Quest
Introduced in 2004 by new Trinity president, James R. Jones, Quest is a wilderness adventure orientation program for incoming Trinity students. The program is intended to provide students with a meaningful entry into their Trinity undergraduate experience, creating “an opportunity to forge bonds and meet students from a variety of backgrounds.”
In its first year of operation, the program was directed by Andy Miller, who Jones hired to oversee its planning and operation. The program took around 50 student participants as well as faculty and staff into the Canadian wilderness for an 18-day excursion which included canoeing, rock climbing, sailing, and time spent alone. Small groups of eight students and their student-leaders followed a pre-planned route. Program funding was provided by the Board of Fellows.
Today, groups of six to 10 student participants are transported from Trinity campus to a location in Connecticut, New York, and/or Massachusetts where they learn leadership skills through group activities that engage with nature. Quest is a predominantly student-run program led by upper year students who may apply for a number of leadership positions within the program. Student leaders receive training in various areas, including Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and leadership development.
Quest offers different trips scheduled for various times during the summer to accommodate students who wish to participate in more than one program or the late-August start of fall sports on campus. Students may choose from a 7-day backpacking and canoeing trip in New York’s Adirondack mountains, or various 4-day trips that include backpacking, rock-climbing, and/or canoeing near the Connecticut portion of the Appalachian trail.
Since its inception, over 300 student leaders have been trained by Quest to lead the orientation program for approximately 170 new Trinity students. While the program is fee-based, scholarships are available as well as free equipment upon request.
Sources
Trinity Tripod: Recent Trinity Quest Trip Takes Students to Popular Deerfield River Rapids in the Berkshire Mountains by Jorge Espinoza-Gonzalez, April 25, 2023.
Trinity Tripod, 09/27/2005.
Trinity Tripod, 10/26/2004.
Trinity Reporter, Spring 2004.