Hiking and observing

"There was an Alpine hare here," says Lisa, pointing to some tracks in the freshly fallen snow. I followed the tracks with my eye, which were soon lost in the wintry landscape. Early this morning, we had been having a quarrel. A breathtakingly beautiful winter day had then announced itself, and – rather than going skiing together – I wanted to go strolling through the Seiser Alm with my girlfriend. That's because Lisa is an enthusiastic hunter, and is intimately familiar with the behaviour and habits of wild animals. And I had always been fascinated by the animal tracks and spoors which I had seen crisscrossing the fresh blanket of snow far below while I rode the aerial lift up to the top in the morning. So I seized the bull by the horns in order to learn more about how our native fauna survives the relentless winter.