Snow: As of the evening of 6/19, snow was falling lightly above 5000 feet. It wasn't sticking on the already melted out ground, but did accumulate on the remaining snow patches. Much more precipitation fell overnight - it will be a while yet before the snowfields melt out. I turned back just before the junction with the Big Quilcene trail due to a large and steep snowfield on the east side of Buckhorn Mountain that I didn't feel good about crossing solo with low visibility. Faint tracks showed others had crossed, but not recently.
Trail: The trail was in good condition - thanks to all the effort of trail crews & work parties! Water crossings were easily navigated, though I was wet enough already to not try too hard to preserve dry feet. As has been mentioned, one small log over the trail just before the Buckhorn Lake junction, and a larger one on the Buckhorn Lake spur.
Campsites: After turning back, I headed to Buckhorn Lake for the night and found a spot at the north end near the outlet. Unfortunately, rodents in the area are habituated to human food and sampled my backpack, boots, crocs, tent, and even the grip of my hiking pole trying to find a tasty bite. Their undiscerning palate caused a fair bit of damage, and they were persistent in returning throughout the night for more nibbles - not a very restful experience. My food, stored in a rodent-proof container far from camp, was untouched. A plea to all - please observe Leave No Trace principles so we all might avoid situations like this in the future!
Flora/Fauna (the good stuff!): Rhododendrons in full bloom at the lower elevations, and the meadows were filled with arrays of lupine, paintbrush, phlox, columbine, monkshood, and more. Plenty of birds hanging out in the meadows. Besides the aforementioned rodent encounter, I saw no mammals but heard a group of elk descending into the valley near the B-17 crash-site.
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