This weekend marks the first time the Mountain Loop Highway will be opened in it’s entirety since 2003. Ravaged by floods and heavy snowfall in years past, the roadway’s long-awaited opening provides access to some of the most scenic day hikes in the Seattle vicinity. more ›

Last night while having dinner at Friend A's house, the wife got a call from Friend B with whom she and A had gone snowshoeing on Friday. Friend B was calling because she had read the newspaper and discovered a story about an avalanche that happened on the trail they took.

A group of youths aged 12 to 16 and an adult were hiking near Lake 22, a popular trail off the Mountain Loop Highway east of Granite Falls, when the avalanche hit Friday afternoon, said spokeswoman Rebecca Hover with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.