It is not very easy for us, who have lived comfortably at home, or who have travelled only in luxurious railway-cars and handsomely equipped steamers, to realize the joy and rapture with which these far-wandering explorers hailed the sight of the sea,—­the sea to which they had so long been journeying, through deserts, mountain-passes, and tangled wildernesses.  In his diary Captain Clark thus sets down some indication of his joy on that memorable day, November 8, 1805:  “Great joy in camp.  We are in view of the Ocean, this great Pacific Ocean which we have been so long anxious to see, and the roaring or noise made by the waves breaking on the rocky shores (as I suppose) may be heard distinctly.”  Later, same day, he says, “Ocean in view!  O! the joy!” Fortunately, the hardships to be undergone on the shores of the ocean were then unknown and undreamed of; the travellers were thankful to see the sea, the goal of all their hopes, the end of their long pilgrimage across the continent.

That night they camped near the mouth of the river in what is now known as Gray’s Bay, on the north side of the river, in the southwest corner of Wahkiacum County.  Before they could reach their camping-place, the water was so rough that some of the men had an unusual experience,—­seasickness.  They passed a disagreeable night on a narrow, rocky bench of land.  Next day they say: 

“Fortunately for us, the tide did not rise as high as our camp during the night; but being accompanied by high winds from the south, the canoes, which we could not place beyond its reach, were filled with water, and were saved with much difficulty.  Our position was very uncomfortable, but as it was impossible to move from it, we waited for a change of weather.  It rained, however, during the whole day, and at two o’clock in the afternoon the flood tide set in, accompanied by a high wind from the south, which, about four o’clock, shifted to the southwest and blew almost a gale directly from the sea.  The immense waves now broke over the place where we were camped; the large trees, some of them five or six feet thick, which had lodged at the point, were drifted over our camp, and the utmost vigilance of every man could scarcely save our canoes from being crushed to pieces.  We remained in the water, and drenched with rain, during the rest of the day, our only food being some dried fish and some rain-water which we caught.  Yet, though wet and cold, and some of them sick from using salt water, the men were cheerful, and full of anxiety to see more of the ocean.  The rain continued all night.”

This was the beginning of troubles.  Next day, the wind having lulled, the party set forth again, only to be beaten back and compelled to take to the shore again.  This was their experience for several days.  For example, under date of the eleventh the journal says:—­