More nonsense. Lewis and Clark were doing a necessary job for the nation. The mountain men were out there to make money by trapping beaver, and they neither expected nor received any help from government.
OTOH, the lost climbers were playing a dangerous game for the sport involved. No one's property would have been injured and the nation would not have lost any benefits if the climbers had not gone up that mountain. That isn't even close to being the same thing as a vital military expedition in the service of the national interest such as Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery.
In hindsight, yes. But at the time it was considered 'nonsense' by many. The Louisiana Purchased was highly contested. So was the funding for, and whole idea of, the expedition. It became popular only after they returned (belatedly and after much concern back in Washington) with only one fatality.
If you believe the Mountain Men traveled West solely for monetary reasons then you don't know your history. There were more lucrative and less demanding jobs in the States. And if it weren't for them, England and France could possibly have claimed large portions of the territory. No, there was far more at play with them than self-interest.
Now there is one confirmed dead among the climbers. I suppose by some logic on this forum we should be celebrating the cleansing of the gene pool once again. Well, have at it. But pardon me if I don't attend the party.