In the strictest sense, OP is of course correct. In the age of global satellite coverage, nothing is unknown in quite the same way as the west was to Lewis and Clark.
> People seem to do this sort of thing pretty often in the Arctic.
The arctic is a different beast. It is impossible to survive for long in the arctic without either a supply chain or substantial reserves, and expeditions can last for at most a season.
However, the United States has a lot more empty public land than people seem to realize. Even in the densely populated Northeast, you can walk into the White Mountains or Adirondacks without a map, leave the trail, and probably spend years exploring in a mostly self-sufficient manner. Especially if you commit to turning back whenever you encounter people or trails. And that's to say nothing of the west or the great deserts.
Just because a map exists and trails are cut doesn't mean you have to acknowledge their existence. Remember: Lewis and Clark, for the most part, were traversing already inhabited land.
> People seem to do this sort of thing pretty often in the Arctic.
The arctic is a different beast. It is impossible to survive for long in the arctic without either a supply chain or substantial reserves, and expeditions can last for at most a season.
However, the United States has a lot more empty public land than people seem to realize. Even in the densely populated Northeast, you can walk into the White Mountains or Adirondacks without a map, leave the trail, and probably spend years exploring in a mostly self-sufficient manner. Especially if you commit to turning back whenever you encounter people or trails. And that's to say nothing of the west or the great deserts.
Just because a map exists and trails are cut doesn't mean you have to acknowledge their existence. Remember: Lewis and Clark, for the most part, were traversing already inhabited land.