Huskies #inAustria. A Love Story from Tyrol.

For many, many years now – almost as long as I can remember – we have been driving past the area around Angerberg – Mariastein in the lower Inntal valley, just a stone’s throw away from the border between Austria and Germany. Many years of heading to some of the most attractive ski resorts of Tyrol, including delicious mountain cheese tastings and winter paragliding adventures. But stopping in this part of the country?

Never before.

 

Until now, that is. This time, charming Martin Eigentler has invited us to come straight to Angerberg, at the heart of the Hohe Salve ski resort in the #KitzAlps. To visit him and his Husky dog pack: A family meeting of a kind.

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Huskies, let me tell you, are just stunningly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing animals.

Huskies make that the world becomes quiet, if but for a moment.

 

Huskies are Martin’s life.

“Come on in”, he calls on us with a friendly smile, standing by the fence of his husky enclosure. Some 20 huskies roam the grounds, completely free, without being tied to chains or anything. Unique all over Austria, as Martin likes to emphasize.

“Just allow the huskies to come up to you. They will come when they want it.” Try and speak their language, is what he seems to add in silence. Even though it all seems super relaxed when Martin has a group of bloggers plus cameras and iPhones mix & mingle with his animals, he does of course always watch out for them (the dogs, not the bloggers. Or was it both?). And yet, there is one thing we never have to fear right inside the husky farm, where his 22 huskies play, eat, run or around or sleep: Uncontrolled excitement bobbing up among the animals. It is rather our own that we have to mind here.

 

Inner peace and visible excitement: I can feel the very same stimulating mix of feelings I have when I give a speech, speak my six languages or talk about my passion for creative travel. In this very moment, I feel an unlikely bond grow with Martin and his precious huskies.

Die Ankunft auf Martin's Huskyranch am Angerberg, unweit der beiden Städte Wörgl und Kufstein ...

Arriving at Martin’s Husky ranch at the Angerberg, located between Wörgl and Kufstein …

 

... ist von ersten Bekanntschaften ...

… is marked by a first meet & greet …

 

... mit den mindestens ebenso neugierigen und gespannten Huskies geprägt.

… of huskies and us.

 

Hierher kommt ...

People who come here …

 

... wer sich Zeit nehmen möchte: Zeit für Entschleunigung, eine völlig neue, faszinierende Welt - Huskies und den Hundezüchter sowie Abenteurer Martin.

… come with time at their hands: It takes a while to dive into the beautiful world of Martin and his huskies. To truly feel what this place and its (his)story is all about.

 

Wenn selbiger zur Ausfahrt "ruft" (die Hunde merken sowieso alles sofort) ...

If Martin himself calls for a “ride” (the dogs seem to understand his every move anyway) …

 

... geht's erst so richtig los: Eine kurze Einweisung in das Handling des Schlitten genügt ...

… the excitement does rise among everyone around: Short maneuvering instructions for the sleigh …

 

... und eh man sich's versieht ...

… and off you go …

 

... ist man mittendrin statt nur dabei.!

… on a husky sled.!

 

Puh, war das anstrengend, so eine 15-minütige Schlittenfahrt!

Whoa, 15 minutes of crazy running and we really need a break!

 

Wir mussten heute leider warten! Beim nächsten Mal vielleicht, scheinen diese entzückenden Familienmitglieder zu sagen.

Next time for us, the remaining dogs of the pack seem to say here.

 

Visiting Martin’s Husky Ranch at the Angerberg takes about two hours; “afterwards it’s time to give the dogs a break from the ride – and the people”, Martin tells us with a wink. He gently pushes us to leave, while I still feel completely soaked up and enchanted by the gentle atmosphere of his extraordinary husky pack. One of them has blue eyes – tracing his ancestors back to Siberia. Another one’s are brown – he is a descendent of the Canadian huskies in the Yukon or northern Alberta regions. Brown and blue eyes? “A twist of nature”, Martin adds, shooting his dogs a loving look. Each one here has their own name, character and responsibility in the team: “It’s like with us humans. Right up front pulling the sleigh are the ‘professors’. They are the smartest, most talented and most enduring dogs, teaching the others where to go and what to do. I assign each dog according to its abilities and character, training them as best as I can. This is where I see my real responsibility and position in the pack.”

