[pct-l] How early is too early for Washington north bound?

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Oct 25, 2009, at 5:58 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> We will be section hiking Washington this summer, to complete our last
> segment of the pct. We could start as early as mid July, but this  
> year the
> few southbounders we encountered all said start as late in August as
> possible and still make Canada. This was due to both navigation on  
> snow
> covered trails, and due to mosquitos.
>
> Any advice? Also how does Washington compare to Sierras re crampon  
> need?

Maybe it's different every year but I hiked Washington all through  
August, starting around the 1st and ending on the 31st. There was  
hardly any snow at all. I know I stepped on some but I can't even  
remember it. The mosquitoes were lazy and weak compared to Oregon in  
July. The flowers were stunning and the huckleberries/blueberries  
were outrageous. And oh my god, the thimbleberries. I hope heaven is  
full of them!