8:30 a.m. (local) Aug. 13

SANDPOINT, IDAHO---Huckleberries can be an unbearable obsession.
On Sunday morning I found myself picking huckleberries at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, 4,700 feet up into the northern Idaho sky from Sandpoint (pop, 6,835). I’ve never picked berries before. I love blackberries, blueberries and Chuck Berry, but I’ve always kept my distance.
About a mile east along the GRR (like a mad bear) Trail my tour guide Patrick Sande found a hot patch with dozens of huckleberries. I crouched over and picked each purple berry off its branch and dropped it into a clear plastic water bottle. We did this for a couple of hours. This is what they must mean by “Slow Food.” I am now bringing home 24 ounces of ripe huckleberries. That’s enough to make Huckleberry Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker crust....