Closing the Camp Gate

Many nights my body is tired,
And I wish my camp gate was wired.

The often cold and lonely walk that lies ahead of me,
Is something few others will ever praise or see.

But it's a journey I will loyally make,
For security at the camp on Silver Lake. 

My dog will be in a very happy state,
When he walks with me to the gate.

I just hope B.J. is a good and clean dog,
And doesn't go in the pond after the frog.

As I'm on my journey I never know what I'll find,
And simple lights left on drive me out of my mind,

When it's late at night and I want to be in bed,
But I'm sidetracked from my walk to the gate instead.

Sometimes after I finish closing the camp gate,
Someone will call me saying they've arrived late.

Then I retrace my steps and open the gate for the guest,
And accept the fact that tonight I'll lose some rest.

There are many times I wish we didn't need to lock the gate,
But I know that there are people in the world who rob and hate.

So I thank God that my two feet are those of a healthy man,
For I do this for my family, my dog, and the entire camp clan.  

By Alan T. Stokes  August 20, 2000

At Silver Lake Camp there was a 1/4 mile walk to the gate which was manually closed every night by the camp director at approximately 11:00pm CST. This is a task that Alan instituted in 1998 to improve camp security after he became camp director.