Three hikers missing near Barlow Pass

VERLOT – Rescuers were searching rugged terrain east of Granite Falls this morning for three hikers who failed to return from an outing Tuesday.

The hikers, all from Issaquah, told people they planned to visit the area near 6,214-foot Vesper Peak, located southeast of Barlow Pass, said Rich Niebusch, a spokesman for the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office.

Poor weather prevented crews from using a helicopter. About 20 people were combing the area near the trailhead, Niebusch said. The hikers – two men and a woman in their late 20s – were supposed to have returned by 8 p.m. Tuesday.