Climber's Guide to North Idaho

Book excerpt: Author Thaddeus Laird had already been exploring the region's rock crags and alpine peaks for years when he spent the entire 2005 climbing season in North Idaho and the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, exploring routes, resurrecting many and even pioneering several new routes to research this guidebook. Covering miles of terrain, acres of technical pitches and snapping more than 1,500 digital photographs, he also collected data from Himalayan veteran John Roskelley, of Spokane, Washington, and the unflappable Randall Green, the author of "Idaho Rock," who has years of personal climbing experience in the area. The result is a comprehensive, user-friendly, up-to-date guide for today's climber. Thirteen major climbing areas are explored and hundreds of climbing routes covered. The author created all the photo route overlays and technical route topo maps, ensuring their accuracy and usability. The book also includes several area overview maps and numerous photos, totalling 107 illustrations. Divided into three main sections, "Climber's Guide to North Idaho and the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness" covers climbs in the granite crags of Post Falls and Laclede, the rocky backbone of the Selkirk Crest and the stunning high country of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area. A bonus section offers up a smattering of "Honorable Mentions" found on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, the rugged landscape around Priest Lake and points in between. Plus there are three appendixes and an index.