Hikers help WWU biologist collect, study watermelon snow

Watermelon snow is neither a tasty treat nor a hoax.
Algae and bacteria that thrive in cold conditions can tint snow with a splash of pinkish-red at certain elevations.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the strange phenomenon not only resembles the color of watermelon pulp, but can smell like it, too.