And it is a most rewarding responsibility, if you read Martin’s unspoken words. A life-long responsibility really.

Huskies ...

Huskies …

 

... kommen in meiner Fantasie und tatsächlichen Vorstellung Wölfen am ähnlichsten ...

… are the closest I’ve ever been to a real wolf pack …

 

... da ist schon ein wenig ehrfürchtig ...

… paying our respects …

 

... wer ihnen wirklich so nahe, auch Tuchfühlung gar, begegnet.

… to these magnificent creatures.

 

Beim leichten Gerangel um den besten Fressplatz regeln zwar die Hierarchien, wer wann wo wie frisst, doch eine kurze Geste der Absicherung selbiger kann nicht schaden - sie flösst jedenfalls allen Zuschauenden Respekt ein.

Interesting to see them feed – not a single incident happens here, each and every husky knows when, where and how much to eat. Except that, every now and then, a gesture of saying “stay put!” ascertains the well-maintained hierarchy in the pack.

 

Nach gut zwei Stunden ist die Zeit gekommen, Abschied zu nehmen ...

After some two hours, we take our goodbyes …

 

... vielen Dank, lieber Martin, für diese magischen Stunden unter Deinen Hunden ...

… thank you so much, dear Martin, for sharing your precious time and dogs with us …

 

... zu guter Letzt lade ich Euch ein, dieses Video anzusehen welches in kürzester Zeit knapp 40.000 Zuschauer (!) im Netz erreicht hat.! Ich sag's ja: #HuskiesGehenImmer !!

… last but not least I do encourage you to watch this video which in no time has reached some 40.000 people through my Facebook page! Amazing how quickly emotions travel around the globe these days.

 

Right next to Martin’s Husky Ranch, Gasthof Mariasteinerhof has us welcome for a typical Tyrolean lunch. Try their tasty “Schlutzkrapfen” (a must when visiting Tyrol!) or spicy pancakes: An ideal preparation for a forest walk to the nearby Mariastein pilgrimage church. Check this out.

Schlutzkrapfen in Tirol: Jetzt habe ich Hunger ...

Schlutzkrapfen in Tyrol: I feel hungry now …

 

... und beim Anblick dieser Gastgeschenke im Gasthof Mariastein auch Durst ...

… and thirsty, come to that …

 

... vielen Dank für die überaus freundliche Bewirtung!

… thank you dear team at Mariastein inn for such a warm welcome!

 

Unweit der Huskyranch Angerberg findet sich die berühmten Wallfahrtskirche Mariastein ...

Not far from Martin’s husky ranch, you can hike to this famous pilgrimage church called Mariastein …

 

... zu der wir nach kurzem Fussmarsch durch den Zauberwald ...

… some 30 minutes through the beautiful, snow-covered forest …

 

... pünktlich für unsere Führung durch die Kirche ankommen.

… and arrive right in time for a guided tour of the mountain church and chapel.

 

Die Geschichte dieses Ortes ...

The history of this place …

 

... ist geprägt von Hoffnung der hier während vieler Jahrhunderte lebenden Menschen ...

… is marked by tales of hope of the farmers living and cultivating the land in the surrounding areas …

 

... und auch heute noch finden hier regelmäßig Gottesdienste, Ausstellungen und Führungen statt.

… still hosting many church services, guided tours and exhibitions today.

 

Was für ein Tag. Er wird mir unvergesslich in Erinnerung bleiben ... #LoveTirol, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes!

What a day … #LoveTirol is all I can say!

 

Check out some more travel tips & images from our international blog trip #inAustria here:

 

My international colleagues have had the following to say about their experiences #inAustria:

See you all soon #inAustria 😉

Disclaimer: We have been invited by the Tirol Werbung as well as the Austrian National Tourist Board. All opinions are my own.

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