St Helens rim between Shoestring and Ape

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My MSH obsession continues.

original goal/plan:
Ape Canyon trail, then Loowit trail CW to the first canyon crossing, where I'll ascend offtrail and look for a good route up to the high point(s) CCW from Shoestring notch. Descend as close to the Shoestring Glacier as possible, until meeting up with a distinctive long narrow snowfield (I like to call it shoethread). I was slightly worried about starting down that, because if I got trapped it would be an arduous ascent back out, but I saw multiple spots where I could escape, so I figured something would work.

revision to original goal/plan, high point:
From the edge of the Shoestring Glacier, up high, almost at its head, it was obvious that a direct ascent would be a PITA scramble up a rubble heap, at best. Slightly right (CCW) there was snow, and it looked promising/interesting. However, even further right (CCW) was another snowfield that looked like it would offer even easier access to the rim, so I went that way. The last bit of snowless terrain before the rim was a sandy horror, like climbing a sand dune. At the rim I had high points on either side. I started with the one on the right (ccw), from which I could look down on the point on the rim where I finished my Ape Canyon ascent. Looking the other way, towards Shoestring, I could see that the high point that was next on my itinerary wasn't the closest to Shoestring. Unfortunately, the one closest to Shoestring wasn't accessible from the rim; it was blocked by vertical rock, extending down a short ridge. To attempt that high point, I would have to drop down, traverse clockwise a bit, and re-ascend. I decided against it. If I thought it would provide unique interesting views, I would have given it a try, but I saw no need to be obsessive about hitting every high point on the rim.

revision to original goal/plan, descent:
From my high point on the rim, I noticed a straight line to the Ape Canyon slot would take me through relatively easy terrain. I was nervous about exploring new terrain so late in the day, but it looked easy enough. Of course, the main question is always "is that snowfield contiguous with that snowfield" and "if not, can I link them together"? It was slightly trickier than it looked from above, but a fun adventure.

wildlife sighting:
I knew there were goats in this area, but I saw more than expected, scattered all over, including some fairly high up. Quite a few cute little kids too.

other parties:
On my descent, when I got low enough to see people, I noticed quite a few on Loowit. And I noticed a guy at the Ape slot. But that's all. Never got close enough to anybody to hit them with a frisbee or tennis ball. Lots of garbage up there. Saw some footprints going a little ways up into the "crampon zone", but nothing up high.

weather:
Misty am, poor views, made routefinding difficult. Finally cleared a bit, as expected. Afternoon was perfect, just enough clouds to enhance scenery. In spite of the challenges and anxieties, I much prefer this to a cloudless day. I made a point of staying on snow more than I might otherwise prefer, in case I needed to follow my footprints back. Oh, and took way more pics than usual, every time the clouds parted for a bit, in case I needed to consult them later.

general route commentary:
I was a little intimidated by this endeavor. In particular, the jumbled mess between Loowit Trail and the steep snow zone looked like it could take a scouting trip or two to sort out. Whether through luck or skill, I never really made a major faux pax. One major mistake I nearly made: I considered heading for East Dome on my descent. It didn't look quite right, but I've never seen it from that perspective, so I didn't think too much of that. But I decided not to go that way, because I wanted an all-new route. Well, later down I saw East Dome, looking exactly as East Dome should. Damn, I completely forgot there's a monitoring station high up on the ridge next to Ape Glacier. Descending Ape Glacier again is not on my to-do list! I guess I should have realized the East Dome is much lower, and its equipment isn't even really visible from the rim unless you're eagle-eyed and looking for it. It certainly isn't something you'll casually notice. This is especially embarrassing considering I saw East Dome on my ascent, so should have known its approximate location.

time/elevation:
Started about 3:50. Spent some time sheltered under trees along the Ape Canyon trail, lingering as I waited for showers to pass. Arrived at Ape Canyon about 6:00ish.
Long wait mid morning at the start of the crampon zone (known to be at least 9:30 to 10:00, but almost certainly longer). That was 5450'.
Hit crater rim at 1:25, started descent at 2:20 (where did an hour go?!).
High point 1:35, 8200+'. Barometric altimeter, no GPS.
I forgot to note time at return to Ape slot. Or maybe I didn't want to know. Estimate 6:00, based on last pic taken.
Twelve hours from Ape slot to crater rim and back...nothing to brag about, but with poor visibility and route challenges, it's not laughable. Anyway, it's a circuitous route, lots of zigs and zags on that big loop.

There will be a second mini set of pics for goat geeks and beer geeks.

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bonus pics

[K.Wagner]

So! You did what I wouldn't do! (see my TR!). After walking all that Loowit Trail that I did, and in & out of all those canyons, there is no question about the Ape Canyon approach being the reasonable one.

I could see that exposed grey band at the rim, and wondered what it was. I never would have guess it to be sand.

So, do you think that the ugly thing you didn't climb is actually the high point, and not one of the 2 sandy bumps? That would be really frustrating to be so close, yet not be able to get there!

Yes, the Dog's Head (or what is left of it) is a fair ways around CCW.

[Chip Down]

So! You did what I wouldn't do! (see my TR!). After walking all that Loowit Trail that I did, and in & out of all those canyons, there is no question about the Ape Canyon approach being the reasonable one.

So, do you think that the ugly thing you didn't climb is actually the high point, and not one of the 2 sandy bumps? That would be really frustrating to be so close, yet not be able to get there!

1) Aha! I knew you had your eye on that area too. So you went from June? I'm really excited to go read your TR!

2) Ya know, I'm somewhat indifferent. If it was super important to me, I would have gone back down/around to take another shot at it. My only regrets: I have a weird interest in Shoestring notch, and I wanted to look down on it. But It actually looks like it might not be visible from there. Paradoxically, it's so close that the curvature of the rim doesn't come into play, and I think there's too much rubble in the way. But at least I got a close look at it from the rim of the upper Shoestring canyon edge. I've wondered if there's an insurmountable headwall, but I don't think so, looks like you could walk right off the top of the glacier and up the debris slope to the rim. Also, the terrain just below that peak was interesting, in a "where-does-this-go" way. Looks like it might be a fun route. Or maybe not; I'll probably never know.