Sunday was the kind of autumn day that compelled all but those with good reason to be outdoors. And even then…The skies of Lower Austria and the landscape of the Vienna Woods were too magical to ignore, and by late morning the picnic was packed and we were on our way to the Hohe Wand Natur Park, about an hour to the general southwest of Vienna and the southern boundaries of the Austrian Alps.
The park is not named, “High Wall” for no reason.

There was a queue to enter the park, no surprise on a day as glorious as this.  The views more than made up for the wait time, though.

Burgruine Emmerberg in the distance. Though all of us (CTF included) love to explore castle ruins, this particular castle was unsafe for wandering so we could only admire from afar. 

Once we wrangled the wagon into a “parking space,” more or less, the rocky hike to the skywalk was not long at all.  Along the way we passed this charming Hütte, the small and welcoming buildings that dot the Alpine hiking trails all across Europe.  Many serve small meals, and some offer overnight lodging for the weary backpacker.

We paused at an expansive overlook, completely absorbed by the beauty. Clayton Theodore, on the other hand, was completely absorbed with the dozens of other happy canines enjoying a day out with their people.

A brave moment for me. Ordinarily I am not all that keen on skywalks, preferring to remain on terra firma, but even I was compelled to enjoy the scenery from 1.132 meters above Austria. I just didn’t look down through the open grates.

Afterwards, lunch along the trail. Chicken salad for us…

…and a peanut butter sandwich for the hound. But he is not spoiled.

Another perfect family outing.