Leg 58, from the head of Philbrook's Haul-out north along the western shore of Coombs Neck then out to and around Neck Island and Bluff head.

We had favorite spots, parking places truth be known, when I was a teenager. This idyllic place was our Coombs neck destination back in the fifties and sixties. Under this beautiful oak we'd sit, listening to rock n roll on WMEX from Saugus, Mass., drinking beer or whaterver we could get our hands on, smoking Camels or Lucky Strikes and wondering at the stoic resistance of whatever young lady we'd persuaded to come along.

Bluff Head is nearly 100 feet high. A modest fall from its easternmost shore, while admiring my first unobstructed view of both Stonington and Isle a Haut, cost me my glasses and a couple of sore shins.

I'd been warned not to wait too long if I intended to venture out to Neck Island and Bluff head because the tide was likely to cut off my return. As it happens the incoming was about a foot deep when I got back and I waded through it back to Coombs Neck.

Next leg, 59 will take me down the western shore of Coombs neck but, given the opportunity to explore offshore islands, probably not all the way to Smith Harbor.

Leg 57, from the east side of Smith Cove around to Philbrook's haul out, a deep cove that cuts all the way to the road just as it makes the turn to the far reaches of Coomb's neck. This was a messy walk, lots of mud and many tumbles into it. 'Slip Sliding Away' never found a more appropriate venue. By the time I got back to my truck I had to spread trash can liners all over the seat to avoid soiling the cab permanently. It really was the first unpleasant walk I've had during the entire two years that have lapsed since I began. In some places the shore, even where it deceptively spawned grass and reeds, was nothing but muck underneath and it was often impossible to stay upright. I was exhausted when I got back. Im looking forward to the next leg which will take me around the endo fo Coomb's neck and give me my first unfettered look at the eastern Bay and Isle A haut.