The first thing rock climbers need to know about rock climbing in northern Idaho is that this is not the Sierra Nevadas, nor the Cascades, nor the Sawtooths. This is one of those unique places on Earth where black bears, overgrown trails and old-growth cedar trees far outnumber climbers. It’s a place where solitude is a reality – not a fringe benefit – and where the locals often come equipped with heavy artillery.

I was pondering all this while standing chest-deep in a patch of huckleberries high in the Selkirk Mountains above Priest Lake. We were searching for a climbers’ trail that leads up toward an illusive mountain called The Lion’s Head. My climbing buddy, Jason, was marching behind me through the willy-whacks, swatting off the occasional bee.