Strewn with rocks and rapids, the wild Lochsa is a restless river.

Aptly named by the Nez Perce Tribe - the word "Lochsa" means "rough water" - the stream follows a westward course alongside Highway 12, falling some 70 miles from its headwaters in the Bitterroot Mountains to the Middle Fork of the Clearwater.

In late spring and early summer, when melting snow pushes the river toward peak flows, the Lochsa is a maelstrom of whitewater.

"Definitely a whoop and holler river," said Ben Higgs, a rafting guide and manager with ROW Adventures of Coeur d'Alene. "A lot of people are cheering most of the time."

The 22-year-old is down on the Lochsa this month, living in the riverside hamlet of Syringa. He guides single or multi-day outings, steering clients through turbulent, roiling waters.

As river manager, Higgs is also responsible for logistics - loading the boats, teaming up paddling partners, tending to gear and grub.

"I'm out there just as another guide, but at the same time I'm focusing on all the little stuff," he said.

Unlike many Western rivers, the Lochsa is free-flowing, without dams or other man-made obstructions. It remains untouched and unbridled, the same foaming cataract Lewis and Clark encountered when they followed the Lolo Trail in 1805.

ROW's Lochsa trips have become very popular.

"It's just hard-charging whitewater," said ROW founder and president Peter Grubb. "You get real exhilarated there. It's exciting. Waves crash over the boat, and everybody gets soaking wet."

A Wild and Scenic River under federal protection, the Lochsa is stirred, whirled and funneled through more than 40 Class III-V rapids. Their names are creative, if not ominous: Ten Pin Alley, Mile Long, Bloody Mary, Grim Reaper.

Higgs' favorite is the Goat Range, a 10-mile section of continuous whitewater. The heavy ROW rafts buck like broncos.

"We've gotta always be on our game for those 10 miles, and always looking out for each other," he said.

Most clients travel in a 16-foot paddle raft, designed to ride over waves and glance off boulders. Guides sit in the stern, steering the boat with long oars.

Six paddlers, protected from the cold water by wetsuits and fleece, propel the vessel forward or backward.

"The guests in our boat are our motor," Higgs said.

Lochsa guides, as a rule, are highly trained and very skilled. Water levels fluctuate during the season, so the rapids are always changing, Higgs explained. Guides don't just see the river; they read it.

As the boat courses downstream, the sharp-eyed helmsmen avoid deep holes, big rocks, heavy waves, logjams - hazards that could upset the raft and toss clients into the water. They pull on the steering oars, pick the best routes and shout instructions.

"Guides who guide the Lochsa have to have a high level of experience and skill," Grubb said. "It's not a place for a first-, or even probably a second-year guide."

Generally, Higgs said, a good tactic is to follow the current.

David Creamer, a ROW Adventure Center manager and former guide, revealed an old river runner's trick: Toss a stick into the water above a rapid, then watch where it goes. Rudimentary, sure, but there's no better way to find the current's path.

A successful river trip balances safety and excitement, the guides said. Roller-coaster waves are a lot of fun, but the biggest ones can be dangerous.

"Over time, you develop an ability to recognize what waves are going to be fun and safe to hit, and what waves you want to avoid," said the 24-year-old Creamer, who has led trips on the Salmon River and in Hell's Canyon. "You don't really master it until you're out there on the river. You have to practice it, and you have to implement it."

ROW Adventures employs 50 guides on rivers throughout the Northwest. All rookies attend a weeklong guide school, where they learn basic techniques and run through rescue scenarios.

Then they practice. They embark on river trips with veteran guides, perfecting their skills. After 12-15 days on the water, the newcomers are ready for a spot on one of ROW's less challenging rivers.

Higgs, a Coeur d'Alene native, started guiding for ROW in the summer of 2007, right after graduating from Lake City High School. It was a chance to be outside, to enjoy beautiful rivers.

He had often gone canoeing, kayaking or rafting when he was growing up.

"I wanted to turn my hobby into a job," he said. "I didn't want to do the normal thing. I wanted to do something a little different."

His first ROW experience was on the Clark Fork in western Montana. The following year he trained on the Lochsa, a very different kind of river.

It was more intense, more dangerous, but Higgs enjoyed the challenge.

"My dream was to work on the Lochsa. I put in a lot of time training," he said. "I wanted to do the hard stuff right away. It's an amazing way to learn how to read water and how to guide."

Now the young river runner, barely old enough to buy a beer, is the grizzled veteran. He knows the Lochsa, knows the rapids and the routes, and he embraces the responsibility of his job.

Safety is priority No. 1, he said. If a paddler falls overboard or a raft gets into trouble, Higgs can handle it.

"He's a very confident young man," Grubb said. "Very capable. And he's smart."

Higgs could also be described as an entrepreneur: He owns Thor's Pizza at Schweitzer Mountain, a busy place during the ski season. He's good with people, outgoing and personable.

Come July, Higgs will leave Syringa and travel to the Salmon River country. He will guide multi-day rafting and camping trips in rugged wilderness, floating through beautiful canyonlands.

"We get to show (guests) a pretty remote area," Higgs said.

As they camp, eat and paddle together, the guides and the guided often form a close bond. They might exchange emails or become Facebook friends after the trip.

Once, Higgs recalled, a teenager named Landon joined a ROW outing on the Salmon. The boy, from Salt Lake City, followed the guides like a bird-dog.

"We let him row the boat once in a while," Higgs said. "He was always hanging around with us, and wanting to be around us."

Landon returned to Idaho this season - as a first-year ROW guide.

"If you have a passion for something, the people who come down here, you can share it with (them)," Higgs said. "It's kind of cool to see someone enjoy what I enjoy, and doing the same things."