<p>CalAlum,</p>
<p>I am the parent of a freshman female at Trinity who totally abstains from alcohol/substances and leads a very healthy lifestyle. I do not dispute the report you referred to, but can tell you that my daughter loves Trinity, both academically and socially, and we are very thrilled with her enthusiasm for the college. She has made several close friends who also abstain and finds plenty to do other than party at frats. She works hard academically, goes to Cinestudio, attends concerts and plays, hangs out in friends’ rooms, runs, attends games, goes to religious events, does community service, and gets off campus on occasion using the free bus pass provided by the school. </p>
<p>Trinity is in a city, so I am not sure about how your outdoorsy son would like it. I can offer that the freshman year beings with the (optional) Quest outdoor backpacking program of either 5 or 10 days and is a wonderful bonding experience. The President of the college attends it and endorses it as one of the best experiential education programs around. The school runs it itself with students and staff and does not outsource it. They explore the Appalachian trail. At least one of the staff is also a full time campus employee who runs the Outing Club. I know they have backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, fishing trips. Look around the website for more info. The guys name is Josh Cantor. My daughter went on one of the fall hikes and loved it. Connecticut is pretty scenic. even if Hartford is not!</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>