From the Camon da Maighles Hütte to the Vorder Rhein Source

From Maighelshütte to Lai da Tuma will surely be another great highlight on our journey, which has already demanded a lot from us so far. After a hearty celebration upon arrival at Maighels Hütte, we all slept well. Once again, very early at around 07:00 am, it was time to wake up. A fine breakfast awaited us in the dining room of the hut. A completely new experience, as we had previously had two rolls or a Landjäger sausage for breakfast in the morning. At the hut, there was now tea, coffee, bread, butter, homemade jams, and everything your heart desires.

That was also a much-needed strengthening for our final stage up to Lake Tomasee, our destination. We waited until about 10:00 am to find a good weather window, as it had rained and snowed in the days before. The temperatures of 3 degrees before 10:00 am were not inviting either. We also had to wait a little longer until the challenging path to the source was no longer so wet and slippery. Unfortunately, something happened, but more on that later.

Shortly before 10:00 am, we were visited by some relatives and friends from Gaißau, who wanted to accompany us on our way up to the lake. We were particularly happy that our 'Zwoarädler' Gotta Tanja visited us. She had also brought some members of the Funkenzunft.

At 10:00 am, the time had finally come, the weather had calmed down a bit, and so we started the final stage up to the lake. It was about 3 kilometers to cover over a rocky and sometimes very slippery path, and of course, several hundred meters of elevation gain. It soon became clear that the ascent with our 'Zwoarädler' in tow would be a special challenge. In the flat sections, we pushed and pulled our 'Isidor', and when it became particularly steep and rocky, we simply shouldered and carried him.

We had to stop again and again to take short breaks, the mountain demanded everything from us. Streams crossed our path uphill, causing wet shoes. We also had to cross three large snowfields before finally reaching the top of the lake. The view was magnificent, and it brought back memories of our first ascent. The last meters to the large rock where our Isidor had stood thirty years ago still required everything from us. It was so slippery that one of us would slip and only barely hold onto the rock. In the end, we made it. The 'Zwoarädler' was finally standing at Lake Tomasee after more than 30 years. The artwork carved into the rock with a chisel and hammer 30 years ago could still be seen clearly.

We then took the bottle of Lake Constance water in our hands, emptied it into the first Funkenhut, passed the precious water from hut to hut until it was finally poured into the hat of our unfortunately deceased Funker Ingo Sutter. Then we emptied the Lake Constance water into the source and wished it a safe journey.

Häbi gave a speech that moved all of us. We also opened a bottle of sparkling wine and drank it. The crowning finale was a loud 'Funker Brrr' - our signal across all valleys.

We stayed at the lake for another hour to recharge for the return journey. Just as we were about to pick up our Isidor again, it happened unfortunately. One of our Funkers - Much Meier - slipped very unfortunate on a slippery rock, hit the rock with his chest, and suffered a painful bruised rib. Fortunately, nothing more serious happened, but Much had to deal with a lot of pain on the way back. If I'm completely honest, I think the rock also took a hit because heavyweight Much slammed into it with all his muscle mass.

The others now took the 3-kilometer path back to Maighels Hütte and tried to bring our 'Zwoarädler' safely down again. The descent from up there was no less dangerous than the ascent. The path was still slippery, and the rubble often created precarious situations. Without further injuries, at the end of our strength, we reached the hut and could rest there again. A refreshing shower, a first cold beer, and then a really delicious Rösti with egg and cheese from Funkenherrin Nora for a snack.

At about 7:00 pm, there was a great dinner, and we sat in the dining room for a very long time, reviewing the past few days and having a proper party with our playlist. At 11:00 pm, it was time to sleep, one last night at the hut before we started our journey home.