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.

Leg 56 continuing around Smith Cove and heading toward
Coombs Neck. This walk took me by several memorable places. The Poor Farm, which housed our few indigent during the 1800's and early 1900's was just winding down operations about the time I was getting my feet on the ground. The place was clearly haunted and for all the right reasons. Folks whose lives had been, to one degree or another, miserable were lingering, determined to share some of that unhappiness with those of us who came along after them. My friends and I were certainly accommodating, tormenting those sorry spirits no less than they terrified us as we forced our way in through broken windows and jimmied doors to wander the halls and dark recesses of this big abandoned residence scaring the living hell out of one another.

I have no memory of what the Stone Farm was before I was a kid but during my early summers it was home to Fanya Stone and her three children, two beautiful and beguiling girls and their brother. They were from New York City and each summer returned from their island to their genuine island cape here on ours to swap a little of their sophistication for our more rudimentary experience. Their family and ours remained very close for years and the girls still stay in touch and return to the island now and then although the farm, still known as the Stone Farm, is now home to an equally engaging personality.



A swing around the eastern shore of Smith Cove revealed a clearing high above that is the end of what used to be an old wood road. My generation regularly navigated that path to this spot to drink beer or make out or both and to litter the place with the remains. Our disregard for our own surroundings was so far removed from the concern most of us feel today it's hard to believe the contrast too place within one lifetime.

Leg 55, continuing easterly along the southern shore of Winter Harbor around the peninsula and into Smith Cove.

This was an easy walk, just a beautiful day, one sweet vista after another but nothing particularly dramatic. I stumbled upon an acquaintence working on a summer home, making some improvements before they arrived for the season. In all the time I've been walking this is the first time I've come across someone face to face. This walk took me into Smith Cove which means I've only got two or three more walks before I'll be around Comb's neck and on the East side. I'm looking forward to that because it will be completely different. The exposure is not like anthing I've walked before. The lobstermen who I'll see working that side of the island will not be those I've seen along my walk so far. The view will be of Isle a Haut and Saddleback light and, eventually, Brimstone and those out islands.

Leg 54, further along the southern shore of Winter harbor, around Burnt island and beyond, heading toward Smith Cove.

This continues to be an exciting and interesting adventure. This sourthern shore of Winter harbor is less dramatic than some of what I've encountered but it's certainly no less beautiful. On this day, during the last week in May, pollen was washing ashore everywhere making it look like gallons of yellow paint had been spilled nearby.

Leg 54