On November 20, 1805, the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reached the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River, completing the first recorded overland expedition across the western portion of the North American continent. This wasn't just a mere walk in the wilderness, but a grueling journey that would make modern-day backpackers weep.

After traversing nearly 8,000 miles through uncharted territory, facing everything from hostile terrain to bewildered indigenous tribes, the expedition finally gazed upon the vast Pacific. Captain Clark, in a moment of supreme understatement, noted in his journal that they had reached "the great Pacific Ocean which we have been so long anxious to see."

What makes this moment particularly remarkable was the diverse team that accomplished this feat. The expedition included 33 members, including the famous Shoshone woman Sacagawea, who served as an interpreter and was crucial to the mission's survival. Her presence was so extraordinary that she became the only woman on an otherwise all-male military expedition, navigating through landscapes no European Americans had ever seen.

The team's arrival marked a pivotal moment in American exploration, effectively expanding the young nation's understanding of its western territories and setting the stage for future westward expansion. It was a geographic and diplomatic triumph that would reshape the continent's future, all accomplished with nothing more than determination, improvisation, and an ungodly amount of dried meat and hope.