Cape Cod Connections: Harvard Students Discover Community at Cape Cod National Seashore

On May 4th and 5th, National Park Trust college ambassadors Kyra Richardson and Aiken Stribling led eight Harvard students on an overnight camping and hiking trip to Cape Cod National Seashore and Nickerson State Park. What began as a simple weekend escape from campus quickly became a memorable experience of firsts: first camping trips, first East Coast beaches, first s’mores, and even the first sighting of an Atlantic beach for one participant from China!

We departed Harvard early Saturday morning, loading into a massive passenger van with camping gear, coolers, and far too many snacks before making the drive out to Cape Cod. As Boston slowly gave way to pine forests, marshes, and coastal roads, excitement built among the group. For many participants, especially students from outside New England and international students, the trip offered an opportunity to experience a part of Massachusetts they had heard about but never visited themselves.

Our first stop after arriving on the Cape was the beach. Though the early May air was still chilly, the coast felt alive with energy. Some students wandered quietly along the shoreline collecting shells, while others immediately started games of spikeball, frisbee, and volleyball in the sand. One participant from China stood looking out over the Atlantic for several moments before turning to the group and smiling widely, explaining that this was the first time they had ever seen the ocean in person. That moment became one of the emotional highlights of the weekend. Something as ordinary to some students as standing on a beach became, for someone else, an unforgettable life experience shared with new friends.