Trail And Errors

A melancholic start to the day, as Molly & Ethan say goodbye to their trail family, who are all making a side trip into Yosemite Valley leaving EthaMol to continue on the PCT alone :( . It's the end of the Phi Chi Tau fraternity/sorority! The guys are now heading across the top of Yosemite, with 40 miles of river crossings ahead. A bucolic break watching deer across the meadow precedes their arrival at Tuolumne Meadows, where the first road for 240 miles crosses the PCT. This is also the only road to cross the Sierra from the east between Kennedy Meadows and Sonora Pass, and normally there is an open resupply store, campsite, and restaurant to refresh hungry hikers; but everything is still shut as the road only opened for an hour each morning and afternoon a couple of days ago. Not realising that cars are currently forbidden from stopping, Molly & Ethan are thinking of Trail Magic when they hit the road, but their only succour is a bench with a seat back to sit on (you don't realise the things you'll