This information can be shared with patrols. This information gives you, a registered adult volunteer with Trail Life and/or AHG an idea of what to expect and prepare for. We require adults to volunteer to run different aspects of the event so it would be a good idea to review this information so you know where you want to be and can prepare for it. Specific information isn’t given until the night of the event.
Again, you can (and should) share this information with your patrol. This levels the playing field so that new patrols are not at a big disadvantage to returning patrols.
First Aid Station
The purpose of this station is to test the patrol’s first aid skills. The scenario(s) will be based on what a Trailman should know based on his Trailman’s Handbook. (AHG – Get a copy of that handbook.)
Variation One: Actors
- Use actors. Have volunteers not in a participating patrol portraying an injury or medical condition.
Variation Two: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
- Select one of the patrol members. Tell the other members his condition, a broken bone, bleeding, hypothermia, ect.
Variation Three: Verbal Scenario
- Give the patrol a scenario. Have them tell you how they would deal with it.
Variation Four: Dummy
- Create a dummy and combine with a narrator to portray an injury or medical condition.
Fire Station
The patrol builds a fire to perform a task. This is a timed event.
Variation One: Burn through the string
- The patrol must keep their fire below a certain level and burn through a string above it.
Variation Two: Boil water in a paper cup
- A patrol must burn a paper cup completely black by boiling out all of the water in it.
Variation Three: Breakfast
- A patrol must cook a tablespoon of egg white until it’s completely white in a small pastry tin
Water Station
This event involves questions on water safety and a timed event tie breaker.
Variation One: Save the Dummies
- If your event has a body of water, place a floating manikin head with raised arms on the water. Have the patrolman take turns throwing a rope between the persons raised arms and pulling them in. A pulley system returns the dummy to its original position after being saved.
- (Alternative) Have the dummies on a sled in a grassy area. Have the patrolman take turns throwing a rope between the persons raised arms and pulling them in.
Variation Two: Save Your Friends (Wheel version)
- If there is a hard flat surface, each patrolman takes turns sitting on furniture dolly 15 feet from the water’s edge. A rope is thrown to him and he is pulled in. Each patrolman takes a turn being rescued.
Variation Three: Save Your Friends (Slip’n’slide version)
- Similar to the Wheel Version, we have done the same thing by placing construction plastic covered with dish soap on a hill. The patrolman sits in a plastic snow sled and gets pulled to safety.
Variation Four: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- To demonstrate “Go”, I made three two man canoes on four rollerblade caster. This was done in the TrailLife gymnasium.
Rope Station
These are timed events. We will have enough supplies so 2-3 patrols can do the task at the same time.
Variation One: Signal Tower
- 2 to 3 long poles to lash with round lashings. Lash a flashing beacon on top. Tie on four guy ropes using two half hitches then around 4 stakes (which are already in the ground) using a taut-line hitch. Stop timer.
Variation Two: Held by a Bowline
- Have 10 ten-foot ropes. Have all patrolman tie two half hitches around the same tree. Using a bowline, tie the other end around themselves and lean back with their arms in the air.
Variation Three: A-Frame Walking
- Two 8 foot poles and one 4 foot pole. Lash the a-frame using diagonal lashings. Lash four 10 foot ropes to the top of the a-frame using two half hitches. Have a 5 foot wide, 15 feet long “alligator” pit on the ground. One patrolman is on the a-frame as it goes through the pit aided by the other patrol members. No one steps in the pit.
Variation Four: Bucket Retrieval
- A bucket sits 12 feet past a barrier. Lash three 8-foot bamboo poles together. Lash a grappling hook on the end and retrieve the bucket.
Night Navigation Station
For this station, we typically have two parts.
Part A: The patrols take the bearings of 3-4 glowsticks in the distance while standing behind a particular stake.
Part B: A short orienteering course. From stake 1, go bearing and distance, turn bearing and distance, turn bearing and go. What stake did you end up at?
Variation One: Orienteering then take bearings
- Have the patrols follow an two sets of bearings/distances and then take the bearings of the three glow sticks.
Variation Two: Lost Patrol Member (Triangulation)
- A “lost patrol member” can see three glow sticks and takes bearings of each which is provided to you. Which stake in the field is the “lost patrol member” at?
Recon Station
This station tests a patrol’s ability to be stealthy and work together to do some reconnaissance in an area where there are “enemy” (blindfolded adults armed with water guns who will shoot in the direction of what they hear).
Variation One: Item Retrieval
- They could be required to go into an area and retrieve items.
Variation Two: Recon
- They could be required to go into an area, disturb nothing, and return and report what they found.
Teamwork (Lasers) Station
Laser beams at different heights and angles are placed in a gauntlet. The patrol must navigate over or under the beams. The patrol is given two spray mist water bottles to find the beams. Beams can be seen with a mist of water. (The night vision camera used for these photos can see the beams without water mist.
Teamwork (TBD) Station
In 2021, we added this station as another fun/teamwork station.
Variation One: A Puzzle
- Patrols pick up the clues at each station to solve a puzzle.
Morse Code Station (unmanned station)
Patrols will proceed to location and attempt to identify the morse code beacon and decode the message. They do not need to know Morse code.
They will refer to their patrol instructions for what other tasks to complete while at the station, ie. find the bearing of the morse code beacon from a specific point.
They will also take the bearing of the Morse Code beacon from two-three predetermined points. This will be used as the tie breaker.