Dive into the tense prelude to the French and Indian War in this episode, as we explore France's bold push into the Ohio River Valley and the young George Washington's perilous first mission to confront them. In the early 1750s, the Ohio Valley became a battleground of imperial ambitions, with French forts like Presque Isle and Le Boeuf threatening British claims and the interests of Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie, a shareholder in the Ohio Company. We unpack France's strategy to link Canada and Louisiana, the rising Anglo-French rivalry, and Dinwiddie's personal stake in the region. Follow 21-year-old Washington's 500-mile trek through snowy wilderness in 1753, from Williamsburg to Logstown, where he secured Native alliances with Seneca chief Tanacharison, to Fort Le Boeuf, where he faced French commander Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre's defiant refusal to withdraw. Hear tales of icy rivers, near-drownings, and diplomatic gambits that set the stage for a global conflict. This episode reveals how a young surveyor's journey sparked a war that reshaped North America.