Mason will walk the 12-mile route from the beach in Shoebury to Chalkwell and back again on what would have been his father's 41st birthday in May.

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About 12 miles north of Lenox on the route is Pittsfield, where the Shakers settled in 1783.

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Unfortunately, I happened to be the sole passenger on a 12-seat converted fishing boat en route to Koh Rong Saloem when I first experienced this phenomenon.

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