Crossword Genius

Concerned with peak I must climb defended by a savage (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

apogean

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'concerned' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are adjectives, I don't understand how they can define each other.

'peak i must climb defended by a savage' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'i' could be 'a' and 'a' is found in the answer.
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'with' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for apogean that I've seen before include "at highest level" , "reaching a climax" , "at the top?" , "at the furthest point" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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