diff --git a/contrib/raftexample/raft.go b/contrib/raftexample/raft.go
index 711979c8f..5c144b313 100644
--- a/contrib/raftexample/raft.go
+++ b/contrib/raftexample/raft.go
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ type raftNode struct {
 	stopc     chan struct{} // signals proposal channel closed
 	httpstopc chan struct{} // signals http server to shutdown
 	httpdonec chan struct{} // signals http server shutdown complete
+
+	logger *zap.Logger
 }
 
 var defaultSnapshotCount uint64 = 10000
@@ -99,6 +101,8 @@ func newRaftNode(id int, peers []string, join bool, getSnapshot func() ([]byte,
 		httpstopc:   make(chan struct{}),
 		httpdonec:   make(chan struct{}),
 
+		logger: zap.NewExample(),
+
 		snapshotterReady: make(chan *snap.Snapshotter, 1),
 		// rest of structure populated after WAL replay
 	}
@@ -107,17 +111,17 @@ func newRaftNode(id int, peers []string, join bool, getSnapshot func() ([]byte,
 }
 
 func (rc *raftNode) saveSnap(snap raftpb.Snapshot) error {
-	// must save the snapshot index to the WAL before saving the
-	// snapshot to maintain the invariant that we only Open the
-	// wal at previously-saved snapshot indexes.
 	walSnap := walpb.Snapshot{
 		Index: snap.Metadata.Index,
 		Term:  snap.Metadata.Term,
 	}
-	if err := rc.wal.SaveSnapshot(walSnap); err != nil {
+	// save the snapshot file before writing the snapshot to the wal.
+	// This makes it possible for the snapshot file to become orphaned, but prevents
+	// a WAL snapshot entry from having no corresponding snapshot file.
+	if err := rc.snapshotter.SaveSnap(snap); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := rc.snapshotter.SaveSnap(snap); err != nil {
+	if err := rc.wal.SaveSnapshot(walSnap); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	return rc.wal.ReleaseLockTo(snap.Metadata.Index)
@@ -179,11 +183,18 @@ func (rc *raftNode) publishEntries(ents []raftpb.Entry) bool {
 }
 
 func (rc *raftNode) loadSnapshot() *raftpb.Snapshot {
-	snapshot, err := rc.snapshotter.Load()
-	if err != nil && err != snap.ErrNoSnapshot {
-		log.Fatalf("raftexample: error loading snapshot (%v)", err)
+	if wal.Exist(rc.waldir) {
+		walSnaps, err := wal.ValidSnapshotEntries(rc.logger, rc.waldir)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalf("raftexample: error listing snapshots (%v)", err)
+		}
+		snapshot, err := rc.snapshotter.LoadNewestAvailable(walSnaps)
+		if err != nil && err != snap.ErrNoSnapshot {
+			log.Fatalf("raftexample: error loading snapshot (%v)", err)
+		}
+		return snapshot
 	}
-	return snapshot
+	return &raftpb.Snapshot{}
 }
 
 // openWAL returns a WAL ready for reading.
@@ -281,7 +292,7 @@ func (rc *raftNode) startRaft() {
 	}
 
 	rc.transport = &rafthttp.Transport{
-		Logger:      zap.NewExample(),
+		Logger:      rc.logger,
 		ID:          types.ID(rc.id),
 		ClusterID:   0x1000,
 		Raft:        rc,