Beautiful June day with conditions more like late April or early May. Parking lot wasn't too packed. While not empty, the mountain wasn't too crowded on a Tuesday. Essentially snow free for the first three quarters of a mile then mostly snow covered until chocolate falls. This lumpy and annoying layer of snow won't be gone for at least 1-2 more weeks. Mostly snow free from chocolate falls up to the climbing permit post at 4,400 feet (assuming you stay on the ridge) then all snow until the summit.
What gear you'll need depends on the time of day you start and the weather/temperature. If, like me, you get an alpine start at 2:30am (or earlier) on a clear cool night you can expect firm and icy snow conditions. I donned crampons at 4,600 feet and didn't take them off until I returned to the same spot after summiting. Above 7,500 feet there was a solid layer of rime ice, and crampons felt perfect for the conditions. Microspikes would be fine for some. The timing worked great with perfect plunge stepping the whole way down without any postholing.
If you're starting after sunrise then expect sloppy mashed potatoes both up and down except for maybe the top portion of the mountain. I would at least bring microspikes in the pack in case you need them, but you likely won't if you're summiting after 10 or 11am. I'm not a huge fan of snowshoes on steeper slopes like those on Saint Helens but if you like them then they'd work fine. Honestly if it's that soft you could just glissade almost the entire way down to the rocky ridge (bring an ice axe). Note that I didn't see a single skier skinning up when I came down. All A-framing because it was so soft.
All in all a great day on the mountain! Have fun out there!
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