[pct-l] Hiking WA in July?

[mdonnay at yahoo.com]

I have dreamed of thru-hiking the PCT for many many years, but being a teacher with summers off from work, my wife and I figured we could section hike the whole trail in three large summer sections rather than quiting our jobs.  Since our summer vacations are from early June through the end of July, we really don't have the flexibility to pick and choose when to hike each section of the trail in its most ideal time period.
In 2005, we hiked the 700 miles in the scorching deserts of SoCal from Campo to Kennedy Meadows.  Although absolutely beautiful, it was HOT and we made it through with mylar umbrellas, but we hardly saw another soul since we were way behind the thru pack.  In towns, we never stopped hearing "kinda late ain't cha?"  Out goal that summer was Mammoth, but due to my wife developing a
 bad case of shin splints
 we had to taper our goals after spending 8 days with the Saufley's and Anderson's packed in ice.
In 2006, we hiked 1,050 miles from Kennedy Meadows to Ashland.  It was a high snow year with huge fords to negotiate including Evolution "Lake" but we really enjoyed this trail section and the camaraderie of being in the middle of the thru-hiker pack.  It was an amazing experience!
2007 was spent moving internationally to new teaching jobs.  So before the move, we finished the second half of a 580-mile traverse of the Pyrenees mountain range from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean across the French and Spanish border.
Last summer, 2008, we were ready to complete the remaining 930 PCT miles from Ashland to Manning.  We started June 21 and hiked three days before running into pervasive snow pack with hundreds of dead falls that obliterated the trail and slowed us down tremendously.  We decided to get off trail and wait out for more snow to melt
 and returned to Fish Lake Hwy 140 three weeks later.  There was still lots of snow throughout much of OR requiring constant map n compass work trying to decipher where the trail might be.  We hiked 430 miles that summer, reaching Cascade Locks before the end of July when we got off the trail to return to work.
It was during those painfully itchy three weeks of waiting out the snow melt that I began to question this strategy of section hiking the whole trail solely during the months of June and July.  We made it through the desert in mid summer, way after the optimal time period.  The Sierras and NCal was hiked during prime time with the thrus.  But now is it possible to hike the Cascades in early to mid summer with the snow pack?
For this coming summer of 2009, I am praying that the Snow Gods of the Cascades tone it down a little this winter, and I have pushed our hiking schedule as
 late as possible in the summer before we have to return to work (8 July - 2 Aug, with three days off to attend a wedding).  We have 500 miles to finish and we're expecting lots of snow to navigate over with lots of dead falls.  So I have planned a more reasonable pace of 22 mpd over 23 days.
What are people's thoughts and experiences of hiking the WA Cascades starting in early/mid July and hitting the North Cascades by the end of July early Aug?  Are we going to be wallowing in snow again trying to find the trail?
Section hiking the trail while holding a full time job has been a great compromise of enjoying both, but in no way does it compare to a thru-hike.  I'll be thru-hiking the PCT in the next 2 years, that is for sure!!
And I am so excited for this year's thrus getting ready for their hike.  Good luck and happy and safe trails.
Mike