Wonders of Nature: Lake Lotten and Its Cabin

It is a truly beautiful and wonderful little place in Wildmoos, where a rather interesting natural phenomenon can be observed. Apparently out of nowhere, in the midst of green meadows, larch and birch forests, two mountain lakes emerge: the Wildmoos Lake and Lotten Lake. Sometimes, however, they do not appear at all. The reason for this is not entirely clear. It is likely that this aperiodic, i.e., irregularly occurring natural wonder results from spring rainfall and snowmelt water in underground karst systems. When the thawing begins in spring, the underground vessels (karst formations) fill with water, causing overflow that floods the meadows and forms lakes, which often disappear again after just a few weeks. In some years, the water level rises further due to underground springs even after the snow has melted. Attempts to predict the appearance of the lakes have so far been unsuccessful. When they do appear, they always do so in pairs, often after a snowy winter. "Much snow, much lake," says popular wisdom. However, this is not substantiated. So nothing precise is known; some things may just remain a secret of nature...

There is plenty to do, especially when the lakes reveal themselves: "When the lake is there in summer, so are the people. Above all, it attracts a different kind of guest, many from Innsbruck, who come to swim and cool off in the heights," says Patrizia. "Otherwise, there are many hikers and walkers." In the meantime, the hut is also well-filled in winter. "We have many regular guests who come to us, and the cross-country ski trail runs right past the hut. Many enjoy stopping by. We are very centrally located, from here you can practically reach everywhere in the region – to Mösern, Leutasch and all the way to Seefeld," says the young hut owner. People meet at Lottensee – to enjoy the wonderful surroundings, the warm-hearted people, and the traditional cuisine: hearty, hot soups, homemade cakes, dumplings, and above all, schnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn.

The lake became part of Patrizia's life, but at first, she didn't want to go into hospitality. Since she was good at accounting in school, the principal thought she belonged in a bank. "That would never have worked," Patrizia believes. It ended up being a tax consulting firm: "I worked there for a year and spent the weekends in the cabin. However, dancing at two weddings became too much at some point. Besides, I am a very active person and did not want to sit in front of a computer for eight hours a day. So I asked Mom if I could start here. Otherwise, I would have looked for something else." Of course, she was allowed to. Today, in addition to Martin, Sonja, and Patrizia, there are usually three other people working in the kitchen, "but sometimes one of them is absent, then Mom switches to the kitchen, and Dad and I just have to move a bit faster."

It seems that she has gathered all her strength as a baby, because in addition to her work at the hut, Patrizia Kluckner is also a candidate for mountain rescuer and unfortunately often on duty as such. "At the moment, I don't have the time to take on many missions because there is a lot to do at the hut, and the work is voluntary. During the week, we are called an average of two to three times. This year, there were indeed periods when it was quite busy."