Hiking in Austria

We're super proud of the hiking we did in Austria this summer. In particular, our hike to the top of Speiereck was our biggest in years. 🐾 🐶 🚠

 Us at the top of Speiereck above Mauterndorf, Salzburg, Austria.

I'm super happy to be back at Casa Burrow. In exchange for agreeing to have a bath, Mom did all my laundry. Even a little dog generates a lot of laundry on the road.

Tootsie goes to Mont Blanc

"Dad, do you think I can climb Mont Blanc?"
"Probably not, love. You'd need crampons and an ice axe."

"Don't they make dachshund-sized crampons?"
"Not that I know of. Plus how would you deal with crevasses, dear?"

"I'd jump up and over them and use my tail for extra balance."
"Jumping is bad for your back, and your tail probably wouldn't give you much extra balance."

"I see... but could you buy me an ice axe?"
"How would you hold an ice axe with your paws?"

After establishing that Mont Blanc is a bit above my pay grade, I asked DD if we could hike somewhere near there. In spite of his reluctance to go anywhere near famous places, DD agreed and took me to Val Ferret, where we hiked to the top of Tête de la Tronche, nearly 8500 feet above sea level. Do you see the Italian side of Mont Blanc in the photo below? I'm going there... well, at least in that general direction :)

Here I'm covering the last few yards to the tippy top of Tête de la Tronche.

Fur disclosure: I got carried quite a bit, especially on the way up.

DD's summer hiking policy is to pick me up and carry me if I start panting too much.

It's a bit conservative, if you ask me, but I guess it's fair.

That way I don't get overtired and I can still wake him up at 5 am the next morning so he can feed me breakfast!

Switzerland’s best kept secrets: the Avers Valley

If you want to discover Switzerland’s best kept secrets, look no further than my doggie blog.

Today we’re sharing a very precious tip about a wonderful place that should be at the top of everyone’s list of things to see in Switzerland but instead is nearly empty: the Avers valley.

Nestled just north of the continental divide, the Avers valley is a high elevation side valley that branches off the Hinterrhein valley near the spa town of Andeer.

Home to very few people and very few tourist facilities, the Avers valley offers countless gorgeous hikes with its picture-perfect scenery and its pristine side valleys. Thanks to the high elevation of its valley floor, it’s always cool, even during heatwaves.

In these photos, Dachshund Daddy and I are hiking to the top of Guggernüll from the hamlet of Cresta. Lots of marmots everywhere, so you need to be on leash if you’re a hound, even a wee one like me.

 

I've been all over my adopted country, and the Avers Valley is one of my favorite places. Trust me, I'm a savvy sausage!

Pee spots in the mountains

When I'm hiking in the mountains, I spend a significant amount of time looking for pee spots.

Other doggy hikers leave pee mail and I feel obliged to read it with my snout.

Here's a pee-message from a yellow lab named Ugo. "Hi, everyone! I hope your day is as awesome as mine!"

My day is pretty awesome indeed. I'm here in the mountains, hiking with Dachshund Daddy!

Alright, on to the next pee message!

Remembering Suni

Last July, during a hike in the Matterhorn region, Dachshund Daddy (DD) met Suni, the Queen of the Alps.

A passionate hiker, Suni summited countless mountains all over the Alps with her human dad, Gabri. You can read all about their adventures on their website. Even if you can't read Italian, you'll enjoy their gorgeous photos.

We knew all about Suni and her prowess as a doggy hiker long before DD met her. We'd read all about her on her website. As a fellow little dog and a fellow hiker, I admired Suni and her passion for the great outdoors.

Suni loved her mountains, and she loved sharing them with her human dad, who gave her the gift of a very special life.

Suni repaid him with the unconditional love that only a dog can give her human. Their bond grew increasingly stronger as Suni entered her silver years.
Blessed is the man who earned the love of an old dog.

Suni continued to power up the hills with her four-paw drive until this spring, when she flew over the rainbow bridge.

Now, every time her human dad climbs a mountain, he and Angel Suni are reunited.

Run free, Angel Suni, in that big meadow in the sky.

Meraviglioso Cervino -- the Matterhorn

Another picture of the Matterhorn from the Italian side. We're so happy we saw this mountain! It was definitely worth waiting eight years.

