Despite the objections of Powhatan, the English crossed the Fall Line within the first year of settlement. They met the Siouan-speaking Manahoacs, Powhatan's enemies upstream of the future site of Richmond, but they failed to discover any wordly goods worth "appropriating" and shipping back to England.
The early explorers did more than hunt for wealth. John Smith created basic maps and discerned the "lay of the land," including the political relationships among the native tribes. They sought to establish trading relationships, but the possibilities were limited by the logistics of the 1600's. Only small, easy-to-transport items could be carried far; Piedmont Virginia lacked good roads and the English had few horses.
Tidewater Virginia offered plenty of coves and peninsulas to explore by boat. The interest in the inland areas increased as the shoreline was settled. Indentured servants who had completed their term of service needed to decide where to settle, and the emerging gentry accumulating land needed to know which parcels to survey and sell. Of course, there were always military reasons for exploring the "unknown" western lands. In the 1670's, forts and ranger patrols were established on the headwaters of several rivers.
None of the early Native American explorers are known to history. Their adventures 15,000 years ago must have been far more challenging than those of the English 400 years ago, but we have to use our imaginations to appreciate their accomplishments. Only a few of the many Europeans who must have journeyed into the backcountry have been documented in historical records: