Hiking in the Alps

We just returned from a four day hike in the Austrian Alps. We had great luck with the weather. The day before we left it was bone chillingly cold, and the day we returned the rain came with thunder and lightning.
Hiking is really simple here. Camping in the woods is not allowed, instead you have a network of huts, where you can sleep and buy food as well. There are also some ski lifts that operate even in the summer, so it was nice on the third day to take the lift up to the ridges, instead of climb the steep slopes (especially Victoria appreciated it). Also once you arrive at your destination, you can take a public bus back to your car. What was also weird were the many cows that roam the slopes. All of them have bells around their necks, so you can constantly hear them. Below you can see some pictures of the kids and Adrianne negotiating some tricky parts of our hike, and the smiles after we have been done with it. We are planning one more hike for the summer!