Presidents’ Day Above the City: Harvard Students Explore the Blue Hills

On Presidents’ Day, February 16th, National Park Trust college ambassadors Kyra Richardson and Aiken Stribling led four Harvard students on a winter Local Park outing to Blue Hills Reservation just outside Boston. With only six of us total, the day quickly took on the feeling of a small adventure shared among friends. We departed campus at 7:00 am, loading gear into a van before making the short twenty-minute drive south of the city. By around 9:00 am, boots were crunching across the snow as we began hiking the Skyline Loop, one of the most scenic routes in the Blue Hills.

For several participants, especially first-years experiencing their first New England winter, the landscape was a surprise. Bare trees stretched across the hillsides, and the forest floor was blanketed in snow. One student laughed and said they finally understood what locals mean when they talk about “stick season”. Without the leaves of summer, the forest revealed its structure: thin gray trunks, twisting branches, and long views through the woods that would normally be hidden. The quiet of the snowy trails felt starkly different from the busy pace of campus life just a short drive away, and our group quickly settled into the rhythm of winter hiking.

By late morning, we reached an overlook and stopped for lunch. Sitting together on sleeping pads arranged in a triangle, we unpacked sandwiches and snacks while looking over the Boston skyline rising in the distance. The view sparked a moment of reflection within the group. First-years talked about how meaningful it felt to see the city they had only recently moved to from this vantage point, realizing how close nature was to their new home. Seniors on the trip shared that the scene felt like a snapshot of their entire Harvard experience, studying in the city while occasionally stepping away to find quiet in places like this. The conversation flowed easily, and lunch became one of the moments where everyone began to feel truly connected as a group, sharing stories about where they grew up, what drew them to Harvard, and how different winter in New England felt compared to home.

On our way down the trail, the snowy conditions inspired a burst of creativity. Someone suggested building a snowman, but the idea quickly evolved into something more ambitious: a snow bear! We rolled enormous balls of snow around a flat section of trail, laughing as they grew impressively large. Before long we had assembled a sturdy snow bear standing proudly beside the trail, complete with ears and a carefully crafted honey pot placed beside it. What began as a quick, playful idea turned into a collaborative project, with everyone contributing to the final design. The process of pushing snow, shaping features, and joking about our creation brought a new level of energy to the group. Hikers passing by stopped to admire the sculpture, and the shared sense of accomplishment made the moment feel even more memorable.

Later in the afternoon, we stopped by Houghton’s Pond, which was completely frozen and covered in a smooth blanket of fresh snow. Participants began tracing messages and drawings into the snow with their boots, watching lines form beneath the powder. It was a simple activity, but one that encouraged everyone to slow down and enjoy the moment. At one point, a few participants jokingly pretended to “swim” across the frozen pond, playfully ignoring the nearby posted signs warning against it. The humor and lightheartedness of the moment perfectly captured the spirit of the outing. An opportunity to relax, be creative, and enjoy the outdoors together.

Throughout the day, participants reflected on how refreshing it felt to step away from the intensity of college life and spend time outdoors with a small group of peers. Several students commented on how surprising it was that such a beautiful and expansive natural space existed just twenty minutes from Harvard’s campus. For some, it was their first time visiting the Blue Hills at all, and they expressed excitement about returning in different seasons to see how the landscape changes.

For Kyra and Aiken, the outing was a powerful reminder of the role that programs like the National Park Trust’s College Ambassador initiative can play in connecting students with the outdoors. By organizing local trips like this one, the program makes it easier for students to discover nearby natural spaces that might otherwise remain overlooked during busy academic semesters. Participants left the trip not only with memories of snowy trails, skyline views, and a surprisingly charismatic snow bear, but also with a stronger sense that nature can be an accessible and meaningful part of college life, even in the middle of winter!