Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter EWB:

I’m terribly late.
Now the fuel light is on.
Exit 45 blocked,
dang, I bet they’ll be gone.

Oh, luck, there’s GQ,
and with extra beer!
Let’s run and run now
or we’ll lose them I fear.

Quite weak are their tracks,
the bridges quite scary.
There goes Talapus Lake.
Oh, my head, it’s quite airy.

Got them, at Olallie,
they’re stuck on the shore.
The crossing is hairy.
Bear goes all parkour!

Now on to the ridge.
Hey, there’s Larry and Dan.
The views widen up here.
I’m Red 2′s biggest fan.

Don’t stop yet, GQ,
the summit’s over there.
Let’s catch up to Scott,
once he’s done making stairs.

He’s petering out,
now’s my chance to be first.
I pour on the coal,
but he leaps and I burst.

Layers and crackers,
a beer and some views,
the snapping of pictures,
no time for a snooze.

Extremities now frozen,
the top was quite cool,
but the snow is just perfect
to descend TNAB-old-school.

Plunging and sliding,
avoiding cliff walls,
Matt’s light speed glissade,
and lots of butt falls.

Racing the light now,
to clear sketchy creeks.
The tracks have all faded,
we’ll be lost here for weeks!

Oh, there’s Dan and Talapus,
we’re on our way now.
It’s a race to the trailhead,
and then on to some chow.

In neutral to I-90,
then fumes to North Bend.
Phew, I just made it.
Ew, my smell does offend.

The Pour House is rocking,
guess we’re sitting outside.
Talk of calories and bus stops,
and the glow of earned pride.

For TNAB on Tusk
is a hell of a feat,
an epic after-work tour
that just can’t be beat.

Trail details, NOAA weather, driving directions, maps and past trip reports can be found here: West Bandera

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter Moosefish:

Ah, Bandera.

While other hikes are known for their lousy weather (Tenerriffe) and generally lousiness (Tiger), Bandera has delivered us three consecutive years of glory.

Oh, sure, a few avalanches along the way, but that just keeps us on our toes and adds a few extra ounces (er… pounds) of rescue equipment. A small price to pay for golden peaks, fiery skies, and fast glissades in shorts.

And yes, it’s true that in the past there has been less than ideal weather (2006, among others), but that’s ancient history compared to this year’s slogfests on Putrid Pete’s, Si, and Teneriffe.

So all bow down to Bandera! We look forward to 2013!

Yukon photos used with permission, please respect all copyrights

Wxman video used with permission, please respect all copyrights

Ewb photo used with permission, please respect all copyrights

Trail details, NOAA weather, driving directions, maps and past trip reports can be found here: Mt Si (Old Trail)

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter Scott:

It rained as I loaded the dogs in the car.
It rained as I picked up John and Eric.
It rained as we drove to the trailhead.
It rained as we watched some weird dude do his community service in the parking lot.
It rained as we waited for 6:00.
It rained as we started hiking.
It rained as John and Eric left me in the, well, I guess it wasn’t very dusty.
It rained as I passed the rock garden.
It rained as I climbed the switchbacks.
It rained as I climbed the ridge.
It rained as Dan passed me going down (he wasn’t going to wait for us in the rain).
It rained as I hit the main trail.
It rained as Larry passed me going down (he got tired of waiting for us in the rain).
It rained as I tagged the viewpoint bench.
It rained as I fed the dogs and we ate graham crackers and drank our beverages of choice.
It rained as we descended.
It rained as we sloshed down the lower trail (now extremely saturated).
It rained as we got back to the car.
It rained as we drove back to the Pour House.
It rained as we attempted to change into dry clothes.
It rained the whole time.
This is TNAB.

Trail details, NOAA weather, driving directions, maps and past trip reports can be found here: Putrid Pete’s Peak

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter EWB:

Every kind of weather greeted a hearty TNAB bunch on Putrid Pete this year: rain (both light and heavy), fog, hail (ouch!), lightning, thunder (oh my!), and snow (both vertical and horizontal).  Temps ranged from t-shirts down low to winter layers up top where it was just 27F, not counting the frigid wind.  There were icy slopes and rocks, a perfect stairway to the top, frozen bits and zipper assists, and finally a running retreat fueled by the feeling that lives might actually be on the line.  Ahhh, spring time, TNAB style.

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter EWB:

Copious amounts of vertical rain from the trailhead. Even larger volumes of horizontal rain on the summit. And then things got really wet. Few started, only some reached the summit, nearly all reached the Pour House. There glasses were raised and prayers offered for drier days.

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter EWB:

Trail details, NOAA weather, driving directions, maps and past trip reports can be found here: West Tiger Mtn (Cable-K3 trio)

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter GQ Hiker Boy:

If wet and windy are your favorites for an evening hike, then this was a hike for you. Evidently, it was for the nine of us that, rain or shine, kept to the schedule and waded up a soggy trail to bag the three summits of West Tiger Mountain. We welcomed another TNAB newbie on his first hike with us this week, and started shortly after 6pm from outside the gate. Our trail of choice was the cable line, and we dodged and straddled the runoff from the steady downpour. Our attempts to stay clean were dashed at the first service road crossing which was a mud pit—yep, those gaiters were definitely worth it. We ascended to the first summit in fast-paced TNAB fashion— fast times ranged from mid-30 mins to low 40s. It was actually warmer this night then it had been in the last couple of days, and I’m not sure what was worse, the wet weather or the wetness of the sweat from the rain gear.

That all changed at the summit of #3. We were met with a brisk howling wind, and after a few minute wait for stragglers, we were frigidly reminded that winter was still hanging around. The photo shoot on #3 was quick since we were anxious to get moving and get warm again. We were soon greeted by patches of snow on the way up to #2 , which turned to solid snow by the time we were by the antenna farm. After another quick photo shoot, we were off to #1 where were where met with the same conditions: snow pack, rain, and wind. A few of us wimped out and hung out in the hikers hut to drink heart-warming beverages, munch on graham crackers, and listen to EWB’s war stories for the week. But the smell of wet dog proved to be too much for us, so we joined the others outside for the last photo shoot. From there we went back to #2, took the scenic trail back to the lower half of the cable line, slogged through the last of the mud and runoff on the trail, got stacked up behind GQ Hiker Boy as he played with headlamp that refused to stay on, and arrived back at the gate by 9pm. In all , it was a 5.4 mile round trip with an elevation gain of about 3,120 feet. A wet, windy, short, but enjoyable hike for the beginning of the season.

From there, the usual gang headed to sample tasty brews and food at the Issaquah Brewhouse in Issy Olde Town before calling it a night.

Special Thanks to Guest Trip Reporter EWB:

Even the dogs were anxious to get things rolling Thursday night as TNAB assembled alongside Homestead Road beside Change Creek to kick off the 2012 season. A good sized crew of regulars and one newcomer geared up, caught up, and eventually headed up, first to the John Wayne trail, then over to the Change Creek trail, and finally up the switchbacks to the ridge in ever deepening snow at an ever slowing pace. At the Hall Point junction we offered our righteous trailblazer Andy graham crackers and “encouragement” as he kicked, plowed, and swam a waist-deep trench for us to the top. There we found good weather, snowy views, and strong booze, and just enough room to mill about taking pictures and treating dogs. The descent was quick and painless, if a little tipsy for some (cough, cough). Lights on at the railroad grade as we counted heads, then a short final bit to the cars. All but a couple made their way to the Pour House after to celebrate the new TNAB season. There we shared more food, booze, and stories, and ZeusDaddy unleashed some medieval ping pong on EWB as revenge for losing the first game. It was a most excellent start to the new TNAB year!