Devil's Thumb plus Big Beehive Scramble on 31-Oct-2025

Glaciers, goats and Van Gogh! Three of us had never done Devil's Thumb so fun to explore a new scramble, and (hope she doesn't mind me saying this) Ingrid rocked this, as the initial scramble of Devil's Thumb was quite challenging with a mix of slabby rock, snow and ice and very little to grip onto with either hands or feet.

The mix of open water and ice made the lakes magical, like a Van Gogh painting with swirls of colour and depth.

Lake Louise itself changed in its iconic shade of blue at each viewpoint making each view feel new.

Views leaving the summit were almost as nice as on the summit

As if this wasn't enough to warm our adventurous hearts, there were goats! A small herd of six, including a large male and the sweetest baby who seemed equally tentative and curious about this group of much clumsier climbers.

We were also encircled by a large (maybe 100?) flock of grey-crowned rosy finches. Bill, if you're reading this, don't be impressed. Ingrid identified them for us.

Thanks to Stephanie and Sim for scouting the best route in the trickier sections, and to Ingrid and Stephanie for sharing their photos, especially the close-ups from Stephanie of the goats!

Participants: Sim, Bruce, Ingrid and Stephanie

Pam