Easy 2.5 mile Hike/Swim at Breakheart Reservation

Update Friday 7/31: Sunday looks like it's going to be a great day for the hike! It will be 85F and mostly cloudy. Perhaps a little warm but we can cool off with a swim - the beach is open and cleared of weeds. There are porta potties if you want to change there. (I'm probably going to wear my suit under my shorts.) Entering from the Reservation’s Wakefield/Rear entrance this is an easy 2.5 mile afternoon hike (with a possible swim) around a small lake in the rear section of the Breakheart Reservation just north of Boston. It is a co-event with GayOutdoors (also LGBTQ). A third is on paved fire roads and the rest on trails along the water. It’s 60% in the woods/shaded. About 3/4s of the way around is a beach we'll stop at. It may be unswimmable/closed due to weeds or bacteria. I'll call the Friday before to see its status. (Update: Beach is open.) Towards the end some people often do an optional climb up to the top of a small hill with a a nice view of Boston. It adds about a 1/4 of a mile and 100ft of elevation with a short steep climb. It's easy to bypass if you want to keep it easy. Anything more than a drizzle will cancel - there’s no rain date planned (although I will also run this hike in September). Breakheart Reservation info & map - https://www.mass.gov/locations/breakheart-reservation. (From the rear entrance to the reservation we’ll go counterclockwise around Pierce Lake.) NOTE: You can use "100 Hemlock Road, Wakefield MA" as the address. That's the address of the Northeast Regional Voc Tech, which shares a large parking lot with the Reservation. Any questions email me at corgi321@pm.me. Directions NOTE > Be sure to note that we're entering the Reservation through the less common rear entrance. If you find yourself at the front entrance (which is where the visitor center is) get to "R" by going back out to the main road and turning right. Go approx 1 mile to the light and turn right at the light and pick up at "The last turn" below.) Parking is free. Even if you’re using using GPS please note: The last turn - the sign for Hemlock isn’t large. The turn is also marked by a largish sign for the Voc Tech and a ball field. (Note that there are also an elementary and a middle school on the main road by the turn - ignore them. The Voc Tech is separate and is up behind them.) Follow Hemlock into the lot at the end. You’ll see the school on the left. The entrance to the Reservation is marked by two stone pillars at the end. Meet to the left of them. I’ll be wearing a beige Yosemite cap (with a round logo).