For many, like young Jim Bridger, the frontier represents nothing less than freedom. Freedom from the constraints of civilization. Freedom from the drudgery of day-to-day life. Freedom from mediocrity. This thing is a grab bag of symbolism—it represents whatever you want it to represent.

Bridger isn't messing around, people. Although he's spent his entire life chasing excitement and adventure, they always seem just out of reach. That's not true on the frontier. On the frontier, simply going from Point A to Point B is a serious undertaking, one requiring bravery, skill, and a hearty sense of adventure.

Initially, Bridger tries to satiate his thirst for adventure by working on the Mississippi, but that proves to be a wash (pun totally intended). By now, people have traveled up and down the Mississippi a million times—Bridger wants to do something new.