The Straggler

On my lst trip to Desolation Wilderness I had an interesting interaction with a group of hikers. Here's the scene: Two miles in from the trailhead, they were hiking towards Lake Aloha, and I was hiking on my way out. We greeted each other on the trail, and they told me about their plans. They offered to show me their permit, but I told them that was unnecessary--I'm a volunteer with zero authority to enforce anything at all--but thanked them for getting the permit, and wearing it on the outside of their pack. And they told me that there was one more member of their party, a "straggler," that I would meet on my way out. 

Fair enough. 

I did meet a lot of people on the trail out: through hikers on their way from Yosemite, backpackers on their way to Aloha, dayhikers on extensive loop trails, or simply out for a short hike, and even a trail runner jogging up the steepest section of the trail. But even though I asked, I never did meet that straggler. 

It's enough to make someone start thinking about writing a mystery novel set in the Sierra...The Case of the Strangled Straggler.