The mountain highway on the way up is in great condition. Slept at a pullover on the scenic highway friday night then went up to the trailhead saturday morning after a quick breakfast ~10am, it was nearly full but we managed a spot.
Quick pace up until the Mackinaw shelter, which we nearly missed had we not been tipped off by someone camping there. Great weather and the shade made water super manageable, but I would strongly recommend topping up with water near the shelter because there is no where to get water until well after the switchbacks + PCT traverse. Big juicy huckleberries halfway up the switchbacks on the way to the PCT. Seeing portal peak and sloan peak right before red pass on a clear day was gorgeous, with a zoom lens or binoculars you can spot mt rainier too.
Descending into the valley takes longer than it seems because of the meandering trail but you'll soon run into a decent sized creek with plenty of foot paths branching off the trail for more secluded camping spots. Overnight it became very cold quickly, there was frost everywhere. Climbing the cinder cone for sunrise to warm up was a treat. Accidentally disturbed around a dozen quails on the way up. We saw two marmots relaxing in the shadow of the PCT traverse on the way back.
Ran into plenty of other groups that had either done glacier peak or just spent time at white pass, probably encountered ~2 dozen people over two days on the trail. Not everyone had masks.
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