"Cervino" is the Italian name of the mountain. The Romans called it "Mons Silvanus," then it became known as "Mont Cervin" in French. "Monte Cervino" is the Italian adaptation of the French toponym.

The Fascists changed the name of the hamlet of Breuil, located at the Matterhorn's feet on the Italian side (the south side), to Cervinia, so that it would reflect its status as the Gateway to Cervino. The Fascist name stuck, probably because the hamlet was transformed into a major tourist destination in the 1930s under the Fascist regime.

Cervinia may be the gateway to the mountain, but it is incredibly ugly, so we recommend making your home base farther down the valley, preferably away from the main highway. We loved the quiet hamlet in the Valtournenche township where we stayed.

The Matterhorn & Flight Practice

The most famous Swiss mountain as seen from the Italian side.

Italians call the Matterhorn "Cervino."

It's gianormous and amazing and made our hearts go flippy flop.

P.S. Mom says I need to open my eyes during flight practice!

It's Really Ten O'Clock

Nothing helps you put things into perspective as a hike in the mountains. These photos are from a hike in the Val Badia area of the Dolomites (in Italy), which we visited last August.

It is clear from the photo below that the imposing cliffs of Sas dles Diesc, whose name translates to Ten O'Clock Mountain, are roughly the same size as my nose. How's that for perspective?

Val Badia is a trilingual area where people primarily speak a language called Ladin, not to be confused with Latin. They also speak German and Italian, which is why Sas dles Diesc also has a German name (Zehner Spitze, i.e. Ten O'Clock Peak) and an Italian name (Sasso delle Dieci, i.e. Ten O'Clock Rock). In spite of the subtle naming differences, there's a general agreement across the three languages that it's really ten o'clock.

Standing below the Sas dles Diesc cliffs, I kept wondering whether language defines culture, or whether culture defines language. It's a lot for a little dog to ponder, even if her nose is (almost) as big as the cliffs above her.

Fluffy mountaineers

Today I'm introducing you to two special friends that Dachshund Daddy recently met. This is Intra...

and this is her sister Pallanza.

Intra and Pallanza are the fluffiest mountaineers you'll ever meet.

This is the ridge they just hiked. Like me, they also wish they could find snowshoes their size, but for the time being they're happy to go snow-waddling!

As if you needed it, Intra and Pallanza provide yet more evidence that mountain hiking is not the exclusive purview of bigger dogs! In the mountains, little dogs rule!

What am I dreaming?

As you probably know, sleeping is one of my favorite activities. But do you know what I'm dreaming right now?

Alright, let me give you a hint. Look at the golden ratio between the size of my paw and the size of my snout, which my father calls peppa (a made-up word in Italian that captures the snoutness better than any existing word in any language).

Now you know, don't you? I'm dreaming of walkies!!! Here's me on one of our recent walkies in the Malcantone valley. This is one of our favorite spots, located up above the town of Arosio.

This photo is from about ten days ago. I know what you're thinking... no snow in February? No worries, it finally snowed this past weekend.

Fogged with Passion

Today we take you to the Aosta Valley of north-western Italy, home to the highest peaks in the Alps and some of the cutest dogs on the planet. Meet Stella (Italian for star)...

her fursister Maya...

and their fursister Nebbia (Italian for fog).

As he was riding his bike up by their house, Dachshund Daddy learned that Maya, Nebbia, and Stella also have a brown standard short-haired dachshund cousin who would join them later that day. DD made a mental note to stop by after his bike ride to meet the dachshund cousin as well, then off he rode and, a few hours later, enjoyed this view from the top of Bec de Gavin:

On the way back, DD met this little guy right outside Maya, Stella, and Nebbia's place. A brown standard short-haired dachshund... he had to be their cousin!

"Oh no! You got locked out!" DD said to the little guy, who looked at him briefly before marking a pee spot right by the gate. DD rang the doorbell, but there was nobody home. DD tried the neighbors, who revealed the truth.

"No, it's not their cousin. He's a dachshund who lives in town who's been wooing Stella for three days now. Stella is in heat and he's very interested."

The dachshund, his mind fogged with passion, proceeded to kiss Stella.