I also, have really appreciated this forum and this discussion in particular, and wanted to give a trip report from yesterday 6/23
We left at 3:00 a.m., and were glad we did. We had a variety of abilities in our group and one group member got sick, and he and his father ended up turning back. A third group member got to trail crest and did not feel up to dealing with the issues there (more on that). And I was unable to summit, as I did some shuttling between our more advanced and less advanced groups as they got separated on the trail, and that extra effort overtaxed me a bit, causing me to have to take a bit of a recovery break on the upper portion of the 99 switchbacks, and by the time I was recovered I felt that I was too far behind to not cause major delays with our decent. But 5 of our 9 summited, including an 11 year old boy and a 12 year old girl.
As to the dicey areas. The cables now have a path on the correct side of the cables, though it is VERY narrow in some areas (one foot in front of the other, right next to the cables). It was doable but a little hairy, as the cables are there because that is a very steep drop off, so walking close to the edge and having to rely on the cables quite a bit is a step more intensity for someone who is more of a hiker than a mountaineer.
The other dicey area is at trail crest, at the top of the chute, where you are making the transition to the west side. The trail has a moderate amount of snow on it in 3 areas. Two areas are fairly walk-able with a moderate degree of care. But the 3rd area has no path right at the level of the trail, and people have established a route through the snow above, and a route that is partially through the snow and a bit through the rocks below the trail. These routes make many nervous as a mistake could cause one to slide down the chute. So many bypassed this entire area by scrambling over the rock outcropping and then coming down on the trail after it has passed through the "window". Even though I did not summit I went through this to at least get to see the west side (and I was still assessing if I would try to summit). I scrambled over the top. This took a level of agility beyond what I felt I had after hiking 9 miles uphill. Wasn't too technical, but was definitely a moderate degree of scrambling. I came back on the upper snowy path. I used my walking stick and drove it into the snow above to help with maintaining balance. I found that the path was well compressed and did not sink into the snow, and just took my time and was careful.
While waiting for the portion of my party that summited I was able to see many parties navigate this obstacle. About half or slightly less went up and over the rocks. Half or slightly more went on the snowy trail. On the snowy trail some experienced hikers walked it like any other trail. But most took a fairly high degree of care, with some obviously struggling with the perceived danger. No one, on any route, had any real trouble or appeared to be in real peril. Only one person went through the snowy area, below the main trail.
Last thing. The entire trail is very wet in spots. If you do not have waterproof footwear, your feet will get wet. There are two early stream crossings. One is just water flowing over a slab of granite, and you will have to step in to 1/2" to 1" of water. The next is a normal rock hopping creek crossing, but about 20% of the rocks you will have to use are just below the surface of the water, and again non-waterproof footwear will get wet. But aside from that, there is water on the trail in all sorts of places, including the 99 switchbacks. Some can easily be negotiated around, while others the easiest path is just to tromp on through. So think abut making sure your boots are well sealed, or be prepared with sock changes. Having water shoes is not very viable (would work for creek crossing), as there would just be too much putting them on and taking them off.
All and all it was a good trip. Exhausting but rewarding. The perils of the trail are rapidly melting. Saw no one all day going up or down the chute, though someone mentioned that several people did the day before. Thunder storms were potentially in the forecast, but none materialized.
As everyone was saying up there, have fun and be safe!
p.s. I have some pictures but don't have access to them right now. Hope to post over the weekend
