Back from Dolomites
We're back! Here are some pictures from To's first real mountain hiking. They are all sleeping and not moving at all anymore now 🙂 - o.k., other than La of course! 🙂
It was our first time in Dolomites, so we had some problems finding hikes in between extra easy and hard core climbing tours - and with avoiding the CROWDS - I never saw so many people at those altitudes! I love walking for hours, meeting less&less people until it's just us and the dogs. Here, no matter how long you walk, you might fall into the crowd that got there by cars, buses or cable cars... Mountains are nowhere so close to the crowds as they are in Dolomites! But well, it sure is beautiful! 🙂
Last call for 
As always great to see your pictures, they always look so happy (and professional!)! Looks like you had a great vacation!
Can I ask one question: I saw leashes in one picture, what is you “policy” for leashes while on hikes? I am never quite sure how to handle it. If we are alone, of course everyone is off-leash; but if there are too many friendly looking people, the dogs will try to socialize which is not always welcomed 😀
I normally don’t use leashes on hikes at all, but here, some places were REALLY crowded, so we always brought leashes with us just in case and we put them on on most busy places -- especially La who likes to steal 🙂
OH really beautiful photos!!!! I love #10 especially!!! Looks like very beautiful mountains. Too bad it is so crowded. I am such a snob I. Really don’t want to run into anyone on hikes! Everyone always want to pat Roscoe and they never believe me when I say he isn’t friendly, so I. Usually end up having to be extra firm about it……”He is not at ALL friendly” and then people frown about it.
You wouldn’t like it here then 🙂 We mostly avoided crowded places/paths, but on the last hike, my boyfriend injured his ankle, so we had to take the shortest and easiest way back and it was TONS of people. -- So many that I had to have them off leash as we would take too much space if they were on leashes! As they were passing people, some would just bend and pet them. My dogs were very snobbish about it and ignored them completely, it was so funny! I think they were too tired to stop and say hi anyway 🙂
I love love love pics #4 and 23. I love how To just adores you!! My Ajax gives me the same look and climbs on me like that. It’s the best feeling in the world! Thank you for sharing your adventures!!!
Yes, To loves to cuddle 🙂
WOW!! -- amazing photos!!! Too bad about the crowds, but the scenery is truly spectacular. Everyone looks like they’re having a great vacation. I agree with Stephanie, I love #23 of To! 🙂
Welcome back! 🙂
Beautiful pictures, really amazing! Some of them look like a painting! Did you stay at a hotel or do you have a caravan?
We have Caddy Maxi and use it as a caravan 🙂 We moved from one place to another every day, so that’s much easier as moving from one hotel to another!
Looks like such a lovely holiday! What a beautiful place!!
Wow, beautiful photos -- what a gorgeous place to hike! Everyone looks like they are having a really great time!!
Fantastically gorgeous views as always 🙂 I hope boyfriend’s ankle is healing ?? a bummer to get injured in a hike…
To seems to enjoy herself on her first “real” experience in the mountains ! her bi-color freckles are SO cute !!!! the rest of the family all looking great too 🙂 🙂 so is it easy enough to find where to park the van with facilities ? or did you park on camping sites ? I once backpacked in France (many life times ago heehee) and there was extra organized forest trail (color coded with arrows; including “if you got here you took the wrong way” set of arrows!) there were designated spots to stop at night -- like youth guesthouses 🙂 but nobody was there -- we were always alone.
Well, let’s say we don’t need much 🙂 We have solar shower and plenty of water with us and we go to a bar for a coffee or ice cream when we need to use their restroom -- there is always a bar close by in Dolomites 🙂 We sometimes go to camp sites as well.
And yes, the ankle is doing better as it looked like at first! I think we were all a bit too tired from all the walking and especially downhill running that we did, so I guess it was a sign it’s time to go home. The dogs didn’t move at all till this evening when they’re back to normal 🙂
great pictures….. I only know that region from skiing in the winter and I love it, but it looks also wonderful in the summer…… Were there many cows? In Austria there are everywhere cows and it can be very dangerous with dogs…. That can make hiking tours really stressful 🙁
Wow To is growing, she is beautiful and she isn’t looking like a Baby anymore…. Beautiful 😀
Really? They can be dangerous even if the dogs let them alone? So far, we have had no bad experience with cows, but it’s true that on one of the trips, some cows started to run towards us so fast that we decided to speed up and take another path to avoid them 🙂
Yes, in Austria there are many mother cows with calfs, so that they can be very aggressive against dogs. So hiking can be very stressful, I mostly make a big roundabout way, but sometimes it isn’t possible. The good thing is that my dogs don’t bark and they are more afraid of the cows than the cows of the dogs. But I’m always afraid about an attack, so I try to find a way without cows….. and the tip of the specialist in the case of an attack to let the dogs of the leash, because they are faster than the cows, is not very useful, because my dogs wouldn’t run away, they will come to me and hind behind my back…….So not a good way!!!!
Oh, good to know! Sounds like it was a good idea to run away from them when they were running towards us! 🙂
Your pictures are stunning! It looks really beautiful! I have to admit, though, that I had to Google Dolomites because I had no idea where they were:) I love picture #23. To reminds of Polar. He loves to cuddle with me and put his head against me. Do the rocks hurt the dog’s pads?
My dogs have very strong pads by now, so no problems with the others, but To did wear them off some and left some bloody pawprints… But it’s all healed by now!