 patrols is 24 youths (8 youths per patrol).
• A patrol must have a minimum of 4 youths and can not have more than 8 youths.

Waiting List: Troops who are on the waitlist will be given the opportunity to fill unused patrol slots on a first come, first serve basis.

Example: Troop GA9999 rsvps for 3 patrols; Night Ops Registration Team (NORT) confirms that space is available and assigns them 3 patrol slots. However, on July 1st, GA9999 has only confirmed 10 boys as attending, so NORT reassigns 1 patrol slot to a troop on the waitlist. GA9999 now has 2 patrol slots (maximum of 16 boys) and has until August 26th to finalize their roster.

Final thoughts: We understand that this means that some troops will have to limit the number of youth attending (ie. troops with 36 boys may only be able to bring 2/3s that number) and that some troops may not meet over the summer adding to the difficulty in getting youth/adults to commit. However, we hope that, by having these rules and deadlines, it will give you the tools you need to encourage/incentivize your troop members into action.

We are not making these changes to be difficult. We want to enable as many troops to attend Night Ops as possible without severely limiting the attendance from any one troop. (We have at least 27 troops interested in attending Night Ops this year.) Based on our attendance last year, the largest troops brought ~20 youth; by limiting to 3 patrols, those troops should still be able to attend.

We ask that troops respect the registration process and not attempt to fill out their roster with youth who are not committed to coming so that they don’t lose patrol slots. That is deceitful and not how we walk worthy.

We are also working on documenting everything we do from how registration is run to how each station and each scenario is run so that other troops can do their own Night Ops style events whether it’s for their own troop or as a multi-troop event. Troops in North Carolina and Alabama have plans to run their own version of Night Ops.

We are also changing up the method by which you will register individuals. This Loom video talks about those changes.

Please fill out this interest form to be put on the email list to be notified about event details.

Take Note:

This is a troop event, not a family event. All attendees must be registered with Trail Life USA.

Adults are asked to volunteer for a variety of positions including manning the stations during the night. We have added several new volunteer positions as well. See the Adult Volunteer Information page for more details.

Everyone is expected to be quiet during the night event and to avoid walking through campsites. People are sleeping (non-participating youth & adults). (Obviously, it’ll be difficult to avoid at night, but try to avoid walking through campsites.)

Rules and Guidelines: All troop should review the Camp Aiken Rules with their youth to ensure that the rules are followed. This includes the rule of a 3-person buddy system.

Registration and payment: …

Troops are responsible for maintaining 2-deep leadership throughout the weekend at their campsite. 

Troops are responsible for providing FOOD, tents, etc. The event fee covers the cost of the campground, our supplies for the event, an event patch for every participating youth and adult.

Troops are expected to treat the property with respect and to assist in keeping the common areas clean. Don’t use or play with Night Ops equipment. Do not clog the toilets, throw trash where it doesn’t belong, etc.

If you have questions or concerns, you should contact Beth Wright, the event coordinator, via the contact form on this website or via the information you may otherwise have.