Forging paths through uncharted areas. Quests for lost cities of gold. Races to the ends of the earth. Thrill seekers have chased adventure and the promise of fame and fortune for ages. But if history has shown us anything, it's that these expeditions can take a deadly turn. Follow legendary explores around the globe and see if they survived to tell their tales. The Tragic Trip of the Donner Party, In the spring of 1846, the Donner and Reed families joined a wagon train bound for California in hopes of a better life. But when the party took an untested shortcut, it set them down a tragic path. As they crossed the Sierra Nevada, heavy snow fell in the mountain pass. They were trapped. Now they faced a winter of starvation and a desperate struggle to survive.