Twelve TOHG members led by Neal S met to hike in the Reading Town Forest which includes about seven miles of trails. We walked three to four miles on a boardwalk through a swamp to the Ipswich River and then hiked along the river for about a mile. The picture of our group was taken along the river next to a beaver dam. This area is frequented by a variety of ducks and geese, though none were visible on our tour.
We viewed efforts on the part of the town to renew the red pine forest planted in the 1930s by the boy scouts. Areas of dead trees have been removed and are being replaced by native species, but most of the trails are still tree-covered and shady. You can find information about the Reading Town Forest on Google, though they describe only an inner loop trail of 1.9 miles. Maps are also available on the town website.
After the hike, some had lunch and some had breakfast at Half and Half located on Main Street in downtown Reading.
Neal S
