Quest participants on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts, 2023. Photo credit: Trinity Tripod

Quest is a wilderness adventure orientation program for incoming Trinity students founded in 2004. It is a predominantly student-run program led by upper year students. Groups of six to ten 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 offers different trips scheduled for various times during the summer to accommodate students who wish to participate in more than one program, or 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 including backpacking, rock-climbing, and/or canoeing near the Connecticut portion of the Appalachian trail.

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.” Since its inception, over 300 student leaders have been trained by Quest to lead the orientation program.

Trinity College: Quest

Trinity Tripod: Recent Trinity Quest Trip Takes Students to Popular Deerfield River Rapids in the Berkshire Mountains by Jorge Espinoza-Gonzalez, April 25, 2023.