Washington weather/snow conditions

[buff_jeff]

During an average year, when would be the time to start a section hike of Washington state northbound? Would mid-July generally be OK?

I always hear about the problems with snow there, but are people mostly just complaining about postholing or is downright dangerous to hike early-season without experience?

Thanks for any info!

[sbhikes]

Mid-July is probably fine snow-wise but the snowmelt mosquitoes will put a damper on things. In 2009 I hiked through Oregon in July and around Ollallie Lake, toward the end of July, I bumped into a couple of SOBO thru-hikers who had just finished Washington. We compared notes and we had both been tormented by mosquitoes for most of July but we were now thinking they might be on the wane. They said nothing about snow that year. They must have started in Mid-June. 2009 may have been a year on the dry side of normal for Washington if I recall.