Weitnau - Timo (14) and Leo (12) live as "small shepherds" at an altitude of 1,000 meters during the holidays - with 130 young cattle, without television, without a computer.
Timo and Leo are students, like hundreds of thousands of others in Bavaria.
And yet the two do something different: They help with the summer for the animals on the Wenger Egg.
“We don't miss anything,” assert the two boys and blink into the late summer sun, which is just bathing Alpe Wenger Egg in its mild light.
This has been their home since the end of July, where they live with the alpine shepherd Thomas Oberrieder and his partner Ramona Steinle.
This is where they lend a hand, driving cattle, caring for sick and injured animals and whenever something needs to be done.
The petty shepherds travel long distances
"We are the cowboys", grins Leo, "we just miss the lasso!" to repair fences or to look for a young animal.
"We have 36 kilometers of fence and around 8,000 fence posts up here," says Leo, not without pride.
The two pupils from Wengen spend the summer far away from the usual summer fun like swimming, eating ice cream or playing on the PC: “Our grandparents Mösslang managed the Alpe for almost 50 years,” explains Timo, the elder, “as Thomas and Mona took it over in 2020 and asked us if we would like to help, we immediately said 'Yes!'
said."
No picnic on the Alp
It is no picnic what they have chosen.
Get up at half past six, then take care of the cattle behind the house, feed the pigs, and then breakfast is served.
“The animals always come first, then the people,” says Leo, who as an FC Bayern fan misses the football images on television a bit.
Then they have to see how the cattle are doing, whether one is injured or sick: “Many have the 'ugler', a conjunctivitis,” reports Alphirte Oberrieder, “and the animals get problems with them by standing in the often wet soil this year Stealing. ”Ointment bandages help, and putting them on is something the boys do very routinely. Oberrieder is enthusiastic: “The boys do it great!” When they see that a female animal is “cattle” (in heat), it has to be done quickly: “The insider comes up to us from Memmingen within a few hours,” says Leo.
On nice days, the two of them also support Mona Steinle with the distribution of drinks and food for the many visitors: “The beer or soda mustn't run out,” laughs Timo and his brother adds: “Mona's self-baked chocolate and cherry cake is an absolute hit for hikers and mountain bikers. "
They know exactly what they are doing
"As a petty shepherd, you mustn't be a wimp," the two students state soberly.
Almost every evening they fall into bed tired, the holiday job is exhausting.
Sometimes it's just enough for a round of card games and that's it.
“We don't need any more,” they say, “it's really fun to always be in contact with the animals, that's great.” Many cattle recognize them by their fur pattern, 130 of them from 15 different farmers enjoy the spicy mountain grass with many Herbs.
Timo and Leo rarely have to grip a little tighter to steer the Schumpen on the right path: “These are absolute herd animals, they always run after the lead cow.” And they are curious: “A hole in the fence and they are gone ! ”The two students seem casual and cool, they know exactly what to do, no trace of homesickness for the valley.
Petty shepherds: pocket money from the bank
As petty shepherds, they receive pocket money from the regional Raiffeisen bank, which with this program promotes young shepherds for the many Alps in the Allgäu.
"Unfortunately we have to go back down into the valley and to school in Weitnau on September 14th," regret Timo and Leo.
So again math, sports and technology lessons instead of cowboys: "If Thomas wants us again, we'll be back up next year!"
At the end of their somewhat different summer vacation, both of them are in great demand again: They have to help bring their bugs down safely to the valley, to the cattle shed on the outskirts of Wengen: “It's like cowboys at a rodeo,” laughs Timo and Leo. It looks like the summer of 2021 has been a lovely summer for them.